Racing's warning lights are flashing and actions must replace ambitions

When the BHA published British racing's Recovery Plan on August 25, it was widely interpreted as more of a wish list than a plan, full of laudable ambitions but short on the detail of how and when we might see these become reality.

In the nine weeks since then, racing's position has not improved. The return of spectators looks more remote than ever, over 2,000 betting shops have closed in Britain and Ireland with more certain to follow, and the steady increase of Covid-19 cases and deaths presages a long winter for us all.

Warnings about racing's precarious finances have accompanied these developments like rain with storm clouds. This week alone, outgoing BHA chief executive Nick Rust said there was a strong risk of tracks closing if spectators did not return in numbers next year and David Armstrong of the Racecourse Association warned of a "serious pinch point" for racing's finances in the spring.