'Significant headwinds' facing British racing as falls in betting turnover continue

"Significant headwinds" facing British racing are reducing the positive impact of changes to the fixture list, the sport has been told, as worrying new figures detailed continued falls in racing betting turnover.

The warning came as the BHA issued a report on Wednesday on the key performance indicators put in place to assess the results of the changes made to the fixture list over the first six months of 2024 as part of a two-year trial to improve British racing's competitiveness.

The BHA said betting on racing remained under pressure with a total reduction in turnover of 9.7 per cent, equating to an average fall per race of 6.1 per cent. The total reduction in betting turnover in the first quarter had been 5.9 per cent.

The betting performance at Premier racedays varied "significantly" depending on the type of fixture, with the average turnover per fixture at major festivals including the Cheltenham Festival, the Grand National meeting, the Derby meeting and Royal Ascot down 12.4 per cent. The fall was blamed on contributory factors such as fewer bookmaker offers, the Grand National’s earlier start time and clashes with other sporting events, especially the men's European Football Championship.

However, the performance at other Premier racedays was better, with a 2.9 per cent decline in turnover per fixture on non-festival Saturdays.

The BHA said the sample size was still too small to quantify the impact of the controversial Saturday protected window but claimed that spreading races across the day was "showing some benefits".

Premier racedays on Sundays were also said to be "performing relatively strongly", with average turnover per fixture for those Sunday cards upgraded to Premier racedays this year increasing by 24 per cent.

Betting turnover per fixture at core meetings has fallen by 7.6 per cent.

The BHA said the decline in betting turnover was being driven "by factors beyond the fixture list", most notably the continuing impact of affordability checks, along with reduced bookmaker offers and the general economic climate.

The governing body said bookmakers had suggested that racing’s performance was not out of line with the general betting landscape, "thereby pointing to the significance of the compliance checks rather than issues specific to racing itself".

BHA racing director Richard Wayman said: "We are all very conscious of the fact that the sport is facing quite significant headwinds.

"You can make some very sensible fixture list changes that in themselves are positive and making positive contributions, but that does not necessarily mean they cancel out all of the headwinds that the sport is facing and I think we have to be very cognisant of that.

"There is so much one can do with the fixture list but there are some bigger issues at play."

Premier racing: featured the creation of a protected window between 2pm and 4pm on Saturday afternoonsCredit: Edward Whitaker

The creation of a protected window between 2pm and 4pm on Saturday afternoons to spread races out and allow the best racing to breathe has been one of the most controversial elements of the Premier racing trial, with a number of courses unhappy at being moved out of prime slots.

The BHA's figures showed that the total impact on attendances at moved fixtures in the first six months of the year had been a decline of around 10,000, with performance "varying significantly" from fixture to fixture but, on average, down by 17 per cent.

Wayman said it was too soon to draw any firm conclusions from those figures.

He added: "What we are planning to do as that sample size builds up is that we will then be able to do a relatively straightforward calculation that looks at the positive upside and measures it against the downside and then take a view on where we go from there."

The BHA's figures showed that average field sizes and the percentage of races with more than eight runners and odds-against favourites had increased, apart from for jumps Premier fixtures.

Total prize-money at Premier racedays was also ahead of target.

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