Racing Post Desk Diary 2023

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I'm optimistic we will see some quite exciting and innovative changes for 2024, not least in terms of considering the Peter Savill recommendations. Another element is the jumps review as is the strategy review in September, so I would expect work from that to definitely change the 2024 fixture list. Owners have always been incredibly loyal in their support of British racing, but we are experiencing a significant growth in the number of higher-rated horses being sold overseas and, over jumps, an increasing number of the best horses being based elsewhere.

The BHA has put forward a number of possible changes – individually small, but collectively valuable – but the trainers did not want to discuss them." BHA chief operating officer Richard Wayman said: "At a time when the sport is facing a number of challenges, it is particularly important that industry agreement has been reached on raising minimum prize-money values. The Windsor Castle ( 6.10 ), a Listed race for two-year-olds over the minimum distance of 5f, will be fast and furious, while the Kensington Palace Fillies' Handicap ( 3.05 ) and the Royal Hunt Cup ( 5.00 ) are extremely competitive events.

2023 and 2024

The creation of a protected window between 2pm and 4pm for Premier racedays on Saturday to control the number of fixtures, allowing them "room to breathe" to improve revenues from betting and media rights The big race: The Gold Cup is a race steeped in history and prestige. Won by the likes of Stradivarius, Estimate and Yeats, the Gold Cup is a true stamina test run over 2m4f. Coltrane, trained by Andrew Balding, bids to add his name to that illustrious list. It won't be an easy task, though, with last year's St Leger winner Eldar Eldarov and Dubai Gold Cup winner Broome heading a host of challengers.

They could include fewer, more or the same fixtures, but you'd do it differently, or smarter. We get trapped sometimes by measuring things – the fixtures or races – and that's not the only way to look at it; are we running the right races for the right horses on the right day? I'm sure there are ways we can do that much better." The meetings will feature higher prize-money with the aim of showcasing the best races in a bid to increase fan engagement, improve revenues, recruit and retain owners and encourage the best horses to be trained and raced in Britain. A programme of 1,478 meetings was unveiled, just four down on the total when this year's list was released. She can gatecrash the party and 25-1 looks too big' - our experts provide their best bets for Royal Ascot Paddy Power are giving away free bets to new and existing customers, and all you need is an account. Sign up hereFor the 2023 fixture list, we were already running out of time, but what's not published yet is the race programme, so there's still an opportunity to introduce new ideas. Armstrong, not surprisingly, rejected those views. He said: "There were many racecourse representatives involved in creating that [Savill] work, so it's supported by those involved and I agree that there are some really good ideas in there, which we look forward to discussing as part of the industry strategy meeting on September 19 and 20. The RCA is far from against change – we just want to make the right change. The Listed Chesham ( 2.30 ) and two further handicaps – the Wokingham ( 5.00 ) and the Golden Gates ( 5.35 ) – add further intrigue to the last day before the meeting concludes with the Queen Alexandra ( 6.10 ), a race won for the last two years by Stratum, trained by Willie Mullins. There are 60 flat and national hunt racecourses within the 2023 racing calendar with horse racing in the United Kingdom.

BHA chief executive Julie Harrington said the 2024 fixture list was a "first foundation step" in much wider strategy work with the aim of achieving "the long-term transformation of the sport". Harrington said the BHA would "absolutely" be happy "fronting up" to things that had not worked. She added: "I think the sport as a whole needs to not be scared of trying things and openly admitting that things didn't work because I do think there is a culture change required. If you think there is just going to be a massive pile-on every time something hasn't quite gone to plan then it is just going to stifle the appetite to try anything new." BHA chair Joe Saumarez Smith said British racing's new governance structure, which made the BHA the ultimate decision-making body in the sport, had enabled progress in compiling the new-look schedule.

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He added: "It has allowed for bold, positive decisions to be made, while ensuring that the views of everyone affected have been properly considered.

The top action keeps coming on day two of the royal meeting. The feature Group 1 is the Prince of Wales's ( 4.20 ), which is supported by three Group 2s – the Queen Mary ( 2.30 ), the Duke of Cambridge ( 3.40 ) and the Queen's Vase ( 5.35 ). The published list may well increase slightly as it does not include fixtures for the Sunday Series or the Racing League, which will be added if and when they are confirmed. We are in the middle of an economic crisis so it's hard to distinguish one effect from another, but we see the issue of competitiveness as a big one for racing. Efforts to create more competitive racing through improved field sizes by reducing the size of the fixture list and race programme, including the removal of 300 jump races and 20 jump meetings, bringing the overall schedule for 2024 down to 1,468 meetings Notable changes include the St Leger festival at Doncaster becoming a Thursday-to-Sunday meeting and the Christmas break being reduced to two days for the first time since 2017, with four fixtures staged on Saturday, December 23. Meanwhile, the Grand National will be staged on its latest ever date, Saturday, April 15.The big horse: The 2021 Derby and King George winner Adayar is the star name in his bid for a third top-level success in the Prince of Wales's . He returned with an easy win in the Gordon Richards Stakes and the form has been franked. He will have to reverse last year's Champion Stakes form when second to the reopposing Bay Bridge. The big race: The Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee is run over 6f and open to four-year-olds and upwards. The Australian sprinter Artorius heads the market for this year's running after finishing third behind Naval Crown last year, with a host of international challengers and top European sprinters on course for a cavalry charge up the long Ascot straight. Lots of questions still to be answered but British racing is being asked to lose its fear of failure Total prize-money will reach record levels this year but, as we enter the yearling sales season, when many owners are making their plans for next year, it is vital that we have been able to announce further steps forward in the guise of increased minimum values for 2023."