France's prize-money cuts are not just an issue for the sport there - they are symptomatic of a global crisis for racing
Stuart Riley on some painful and worrying home truths apparent across the Channel
Last week’s announcement that France Galop will cut prize-money by €20 million (£16.77m) per year will not have been welcome news in British racing’s corridors of power – precisely because so many of the problems on the other side of the Channel are so familiar.
But it may provide a very timely example of what is at stake in the ongoing levy negotiations and betting tax consultation.
French racing is almost its British equivalent’s richer and more successful younger sibling so when it starts tightening its belt, just five months on from paying a record €292.3m in prize-money and premiums for owners and breeders in 2024, it does not bode well for the rest of the family.
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Published on inStuart Riley
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