- More
It's the groundbreaking report that aimed to shake up British racing - but just how much did Savill sway BHA plans for the sport?
Bill Barber examines the influence of a group led by the former BHB chairman on proposals for next year's fixture list
Last summer, Peter Savill, the pugnacious former chairman of the BHA's predecessor the BHB, delivered a stark warning about the future of Flat racing.
The sport, it was suggested, was in danger of being reduced "to a position of greatly reduced prestige and prominence".
Savill was heading a group of industry heavyweights who approached the BHA with a series of proposals that would seek to tackle some of racing's most pressing problems: the loss of major owners, a drain of equine talent abroad and falling field sizes. Identifying the sport's top product – premierisation, as it has come to be known – was a key element.
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
Published on inSpecial reports
Last updated
Copy- It's been a quarter of a century since we started - here's how we've seen the sport we love change
- Skyscraper betting and soaring turnover: Japan's mind-boggling racing experience and the unlikely hero who sparked the boom
- It’s the number-one complaint from punters – so just why are some struggling to get paid out by bookmakers?
- A laid-back Equinox, a heaving toy shop and a bizarre mobile racing game: inside the phenomenon that is Japanese racing
- 'The status quo just isn't sustainable' - does British racing need a revolution in how it is run?
- It's been a quarter of a century since we started - here's how we've seen the sport we love change
- Skyscraper betting and soaring turnover: Japan's mind-boggling racing experience and the unlikely hero who sparked the boom
- It’s the number-one complaint from punters – so just why are some struggling to get paid out by bookmakers?
- A laid-back Equinox, a heaving toy shop and a bizarre mobile racing game: inside the phenomenon that is Japanese racing
- 'The status quo just isn't sustainable' - does British racing need a revolution in how it is run?