Nottingham blunder owner Craig Buckingham backs Arc prize-money boycott

Craig Buckingham, the owner who threatened to quit British racing in October when one of his runners was wrongly withdrawn from a race at Nottingham, has given his support to the recent boycott of races in which prize-money has been cut, instructing his trainers not to enter at any Arena Racing Company venue.

Saturday's meeting at Lingfield featured a walkover and the loss of another race as owners and trainers decided prize-money at the track was not worth competing for.

An expected reduction in media rights payments from bookmakers to Arc – due to anticipated betting shop closures following FOBT stake restrictions – has resulted in the under-fire racecourse group offering prize-money levels many in the sport deem unacceptable.

Buckingham, who had 80 runners on the Flat last year, enjoying five winners at the Arc-owned Southwell, has now joined those voices of discontent.

"I am, like many other owners and trainers, very disappointed by the recent changes in prize-money applied by Arc to the low-level races," said the owner, whose Magic Pulse was erroneously taken out of a £25,000 sprint handicap at Nottingham five months ago.

"Reductions are disgraceful and will dramatically affect owners, trainers and their staff. I fully support the recent action at Lingfield and will support any further action planned."

Buckingham, who was so distressed by the BHA Magic Pulse blunder he considered sending his horses to France to be trained, added: "Furthermore, I'm hereby advising all my trainers that no entries are to be made at Arc tracks without my prior consent.

"I am in effect withdrawing my support of Arc when they have reduced prize-money in races I may be entering horses in.

"This is a real shame as we have been very successful at some of those tracks, notably Southwell with 22 winners, but as an owner who supplies the product for Arc we have to make these people understand their actions are wholly wrong and deeply damaging to racing, and the people that not only support it, but also those whose livelihoods depend on it."

Buckingham, whose Horst was fifth in his black and orange-starred silks at Catterick last week, had his most recent winner this month when the Mick Appleby-trained Book Of Dreams struck at Lingfield in a race worth £7,246 to the winner.

Arc declined to comment directly on Buckingham's stance, instead pointing to a 40 per cent increase in its prize-money contribution in 2019 compared to 2015.

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