Good Friday has been a day traditionally free of racing fixtures in the UK. But that could change in 2014 after the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) “approved the principle” of racing taking place on Good Friday. The 2014 fixture list is due to be published shortly and we will see which courses are allocated a fixture for Good Friday – Friday 18 April.
One concern was that the racing stable open days which take place at Middleham and Lambourn on Good Friday would be hurt by racing taking place on the same day.
But Rod Street, chief executive of Great British Racing, reasoned (albeit in the language of marketing non-speak): "We have long been advocates of making the sport more customer-focussed and these new initiatives are progressive. Good Friday will deliver significant new revenues and give our many different customers a compelling reason to participate on an important leisure day.
"A well-coordinated national promotion of Good Friday fixtures will ensure it is a special racing day. It also provides the opportunity to give more exposure to the excellent stable Open Days as part of a broader publicity campaign. We support the BHA in placing minimum performance criteria against the Good Friday fixtures they award, which will promote good quality racing and customer led marketing initiatives.”
A further interesting development in the 2014 fixture list is the creation of a British Champions Weekend. It will see Newmarket’s Dubai Future Champions Day moved to the day before Qipco British Champions Day. The British Champions Weekend will, therefore, feature six Group One races and GB£4.5 million in prize money.
The British Champions Weekend could be seen as a response to Horse Racing Ireland’s (HRI) July announcement of its own Champions Weekend to be held on 13-14 September 2014. HRI’s CEO Brian Kavanagh said the Irish Champions Weekend will feature 10 Group race, including five Group One contests (so the BHA has outdone the HRI with six).
13 September 2014 will host the Champions Stakes at Leopardstown, and the following day will have the Irish St Leger at The Curragh.
The HRI’s announcement ruffled feathers at Doncaster and Ladbrokes because it clashes with the St Leger on Town Moor, which Ladbrokes has done so much to improve and promote through its sponsorship.
Whatever the racing politics, it does mean that the late summer, early autumn period is getting pretty stacked with some top quality racing in 2014, particularly when you throw Arc weekend into the mix too. Racegoers might face some difficult decisions as to which meetings to attend.
