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https://www.racingpost.com/news/britain/exclusive-premier-meetings-to-be-slashed-in-2026-with-bha-deciding-what-stays-and-what-goes-agCQT0N09HKz/
and front page of the paper.
and front page of the paper.
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British racing's leaders will publish a 2026 fixture list next month featuring a drastically reduced and redefined version of the Premier raceday concept, with the number of meetings identified as elite falling to 52 from 162.
The BHA board signed off on the policy shift at a meeting in June, with the hugely influential commercial committee which sits just underneath it having recommended the regulator should be the sole arbiter of which 52 meetings retain the Premier hallmark, divided between 30 on the Flat and 22 jumps fixtures.
In addition, the 2026 fixture list – envisaged by the BHA as a "bridge" to more fundamental changes in 2027 – is likely to see the end of the controversial two-hour protected window on a Saturday afternoon, with a more nuanced approach to giving big races space to breathe deployed instead.
The BHA's director of operations Richard Wayman said the two-year trial of a much broader version of premierisation had been beneficial in terms of attempts to improve field sizes and raise prize-money for the best meetings, while the decline in betting turnover on racing has been less notable at Premier fixtures compared to core days.
However, he acknowledged the large number of designated fixtures in the first two years – 170 in 2024 and 162 this year – had contributed to the sport's failure to develop an effective identity around premierisation to communicate to the public, something it will seek to address with consumer insight from the recently delivered Project Beacon, which will more fully inform the 2027 fixture list.
The investment in prize-money made by racecourses and the Levy Board to meet the requirements of Premier meetings will be used in "a more targeted way", rather than guarantee a certain level for so-called "shoulder races" outside the time ITV broadcasts the sport free to air.
When the concept of a two-year trial of premierisation was announced with a delayed fixture list in October 2023, it was accompanied by a £3.8 million investment in the project from the Levy Board, of which £3.2m was new money. Wayman said the concept had almost been a victim of its own popularity among the racecourse groups and independents.
"You have to judge the success or otherwise of Premier racedays through two lenses and the first of those is what has happened on the field of play," he said. "We sought to invest quite considerably in these fixtures, put on more prize-money and, in doing so, make them as competitive as possible.
"When we were developing the concept in 2023, there were only 100 fixtures that met the criteria [in terms of overall prize-money for a meeting and individual minimum race values]. The fact that in 2024 we had 170 and this year 162 would indicate that the creation of these Premier racedays really did allow us to grow the number of meetings where those financial criteria were reached. We didn't set out to get to 170, but a certain number of fixtures 'jumped' to meet those criteria."
Will the sport's new national marketing campaign be more effective than the promotion of Premier racedays?
Premier raceday branding at Windsor in January
Credit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)
While acknowledging the introduction of Premier racedays was not the sole factor, Wayman also highlighted that in the first six months of 2025, while average betting turnover per meeting declined by 14 per cent, the figure for Premier fixtures was a drop of seven per cent.
Turning to the "second lens" by which the trial could be judged, Wayman said: "We do have to acknowledge we were never able to create a consumer proposition around those Premier racedays and really differentiate them from the rest of the fixture list.
"There can be a narrative that Premier racedays have been a complete failure, but I think if you look at things through that racing lens you can see there have been some significant improvements as a result of creating this different tier to the fixture list."
The way the fixture list is constructed remains one of the most contentious elements between the BHA, Thoroughbred Group and Racecourse Association, with the tracks fiercely guarding the 80 per cent of meetings under their ownership, and the regulator in charge of distributing the other 20 per cent as industry fixtures.
In that light, the relative unanimity that accompanied the decision to reduce the number of Premier meetings to "around 50" – a move that means several tracks will no longer be involved – could be construed as a positive show of intent from racing's different factions to all give a little bit of ground.
Wayman said: "In June the board recognised that one of the challenges in creating that consumer proposition is that there are just so many Premier racedays, and that they extended beyond what were the truly major fixtures into a tier that were certainly good fixtures and above average but weren't truly elite fixtures.
Richard Wayman - BHA Chief Operating Officer
Richard Wayman: "The board took the decision to substantially reduce the number of Premier racedays in 2026"
Credit: BHA
"Informed by the direction of travel coming out of Project Beacon and Project Pace [the feasibility study into selling an equity stake in British Flat racing's highest-profile events], the board took the decision to substantially reduce the number of Premier racedays in 2026."
The prize-money criteria have been ditched in favour of the BHA selecting the 52 meetings it considers are worthy of the Premier badge, which will be revealed later in the year.
Wayman said: "We looked at some customer data in terms of our fixtures – betting turnover, attendances – and also considering prize-money, so that we could objectively identify our very best fixtures. We also had some input from Project Pace and then there was an independent BHA review which slightly refined the final list.
"Almost everybody accepted 170 meetings was more than ideal, and the view that at the end of the trial we'd need to reduce the number was widely held. Every racing fan will have a view about which meetings should be included and, while there would be an awful lot of agreement, everyone will have their own differences around the edges
"But, ultimately, the commercial committee took the view that it's the BHA which is truly independent in relation to making the selection of these 52, and they endorsed the approach we took."
The BHA board signed off on the policy shift at a meeting in June, with the hugely influential commercial committee which sits just underneath it having recommended the regulator should be the sole arbiter of which 52 meetings retain the Premier hallmark, divided between 30 on the Flat and 22 jumps fixtures.
