Racing Post Desk Diary 2023

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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. Paddy Power are giving away free bets to new and existing customers, and all you need is an account. Sign up here The St Leger festival at Doncaster will become a Thursday-to-Sunday meeting in 2023 Credit: Edward Whitaker 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. 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."

We would have liked to have had those measures attached to the press release but there are a few market-sensitive pieces of data where we just need to work out what we can publish and what we can't."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. There are 60 flat and national hunt racecourses within the 2023 racing calendar with horse racing in the United Kingdom. Need to 'maximise appeal' the driver behind culling of 20 jumps meetings from new-look fixture list

Asked why he thought that might be, Armstrong, who recognised how racing had suffered with small fields this season, added: "You should probably ask Ralph. 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 ). Better use of Sunday racing through the creation of a stronger fixture list, including 29 Premier racedays, and the pilot of six Sunday evening fixtures in the first quarter of the yearThe 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.

The simple fact of the matter is this – the sport has to take radical steps if it is to retain its pre-eminent place in British culture and at the pinnacle of world racing. The changes we are introducing for 2024 are a significant first step in this process." 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". She can gatecrash the party and 25-1 looks too big' - our experts provide their best bets for Royal Ascot A programme of 1,478 meetings was unveiled, just four down on the total when this year's list was released.

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. Here is a list of all the upcoming UK horse fixtures for 2023. October Horse Race Meetings in Britain

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 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. 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 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.