- More
'It's not all doom and gloom' - the long-term future of racehorse ownership
Lee Mottershead looks at what ownership in the post-Covid age might look like
Nobody is compelled to own a racehorse. Those who do are involved in the sport because it brings them pleasure – yet pleasure has a price. As the world eventually starts to rebuild from the shuddering consequences of Covid-19, how many people will feel able to pay that price?
As has been obvious at Tattersalls these last two weeks, there are still plenty of individuals keen to invest, with Sheikh Mohammed and Coolmore seemingly no less willing to spend eye-watering sums of money. They are, however, a million miles from the norm. The sport's two superpowers can prop up a boutique yearling sale. They cannot by themselves keep the wheels of an industry turning.
Owners have already endured a tough time in 2020. For a significant chunk of the year they were unable to race their horses, even though training bills never stopped arriving. When racing returned they were initially forbidden from entering racecourses, whose prize-money offerings dropped significantly. Now owners are once again allowed through the turnstiles – although not currently in Ireland – but they are kept apart from their horses, trainers and jockeys in the new spectator-free norm.
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 inSeries
Last updated
- We believed Dancing Brave could fly - and then he took off to prove it
- 'Don't wind up bookmakers - you might feel clever but your accounts won't last'
- 'There wouldn't be a day I don't think about those boys and their families'
- 'You want a bit of noise, a bit of life - and you have to be fair to punters'
- 'I take flak and it frustrates me - but I'm not going to wreck another horse'
- We believed Dancing Brave could fly - and then he took off to prove it
- 'Don't wind up bookmakers - you might feel clever but your accounts won't last'
- 'There wouldn't be a day I don't think about those boys and their families'
- 'You want a bit of noise, a bit of life - and you have to be fair to punters'
- 'I take flak and it frustrates me - but I'm not going to wreck another horse'