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This post is NOT a complaint about prize money by a grasping owner (I know what the level of prize money is and I remain as an owner for sheer pleasure and with my eyes wide open).
It’s a simple statement of the facts, prompted by reading this article
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/ … 974568.ece
and in particular by this quote from BHA boss Paul Roy
"I’m fed up with people telling me what a mess we are in. What we are doing is building on very strong foundations."
Well Mr Roy, your strong foundations are propping up a crumbling building imo.
Here are the official minimum prize money levels for different classes of flat race in 2005 and 2010:
Class 2005 2010
2 £20,000 £16,000
3 £14,000 £10,500
4 £10,000 £6,500
5 £5,000 £3,600
6 £4,000 £2,600If those figures don’t indicate ‘a mess’, what would Mr Roy?
AP
Alan, you know the answers, 5 years ago levy based on bookmakers profits, around £80M
currently around £80M.
Expenses no doubt increased substantially.
This post is NOT a complaint about prize money by a grasping owner (I know what the level of prize money is and I remain as an owner for sheer pleasure and with my eyes wide open).
It’s a simple statement of the facts, prompted by reading this article
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/ … 974568.ece
and in particular by this quote from BHA boss Paul Roy
"I’m fed up with people telling me what a mess we are in. What we are doing is building on very strong foundations."
Well Mr Roy, your strong foundations are propping up a crumbling building imo.
Here are the official minimum prize money levels for different classes of flat race in 2005 and 2010:
Class 2005 2010
2 £20,000 £16,000
3 £14,000 £10,500
4 £10,000 £6,500
5 £5,000 £3,600
6 £4,000 £2,600If those figures don’t indicate ‘a mess’, what would Mr Roy?
AP
What is your answer to racings problems Alan?
Value Is EverythingBarry,
No argument from me – declining income spread over more races and a greater percentage of that income spent (or wasted) on security.
If we can both see that, how come the head man thinks we’re working our way up from solid foundations.
Ginger,
My personal solution is simple – when the two horses I currently own are no longer racing, they won’t be replaced. But whilst that’s no great problem for me, it’s a lost job for someone currently employed to care for them.
AP
- Total Posts 17716
My personal solution is simple – when the two horses I currently own are no longer racing, they won’t be replaced. But whilst that’s no great problem for me, it’s a lost job for someone currently employed to care for them.
Are there fewer horses in training than there were in 2005? If so, how many?
And are there fewer active owners? If so, how many?
Pinza, the 2009 stats aren’t on there yet but here is a link containing data of number of horses in training.
Here are the official minimum prize money levels for different classes of flat race in 2005 and 2010:
Class 2005 2010
2 £20,000 £16,000
3 £14,000 £10,500
4 £10,000 £6,500
5 £5,000 £3,600
6 £4,000 £2,600You paint far too rosey a picture AP. Things are much worse.
Take the next two class six races carded for example. They have a value of £2100 as they have been divided to create an 8-race card. A process which didn’t exist in 2005.
Pinza, the 2009 stats aren’t on there yet but here is a link containing data of number of horses in training.
The figures from the Britishhorseracing site show horses in training, 2004: 14129, 2008: 15349. That’s an increase over the 4 years of just under 9%.
The International Federation of Horseracing Authorities’ figures for different horses having actually run during the 2 years in question show 2004: 18169, 2008: 20366. This would include horses running in the UK, but trained outside it.
I can’t believe that there were 4000 or so foreign-trained runners during the year, so maybe the in-training stats were a snapshot at a particular moment in time and not the total number of horses in training over the whole year.
Oh, I forgot about inflation of circa 14% in the period. That means prize money has fallen 54% in real terms for that last race.
Who will supply the needed prize money?
Why have bookmakers profits not kept pace with 14% inflation
Who will supply the needed prize money?
Prodigal punters returning to the sport would be the hope, though nobody is courting them at present.
Why have bookmakers profits not kept pace with 14% inflation
Some bookies profits have, although financing their debts is taking its toll.
bookmakers pay 10% of gross profits to levy,
levy stood still for 5 years,
outside liabilities expenses repayments dont come in to it
AP
I understand your own personal solution AP, but is there something in particular you’d like the BHA / Simon Roy to do to help. Is there a solution to the down turn?
If you’ve covered this somewhere else please don’t bother, but tell me where.Barry
What would you like to see the BHA do? What is the solution to this decline?Value Is EverythingI don’t know what the answer is – a Tote monopoly would be the ideal – but it is not possible as you cannot “un-invent” or even realistacally ban bookmakers – Internet punters would still be able to bet offshore.
However IMO the Levy is an anachronistic means of funding the sport – why should racing alone get a % of bookmakers gross profits. Why shouldn’t football, golf, cricket or even Channel 4 for Big Brother get a % as well, why is racing so special?
Everyone has to live within their means and racing should be no exception. If income drops then either prizemoney has to drop as it has now or the fixture list has to be pruned to fit the prize money available whilst maintaining what is considered to be an acceptable level.
Owners like Alan have to decide how they want to play it and yes it will mean job cuts – certainly not pleasant on an individual level but it is part of the economic reality across all walks of life – why should racing be exempt?
- Total Posts 17716
Owners like Alan have to decide how they want to play it and yes it will mean job cuts – certainly not pleasant on an individual level but it is part of the economic reality across all walks of life – why should racing be exempt?
[b:2iqhj3lz]But there is no decline.[/b:2iqhj3lz]
Thank you very much tbracing for pointing me in the direction of the official figures for Horses in Training, and to Venusian for adding a useful gloss.
The fall in the Levy, and the value of prize money, has not resulted in a decline in horses in training during the 2004-2008 period, but a rise of just under 9%.
My suspicion is that there may be a downturning “blip” in 2009, because of the global recession; but the overall trend is up.
In other words, these complaints from small owners amount to special pleading, in order to squeeze out more of a return on their “investment” (i.e. the horse). But for this particular “commodity” demand is more than matching quality supply. The thoroughbred horse itself – the only measure by which to gauge the health of the sport – is more in demand than it was. Fact.
Owners need to change their tune, get away from whinging business-speak, and take a more sporting stance towards a “business” which seems on the facts, despite what these Jeremiahs say, to be on the rise. There seem to be plenty of others, individuals and syndicates, happy to take their place on the front line.
If (note the qualification) this upward trend continues, then the UK racing and breeding industries need not fear any much-touted job cuts – although the Administrators might find themselves doing more for rather less.
And who thinks that is a bad thing?
My personal solution is simple – when the two horses I currently own are no longer racing, they won’t be replaced. But whilst that’s no great problem for me, it’s a lost job for someone currently employed to care for them.
This is in no way meant as a personal sleight AP but if your words are assumed to come from ‘anonymous owner’ shouldn’t they actually be welcomed by those who care for the well-being of the sport?
If casting a clinical cold eye on what is best for the sport: ‘in the long run’ ‘for the greater good’ ‘no gain without pain’
You – I believe – agree that there is too much racing and that there has been for several years. Given it seems unlikely that the powers at be will be brave enough to instigate a pruning programme of their own, isn’t the ‘natural wastage’ of owners tired with receiving ever-smaller portions of a finite, stale, stagnating cake the easiest and possibly only method of reducing – in the medium to long term – both the fixture list and horse population?
And from the ashes rises a phoenix of adequately funded races
a bitter pill
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