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Really good article by Richard getting to the heart of the problem.
Let’s hope the powers that be read it and act on it!Yes, I note that he is expressing his opinion on such events like the Brigadier Gerard stakes being moved to a Saturday. That shouldn’t happen as it is fantastic having meetings like that during the week.
I guess there is a lot of saturation of meetings on a Saturday as it is, but you wont hear many of the minor jockeys complaining as they try to make their way to the top.
The midweek races should stay as they are, but it must be the racecourses that are unhappy with the lack of spectators for those meets. If they think they can guarantee more people and more money then they will no doubt think of business first.I agree but
Don’t hold your breath.
If the stands get full on a Saturday then the courses and powers that be will want the races on a Saturday. Hard for punters, jockeys and trainers but in this day and age sadly it all revolves around the money.I hear he had Peacock as his ‘Hughes hottie’.
Must have been reading my rubbish.Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
Hughes and people in the industry don’t get it – it is true that true racing fans are of a type and always will be but, for the sport to survive, recreational punters wanting a night out are needed.
Racecourses stage live band and DJ nights for commercial reasons, ditto moving quality action to Saturday’s leaving Levy fodder for mid week.
I don’t like drunk idiots at racecourses any more than anyone else does but I recognise they bring money to the game and the more less than clever money there is in the betting ring the more chance the horse I want to back will hold its price.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Hughes is spot on, the game is going to the dogs. I’ve given up hope on it.
The Ebor used to be the centre of attention with plenty of time for the build up on the Wednesday, now it is just another race on a Saturday. Even famously went split screen on RUK at the climax of it one year with the start of a selling hurdle at Cartmel.
For as long as I can remember the Hilary Needler has successfully been run on a Wednesday evening, now just another race on a crowded Saturday for some unknown reason.
Yet for all this moving of races to Saturday, live bands etc prize money is in line for a significant drop
At my nearest course, Haydock, they are seeming to have pop concerts after all the evening meetings and as a result charging a premium rate. I would have gone after work but I resent having to pay so much for a poor quality card, I have no interest at all in staying on to watch a has been act or a tribute band. Do other people feel the same? Haydock have lost at least one visitor.
I think the logic is surely to move some of the Saturday fixtures to Sunday. That way the Saturday congestion is reduced and punters who work during the week have more opportunity to turn up.
I have always been mystified by the appeal of midweek daytime racing. You don’t see Premier League football very often on midweek afternoons for the obvious reason that a lot of fans are working.
Of course professional punters. the unemployed and retired, owners and trainers plus a few people who take a day off work will go to midweek racing but it’s hard to see it attracting big crowds, except for big events like Ascot.
Yes of course, only dossers and those in God’s waiting room can go racing midweek. That must explain why a midweek meeting this month attracted a bigger crowd than the 200Gns, the 1000Gns, the Lockinge or the Temple Stakes.
The biggest crowd so far reported in May 2015 was 21,000+ at Chester on a Friday.
I think the logic is surely to move some of the Saturday fixtures to Sunday
I agree however the majority of Sunday racing is drivel and many of the “top” courses won’t race on a Sunday. Strange how it works in France and Ireland though
A witty and interesting observation, but it’s pretty clear that that Chester attendance was higher on Fri than Thu which in turn was higher than on Wed. By itself this may indicate that some attendees are time-constrained and prefer to take Fri off for a long weekend. Also if you look at the difference between the Nottingham attendance on that Fri and the following Sat you can see a big jump. Of course there may be a tendency to put better races on the Sat but the only rationale for doing so would be to take advantage of the larger potential crowd then.
Nobody seems to mind Test matches, Irish racing, Wimbledon finals, golf final rounds, F1 races being on a Sunday so I find it a bit odd that there isn’t more British Sunday racing. And the evidence is people seem to want it. Salisbury on Sunday did better than Sat and that did better than midweek this May.
But if the UK staged top quality racing on Sundays, how would our trainers and jockeys get to enjoy their trips to Ireland/France/ wherever on that day?
The main reason we don’t have many top class Sunday meetings is down to local authority controls. Every racecourse, just like other sporting or entertainment venues, has to have a licence to operate issued by the local council. When Sunday racing started in the mid 90’s, the courses had to get councils to agree to changes in their licence to permit them to race on a Sunday.
But approval wasn’t automatic, as local residents were unhappy about the disruption, traffic, noise etc caused by race meetings – and not surprisingly, the councillors were more inclined to listen to their voters. Most tracks therefore have approval only for one or two Sunday meetings each year, and even where the number is greater, other restrictions can be put in place.
Two examples – Chester would surely like to race every Sunday, but are only allowed one each year. Southwell get to race six times on a Sunday, but only by agreeing to close all access from the local roads through the villages to the south and west of the course. All Sunday traffic has to come in via the road that runs from the edge of Southwell town centre.
Interesting stuff, Alan. If the tracks really wanted Sunday racing (and I think the figures show that it is very popular – comparatively- with the public (even small meetings), they should be able to persuade the councils to grant permission. Perhaps it is the combined issue of dealing too with the BHA on fixture changes. But I suspect that although Sunday crowd figures beat many other days, it’s not a day for the big drinkers/big spenders.
The breakdown of racecourse income/profit would make interesting reading. Media rights will dominate, but that picture will change soon, and perhaps not for the better as many bookmakers are struggling to squeeze any profit from racing. I’d estimate that 15% of High Street betting shops are running at a loss. Bookmakers are caught between a rock and a very hard place with racing. It’s still their most popular product, but one that makes no money. Yes, there’s too much racing, especially midweek, but the media rights/levy make it sensible for the industry on an economy of scale basis.
But the truth is (and Nick Rust is only too painfully aware of it) that High Noon cannot be postponed indefinitely. Racing will need to become cheaper to run/sell to bookmakers, or fixtures will have to be cut. Perhaps the looming crisis will prove an ideal opportunity to shake up the whole industry. Maybe Richard Hughes and his supporters will get what they want in the end.
Joe,
Back when I was writing for Odds On in the lat 90’s, I contacted a dozen tracks to ask about their Sunday racing policies. As you’d expect, I got varied responses, but almost all mentioned local authority licencing issues, which of course cover the sale of alcohol as well as actually staging the meeting.
Some mentioned greatly increased costs for staff, security, policing, medical cover etc. Some claimed it was very difficult to sell their corporate facilities on a Sunday, or to attract good sponsors without TV coverage. A couple had tried racing on a Sunday and said the crowds were too small to make it pay – if I remember rightly, Sandown was one of those.
Average stakes per race on Betfair per race during May, broken down by day of the week:
Thursday £790,000
Saturday £752,000Full article https://www.timeform.com/racing/articles/rowleyfile-investigates-may-betting-activity-162015
Let’s hope the powers that be read it and act on it!
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