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What a complete waste of money. The races in the series are already amongst the most valuable and prestigious in the world and receive ample media coverage. Now their going to pay 10 million quid for the privilege of linking them in a points series where the competitors show up for maybe 3 or races in the competition at most.
The potential earnings of a few hundred million quid at stud will always be the prime consideration in a Group 1 horses race schedule, not how many points it scores at the races.
I’m not against the idea but it doesnt need to cost 10 million.
Surely money like that should be spent on the basics like sectional timing devices and horse weighing scales at every racecourse.
All this vanity project will do is further line the pockets of billionaire racehorse owners.
This could be another own goal by racing. There is a lot to be said for marketing the sport and trying to create more buzz around the big races. But behind it, there is potentially a huge problem. The 10 races are going to be put into one package for TV rights, separate to all other British racing.
So, for example, Channel 4 could be asked to spend millions on rights to televise British racing – then asked to cough up again for the 10 main races. Why would they spend millions to televise the run-of-the-mill Saturdays only to see someone like Sky or Setanta outbid them for the big Flat races?
Let’s hope this isn’t the end of terrestrial TV racing save for these 10 big races. As boxing has shown when you lose terrestrial TV you lose your place as a major sport, save for the odd one-off big fight.Unless it has been discontinued, there already is an International Series, called the Emirates World Series, a series of 12 Global races
Not 100% sure, David, but I think this was discontinued a few years ago after either Grandera or Fantastic Light won it. Perhaps someone remembers this better than I.
Regarding David’s earlier post re his suggested additions, I think including the 1000G, Oaks, Coronation Cup and Leger would significantly improve the proposed series, give the Leger a much needed boost to its profile (both with the public and with trainers), and give that extra dimension of filly/mare interest (very popular with the public this last point – just think Ouija Board). Therefore – a 14 race series, good idea, David!
The Lockinge should probably stay because it too seems to need a boost. The QA will remain popular because of its being part of Royal Ascot, and its inclusion would unbalance things in favour of older milers. Including the Coronation Cup, however, would seem to even things out nicely.
I don’t think that 3 year old fillies would be unduly advantaged by their two races – they can’t run in both Guineas (ie, 1000 and 2000 – no, not even JB would do that) nor in Oaks+Derby.
I do wonder if the Irish Champion – a race I love – would be at all threatened by this series. Hope not.
Don’t at all like the idea of moving all the races to the weekends, with the necessitated fixture changes that would involve. This ain’t broke – don’t fix it!
Unless it has been discontinued, there already is an International Series, called the Emirates World Series, a series of 12 Global races
It was discontinued after 2005 for 2 reasons – The series never drummed up the interest to justify Emirates Airline continued considerable investment in it and Vengence of Rain won the World Series having never left Hong Kong.
10 million to shine a light on that which is self apparent.Can Ballydoyle run a couple of no hopers in the deciding rubber?
It could work as flat racing needs something to mirror or complement the Order or Merit series.
Surely a Middle Distance Series in Europe covering UK,Ireland,France,Italy,Germany,Spain and Czech Republic or Poland could work better with a version for Sprinters,Milers and Stayers too.
On the All Weather their is a European Middle Distance Series which includes the Winter Derby so it could be done if the respective associations got together.
At the end of the day it is a good idea but a lot of research needs to be done with owners,trainers and the racing public to see if it is worthwhile.
I am intrigued to know how the marketing men expect to raise "increased revenue from TV deals to provide the main series prize".
Currently C4 is in effect paid to cover UK racing, this situation must, in the future, make it difficult for the BBC to justify paying for something which is handed out free to a rival. ITV dropped horse racing in the early 80s and have made few noises about being interested in it, and again why should they pay for something that their sister network has been getting for nowt? Sky has access already to some of the races in the proposed series through attheraces, but the others are on the rival RUK, and I do not forsee a sudden calming of the waters in the ATR/RUK rivalry. So where are these many millions supposed to be coming from?
I love Juddmonte International day but if it moves to a Saturday you just know that it will become yet another booze up…
Given that the objective is to sell racing to a wider audience, i think this may not be a bad idea.
The appetite these days is for sports that are easy and digestible to follow. Nature of the world we live in. Applying a simple narrative to the flat season will not really tickle many on here but i can see the logic
Lets face it if a "sport" as charmless, tacky, dirty and boring as Formula one is found to be appealing by some (god only knows why…) then there is conclusive proof that you ultimately market anything
Just watched the launch on RUK. It featured a group of wealthy racing insiders, telling (not asking) the non racing public what they want, whilst they sip champagne and congratulate themselves on a project they havent even secured funding for yet. A potential customer like a housewife or a long term customer like a betting shop regular probably wouldnt get past the doorman.
You couldnt make it up.
I’m sure Doncaster are over the moon. Just goes to show the light in which the St Leger is viewed nowadays and this will do nothing to bring it back up.
“Our vision is that in 5 years The Sovereign Series will have become established as a major sports competition on the British calendar alongside Wimbledon, The Open and other similar events.” – Simon Bazalgette.
Optimistic to say the least.
It’s a nice idea and you have to applaud the intention but I don’t really see the point. The prize money isn’t bad but compared to potential stud earnings etc. I can’t see the owners of horses with the potential to win it being too tempted to specifically aim at it with the possibility of missing the Arc / BC.
