'This reflects poorly on British racing' - RCA hits out at Newbury boycott

Trainers risk derailing critical talks about the future of British racing’s governance by engaging in strikes against racecourses, the Racecourse Association (RCA) warned on Thursday.

Tensions between stakeholders resurfaced following the boycotting of a race at Newbury on Saturday due to prize-money, although trainers stopped short of confirming the decision not to declare any of the 13 entries had been taken jointly.

The RCA and the Thoroughbred Group – which represents trainers, owners, breeders, jockeys and stable staff – are engaged with the BHA over creating a strategy for the future of the industry, but the fragility of the process was spelled out by the RCA in reaction to the boycott.

In a statement, the RCA said: “The RCA was extremely disappointed to note no declarations had been made for the final contest at Newbury. It appears unlikely ten different stables could find reasons to withdraw their horses for any reason other than to disrupt the raceday. This reflects poorly on British racing to our customers, participants and sponsors.

“All major stakeholders are committed to racing’s governance review and we have already seen evidence of the positive cooperation this can foster. Incidents such as this risk placing this cooperation, and future progress, in serious jeopardy.

“Racecourses are engaged in constant dialogue with the Thoroughbred Group and BHA to develop a dynamic programme at all levels of the sport. An anticipated record prize-money total of more than £170 million in 2022, which will include a significant level of executive contribution, serves as evidence of this commitment.”

Newbury: no runners declared for the track's final race on Saturday's Super Sprint cardCredit: Edward Whitaker

Paul Johnson, chief executive of the National Trainers Federation, said it was “disappointing” no horses were declared at Newbury, while outlining how the prize-money offered meant “there was very little to attract runners”.

He added: “We understand the need for all in the sport to work together to ensure we deliver for racing’s consumers, and appreciate the efforts made by Newbury to be open and transparent about its finances in recent discussions with the NTF.

“However, we would encourage them to reflect on whether a race [originally] offering just £5,300 in prize-money is suitable for a televised Saturday fixture at a premier racecourse.”

Saturday is not the first instance of races attracting no runners in Britain. In February 2019, trainers boycotted one race at Lingfield and reduced another to a walkover due to prize-money, while further strikes took place the following month before a truce was reached with the Surrey track's owner Arena Racing Company.

The BHA insisted stakeholders needed to work cooperatively and that the long-term strategy being created for the sport would place it in a stronger position on issues such as prize-money.

A spokesman said: “It is the responsibility of all leaders within racing to work together to improve the prize-money situation so that we can retain the best horses in Britain while also maintaining a horse population that consistently provides competitive and compelling racing.

“While it is disappointing to have arrived at such a situation on a key day for racing, the BHA remains optimistic that improvements to prize-money and its distribution across the race programme can be found through constructive dialogue.”

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