'That's not all Covid' - trainers lament massive drop in British prize-money

British prize-money nosedived by 42 per cent to its lowest level for 18 years in 2020, a sharper drop than in other leading racing nations France and Ireland, a special report by the Racing Post can reveal.

Those racing horses in Britain have long complained about prize-money, especially in comparison to other nations, and the sport’s fragile finances have suffered another hammer blow during the coronavirus pandemic, which closed down racing for 76 days last spring.

With racecourses operating behind closed doors, levy and media rights payments reduced by betting shop closures and sponsors cutting back, prize-money fell to £91,988,940, with the leading ten trainers in Britain suffering a 55 per cent reduction in earnings. By comparison, the leading trainers in France and Ireland had drops of 26 per cent and 22 per cent in total prize-money respectively compared to 2019.