Lee
As its being run and promoted by Racing UK I suspect that Arena Leisure didn’t want Doncaster involved in it and it’s probably RUK trying to get its hands on Ascot tv rights which must be coming up for renewal soon thats why a number of Ascot meetings also make the final ten.
Thats probably why RUK didn’t stop talking about Royal Ascot this year unlike other years. As Ascot signed to Turf TV and not SIS perhaps Ascot are thinking of jumping ship and also moving to RUK
At the end of the day, this isnt going to stop the best 3yos milers getting retired at the end of their 3yo season (unless possibly they are with godolphin and still alive at 4) so why should the lockinge be in there, it is year in, year out, a consistently below average race.
If this Sovereign thing is to be taken in anyway seriously they have to open it at least to ireland and more realistically france aswell, with some of their group races, in britain there are some top class races but just not enough IMO and to try to big up british racing (for little more than the fact that it is british) doesnt help the matter, it just bypasses looking at the actual problem.
The best horse of the year almost always always wins the arc. If not it is usually a stand out horse at another trip.
The fact that there is only one group1 at 1m4f ) for older horses, which is "usually" run on ground that is "usually" unsuitable for most of the best of the 1m4f division says it all about the merits of this competition. It is all about bigging up british racing (clearly more than it deserves) rather than improving the quality of it.
We all know that the best 1m2f race of the season (in almost every season) is the Irish Champion and the best 1m4f race of the season is the Arc. The best 1 mile race IMO is the 2000 guineas, the siussex or the QE2 (they have got the milers right at least) but they have excludued the best 1m2f race and the best 1m4f races.
I think this is being taken too seriously by some. Its a marketing exercise as much as anything else and purely a UK initiative. Involving other countries would inevitably complicate matters. And why should we?
Every season the toss could be argued about this race or that race…
It is all about bigging up british racing (clearly more than it deserves) rather than improving the quality of it.
What does it deserve then? Doesnt deserve a wider audience? The grand National and melbourne cup are handicaps that are "bigged up" by the press and no one is complaining about the (far more obvious) lack of quality there
Isnt marketing about bigging up? What should the BHA be doing instead?
At the end of the day, this isnt going to stop the best 3yos milers getting retired at the end of their 3yo season (unless possibly they are with godolphin and still alive at 4) so why should the lockinge be in there, it is year in, year out, a consistently below average race.
If this Sovereign thing is to be taken in anyway seriously they have to open it at least to ireland and more realistically france aswell, with some of their group races, in britain there are some top class races but just not enough IMO and to try to big up british racing (for little more than the fact that it is british) doesnt help the matter, it just bypasses looking at the actual problem.
The best horse of the year almost always always wins the arc. If not it is usually a stand out horse at another trip.
The fact that there is only one group1 at 1m4f ) for older horses, which is "usually" run on ground that is "usually" unsuitable for most of the best of the 1m4f division says it all about the merits of this competition. It is all about bigging up british racing (clearly more than it deserves) rather than improving the quality of it.
We all know that the best 1m2f race of the season (in almost every season) is the Irish Champion and the best 1m4f race of the season is the Arc. The best 1 mile race IMO is the 2000 guineas, the siussex or the QE2 (they have got the milers right at least) but they have excludued the best 1m2f race and the best 1m4f races.
You really seem to be saying that the Irish horses and to an extent the French horses are better than the British which in recent years has alas often been the case so we should include include their races. However I assume the objective is to promote British racing so including French and Irish races is illogical and there are enough top class races here.
While the arc winner is often the best horse of the year this is not always the case. It is fair to say it is laid out for the race on many occasions with few outings and that one race as the main objective which is understandable as it is run towards the end of the season but it hardly draws people to follow racing. Last year Dylan Thomas proved this approach is not the only one to victory in the arc and why he was imo such a great horse. As for unsuitable ground imo the best horse can handle any ground and course and if it only relishes good or soft ground or a particular type of track it is only the best horse on that basis. I don’t think this initiative is perfect but it will be interesting to see if works.
I have absolutely no issue with promoting the sport to a wider audience.
However I cannot help but think the sums of money being discussed are obscene and could be better spent elsewhere. Yesterday morning I spent almost three hours in my local A&E department and looking at the state of it I was wondering how much more they could do with even a half million pound investment, yet alone a £4-5 milion boost.
OK some will respond that even greater sums are spent on other sports, that still does not make it right in my mind.
I think the Order Of Merit for jump racing has worked well and on a budget far less than being proposed for this Sovereign Series, covering only ten seemingly randomly selected races.
Spot on PaulO. What will happen with this white elephant vanity project is that money that should be ploughed back into the sport will end up in the pocket of Magnier and the Sheikhs.
To assume that championships contested by humans and machine’s can be replicated with animals is a fatal assumption.
If it ever gets off the ground I’d give it 5 years maximum.
They seem to want one terrestrial broadcaster to cover the whole series. As C4 now hold the rights to everything except Epsom and Ascot this is going to cause a lot of aggro- hard to see the Beeb stumping up for rights to all the other meetings, or being particularly happy about letting C4 snaffle their only decent Flat rights.
My gut feeling is that it won’t get off the ground- too much negotiation and movement of long-standing fixtures and rights for too little reward.
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