MOLLETT’S WORLD
Racing’s decline highlighted
by UK axing 150 meetings
LONDON - It's going to be a case of ``Launch The Lifeboats’’ if racing isn't to decline into a minor sport within the next few years. The precarious state has been highlighted by The British Horseracing Authority's announcement that it will axe 150 meetings next year as a result of a lack of funding.
Unless betting exchanges and offshore betting firms start to contribute to racing, the decline will be swift, according to Nic Coward, chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority.
``Someone is going to have to pay more. The levy is at an artificially low level although attendance at races is up 3% year on year,’’ commented Coward. ``Racing is part of British life and culture and employs 20,000 people, but it is facing a threat from the funding mechanism.’’
The levy, which contributes to the salaries of jockeys, stable staff and veterinary research, is expected to fall 17% this year to just £76.5 million.
Of course, in common with other racing countries, including South Africa, British racing's lifeline is the punter whose wagering results in a percentage going back into the sport so that more racing can be staged.
However, the major problem is the switch by punters from racing to football and online gambling. One only has to check the Sunday newspapers here to find it is wall-to-wall football coverage with, perhaps, a little space for test cricket and racing results somehow squeezed in.
As we found out during the World Cup, the variety of different bets available on football are mind-boggling, ranging from who might be the first player sent off to whether Alex Ferguson will shake hands with the opposing manager after the game.
Phumelela Gaming & Leisure Ltd has a winner in the Soccer 6, which has increased dramatically in popularity over the last few years. It probably needs to expand this part of its operation in order to take advantage of punters' love of football - primarily the Premier League.
There has been much debate in recent years about the closure in South Africa of Newmarket, Gosforth Park and Bloemfontein, so the comment from the Association of British Bookmakers’ Tom Kenny is of considerable interest. He said: ``I'm not sure there's too much racing, but maybe there are too many racecourses. Sometimes there doesn't seem to be a strong commercial rationale in the way racing operates as a nationally coordinated sport. It begs the question whether they are spending the resources they do have in a sensible way.’’
Here we have the crux of the problem - racing leaders say bookmakers evade contributing to the levy by relocating their businesses off-shore. Bookmakers argue that they back the sport in other ways, via sponsorship and television rights fees.
To their credit, those people whose job it is to promote racing aren't letting the grass grow under their feet. Simon Bazalgette, chief executive of Jockey Club racecourses, says racing ``still has a strong presence on terrestrial TV and two dedicated pay-TV channels.
``If we can take some steps forward and make racing easier to engage with, that will help us with how to market, rather than focusing on single events like the Grand National. We have to create stories about racing. That's what racing has not been very good at.’’
He makes a valid point because, whereas football may have its Drogbas and Rooneys as its big draw cards, some of our equine heroes really deserve more exposure. In South Africa we have witnessed a great season from Irish Flame and at York last week Rip Van Winkle's Juddmonte International victory was a performance that had to be seen to be believed.
It hasn't been a great year for trainer Aidan O'Brien, but that was forgotten as Johnny Murtagh produced a perfectly timed challenge to snare Twice Over by 0.50 lengths.
Not many trainers say they have ``stuffed things up’’, so it was interesting to hear O'Brien telling reporters that he was ``wrong to rush Jan Vermeer into the Investec Derby’’ and that his more patient approach with Rip Van Winkle can set the colt up for further glory later in the year.
O'Brien has three possible targets for Rip Van Winkle - the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot, the Champion Stakes at Newmarket and the Breeders’ Cup.
The absence of now-retired Harbinger detracted from the Juddmonte and Johnny Murtagh said afterwards: ``I'd rather Harbinger had run because they would have gone a proper pace.’’
Amazingly, this comment went unchallenged by those journos present - but he had to be kidding! Harbinger would have been 1-3 to win the £650,000 race.
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