'No silver linings yet' as November attendance figures drop by 12 per cent

There are no "silver linings" for attendances on course in Britain according to the head of the Racecourse Association, with November's spectator numbers dropping 12.3 per cent on pre-pandemic levels.

The cost of living crisis is believed to be impacting the sport "quite extensively", but the RCA's David Armstrong hopes the trend – which has been a theme across the year – can improve in 2023.

An average of 2,258 racegoers attended the 104 meetings staged during November, but the percentage dip is less than the average recorded across the year. From January 1 to October 31 there was a drop of 14.7 compared to 2019.