Premier racing begins on New Year's Day at Cheltenham - here's everything you need to know

Cheltenham's New Year's Day card will represent a new dawn when Premier racing begins. The new initiative, introduced for a two-year trial, is designed to showcase the very best of British racing and hopefully improve the fortunes of the sport with better competition, higher prize-money and greater fan engagement.

Here's everything you need to know about Premier racing and the early meetings to keep an eye out for.

What is Premier racing?

Premier racing was unveiled in October in the biggest shake-up to the British fixture list in recent memory.

There are 170 Premier meetings scheduled for 2024, the first of a two-year trial, and they will feature greater prize-money and the sport's biggest races.

Other meetings are to be rebranded as 'core' fixtures, with limitations placed on the number of such fixtures that can take place between the 2pm and 4pm protected window on most Saturdays in order to allow Premier meetings "room to breathe".

Why has it been brought in?

In short, Premier racing has been introduced in an effort to revitalise the top end of the sport in Britain.

British racing has been hit by a number of headwinds in recent years, including the loss of major owners, a talent drain abroad and falling field sizes. Attendances have also been an area of concern.

By separating Premier meetings from the sport's 'core' product, it is hoped this will be the start of a shift to addressing those concerns, attracting new audiences and better engaging existing racing fans and customers.

What are the key elements to it?

In addition to the protected window, which will see other meetings shifted to morning start times or the late afternoon, there are several other key parts to Premier racing.

Sundays have been an area of increased focus in the 2024 fixture list and 29 Premier racedays will take place on that day of the week.

The BHA has subsequently revealed its own measures for what counts as success for Premier racing and the 2024 fixture list. The headline figure is the hope Premier racing could yield approximately a £90 million improvement for racing's finances over a five-year period compared to standing still with the current fixture list.

Improved betting turnover on slimmed-down Saturdays, and slowing the overall decline of betting interest across the year as a whole, is a primary target, while a boost in attendances, a reduction in the number of races clashing on TV, improved average field sizes and an increase in the number of horses in Britain (plus a greater number of classier horses) are other notable and specified aims.

Prize-money is central to the Premier racing project with the ambition for a £6-7m improvement at Premier meetings in 2024.

What Premier meetings are upcoming, what are the key races and what's on ITV?

There are eight Premier racedays in January comprising 11 meetings, starting with Cheltenham's traditional New Year's Day card.

Three Saturdays feature two Premier meetings – Kempton and Warwick on January 13, Ascot and Haydock on January 20 and Cheltenham and Doncaster on January 27 – while there are further meetings at Sandown (January 6), Plumpton (January 7) and Lingfield (January 19 and 21).

All meetings bar the Sunday card at Plumpton will feature on ITV programming, with the two Cheltenham cards and Ascot's Clarence House Chase fixture the days benefiting from main channel positioning on ITV1.

Premier meetings in January

El Fabiolo: being aimed at the Clarence House Chase at Ascot on January 20Credit: Patrick McCann

• January 1: Cheltenham
• January 6: Sandown
• January 7: Plumpton
• January 13: Kempton and Warwick
• January 19: Lingfield
• January 20: Ascot and Haydock
• January 21: Lingfield
• January 27: Cheltenham and Doncaster

The Clarence House, which Willie Mullins has already indicated is the target for Queen Mother Champion Chase ante-post favourite El Fabiolo, is the only Grade 1 race to feature in the January Premier meetings, but there are plenty of other contests to look forward to.

The Paddy Power New Year's Day Chase is the £100,000 highlight for the first Premier meeting, with the Veterans' Chase Final filling the feature slot on the first Saturday at Sandown.

Plumpton's first Premier raceday features a new £75,000 staying handicap hurdle, while the Classic Chase, Lanzarote Hurdle, Peter Marsh Chase and a 2m5f handicap chase at Ascot offer £100,000 pots on the next two Saturdays.

The £165,000 Fleur de Lys Chase is the standout contest at Lingfield's Winter Million fixture and the £100,000 Great Yorkshire Chase at Doncaster provides another staying feature.

However, Cheltenham's Trials day fixture may end up the most anticipated meeting of the month on January 27. An always informative card benefits from the addition of the International Hurdle, a genuine Champion Hurdle trial moved from the track's two-day December meeting. It could be a potential stopping point for Constitution Hill on the way to the festival in March.

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2024 fixture list explained: what are the main changes and why are they happening? 

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