Towcester could host meetings in 2020 after publication of fixture list

The prospect of racing returning at Towcester has not been entirely discounted following the release of the 2020 fixture list.

The Northamptonshire course went into administration last year before the start of its jumps season and subsequently the administrators revealed assets required for racing, including ten fixtures, had been sold to a company linked to course chairman Lord Hesketh.

Those ten fixtures do not feature among the 2020 list, making for a total of 1,481 – 30 fewer than this year's total of 1,511. However, the BHA has raised the prospect of jump racing returning to Towcester.

A statement said: "Discussions over the future of Towcester racecourse are continuing with its new owners and ten fixtures historically staged at the Northamptonshire venue have been withheld from the 2020 fixture list at this time. It is anticipated that these ten fixtures will be added to the fixture list in due course, either at Towcester or alternative racecourses."

With Towcester's fixtures to be reinstated or redistributed, the final total for the 2020 fixture will be 1,491.

Breakdown of the 2020 fixture list

1,491 fixtures* – 1,511 in 2019
902 Flat meetings – 13 fewer than 2019
560 Flat turf – four fewer than 2019
342 All-weather – nine fewer than 2019
579 Jump meetings* – 17 fewer than 2019
* Number includes ten Towcester fixtures

No course has lost more fixtures than Kempton, with eight fewer meetings scheduled at the track in 2020, while Catterick gained most with two extra fixtures meaning it will stage 27 meetings next season.

While the overall reduction in fixtures was welcomed by horsemen, there had been a desire for even fewer meetings. Ralph Beckett urged the sport to take the 2020 list as a starting point for future discussions with the hope of creating a programme that places the needs of the horse and staff in yards above racecourses and bookmakers.

Measures have been put in place for next year's list in an effort to address the health and wellbeing of the industry's participants.

Among the changes will be an extension to the blank days at the Christmas period, with a four-day gap beginning on December 22. Jump jockeys will also benefit from a longer holiday in August, with their break stretched out to 12 days from nine.

In addition, no race will start later than 9pm at summer evening fixtures, and no later than 8.30pm outside the summer months. The first race of the day will also start by 2pm where possible to meet the needs of the betting public.

Fixture list movers (2020 total fixtures in brackets)

Gained two fixtures from 2019: Catterick (27)
Gained one: Chelmsford (59), Hereford (11), Lingfield (82)
Lost one: Carlisle (25), Fontwell (23), Huntingdon (18), Musselburgh (27), Newton Abbot (18), Sedgefield (19), Stratford (17), Thirsk (15), Wolverhampton (79)
Lost two: Chepstow (30), Newcastle (60)
Lost three: Southwell (65)
Lost eight: Kempton (67)

Remaining courses to stage the same amount of fixtures as in 2019

Richard Wayman, chief operating officer at the BHA, said: "The 2020 fixture list and the policies governing it aim to balance the impact of the size of the fixture list on the thousands of people who work tirelessly to service it, the need to support the industry’s revenues and prize-money levels, and the importance of promoting the longer term interests of the sport by delivering more competitive and compelling racing.

"Production of the fixture list is rarely straightforward with sometimes conflicting objectives among the different parties within racing. In the current climate it is more important than ever all the parties involved continue to work together to create a fixture list that delivers the best overall outcome for the sport.

"There is much to be positive about in this year’s fixture list, with measures such as the extended jump racing breaks, earlier finish times and more racing across the middle of the day brought in following feedback from both racing’s participants and its customers."

Negotiations between the BHA, Racecourse Association and Horsemen's Group helped inform the 2020 list, although the parties were unable to reach a consensus on the number of fixtures, which meant the BHA board had to reach a decision on the matter.

For the 2021 list, Portas Consulting has been appointed to assist in providing independent analysis of the financial and economic state of British racing. Its findings will help influence the composition of the 2021 programme.

Wayman added: "It is very encouraging that all involved in the process are supportive of the external analysis of the financial and economic state of the sport that is about to commence. This is an important piece of work as it will provide a basis of agreed facts from which to develop fixture strategy for the future."

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