In addition, the 2026 fixture list – envisaged by the BHA as a "bridge" to more fundamental changes in 2027 – is likely to see the end of the controversial two-hour protected window on a Saturday afternoon, with a more nuanced approach to giving big races space to breathe deployed instead.
The BHA's director of operations Richard Wayman said the two-year trial of a much broader version of premierisation had been beneficial in terms of attempts to improve field sizes and raise prize-money for the best meetings, while the decline in betting turnover on racing has been less notable at Premier fixtures compared to core days.
However, he acknowledged the large number of designated fixtures in the first two years – 170 in 2024 and 162 this year – had contributed to the sport's failure to develop an effective identity around premierisation to communicate to the public, something it will seek to address with consumer insight from the recently delivered Project Beacon, which will more fully inform the 2027 fixture list.
The investment in prize-money made by racecourses and the Levy Board to meet the requirements of Premier meetings will be used in "a more targeted way", rather than guarantee a certain level for so-called "shoulder races" outside the time ITV broadcasts the sport free to air.
When the concept of a two-year trial of premierisation was announced with a delayed fixture list in October 2023, it was accompanied by a £3.8 million investment in the project from the Levy Board, of which £3.2m was new money. Wayman said the concept had almost been a victim of its own popularity among the racecourse groups and independents.
"You have to judge the success or otherwise of Premier racedays through two lenses and the first of those is what has happened on the field of play," he said. "We sought to invest quite considerably in these fixtures, put on more prize-money and, in doing so, make them as competitive as possible.
"When we were developing the concept in 2023, there were only 100 fixtures that met the criteria [in terms of overall prize-money for a meeting and individual minimum race values]. The fact that in 2024 we had 170 and this year 162 would indicate that the creation of these Premier racedays really did allow us to grow the number of meetings where those financial criteria were reached. We didn't set out to get to 170, but a certain number of fixtures 'jumped' to meet those criteria."
Will the sport's new national marketing campaign be more effective than the promotion of Premier racedays?
Premier raceday branding at Windsor in January
Credit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)
While acknowledging the introduction of Premier racedays was not the sole factor, Wayman also highlighted that in the first six months of 2025, while average betting turnover per meeting declined by 14 per cent, the figure for Premier fixtures was a drop of seven per cent.
Turning to the "second lens" by which the trial could be judged, Wayman said: "We do have to acknowledge we were never able to create a consumer proposition around those Premier racedays and really differentiate them from the rest of the fixture list.
"There can be a narrative that Premier racedays have been a complete failure, but I think if you look at things through that racing lens you can see there have been some significant improvements as a result of creating this different tier to the fixture list."
The way the fixture list is constructed remains one of the most contentious elements between the BHA, Thoroughbred Group and Racecourse Association, with the tracks fiercely guarding the 80 per cent of meetings under their ownership, and the regulator in charge of distributing the other 20 per cent as industry fixtures.
In that light, the relative unanimity that accompanied the decision to reduce the number of Premier meetings to "around 50" – a move that means several tracks will no longer be involved – could be construed as a positive show of intent from racing's different factions to all give a little bit of ground.
Wayman said: "In June the board recognised that one of the challenges in creating that consumer proposition is that there are just so many Premier racedays, and that they extended beyond what were the truly major fixtures into a tier that were certainly good fixtures and above average but weren't truly elite fixtures.
Richard Wayman - BHA Chief Operating Officer
Richard Wayman: "The board took the decision to substantially reduce the number of Premier racedays in 2026"
Credit: BHA
"Informed by the direction of travel coming out of Project Beacon and Project Pace [the feasibility study into selling an equity stake in British Flat racing's highest-profile events], the board took the decision to substantially reduce the number of Premier racedays in 2026."
The prize-money criteria have been ditched in favour of the BHA selecting the 52 meetings it considers are worthy of the Premier badge, which will be revealed later in the year.
Wayman said: "We looked at some customer data in terms of our fixtures – betting turnover, attendances – and also considering prize-money, so that we could objectively identify our very best fixtures. We also had some input from Project Pace and then there was an independent BHA review which slightly refined the final list.
"Almost everybody accepted 170 meetings was more than ideal, and the view that at the end of the trial we'd need to reduce the number was widely held. Every racing fan will have a view about which meetings should be included and, while there would be an awful lot of agreement, everyone will have their own differences around the edges
"But, ultimately, the commercial committee took the view that it's the BHA which is truly independent in relation to making the selection of these 52, and they endorsed the approach we took."
The Premier Racing initiative has not worked, for reasons laid out on this forum. Rather than tweak it, the BHA should scrap it and sack whoever thought of it and all the gravy-trainers who applauded it.
What is altered by meetings being designated Premier?
The Racing Post will cover the meetings anyway.
The non-racing press will either cover or not cover the meetings anyway.
The broadcasters will show whatever tracks they are contracted for.
Betting shops will take bets on all meetings.
Racegoers will go to whichever course is nearest or most convenient.
Premierisation is spaffing money up the wall.
The Racing Post will cover the meetings anyway.
The non-racing press will either cover or not cover the meetings anyway.
The broadcasters will show whatever tracks they are contracted for.
Betting shops will take bets on all meetings.
Racegoers will go to whichever course is nearest or most convenient.
Premierisation is spaffing money up the wall.
The only good thing about Premier racing is it is better than whatever David Ashforth was writing about the other day.
Oh, and changing the way the draw is numbered was another great success without any actual success.
Oh, and changing the way the draw is numbered was another great success without any actual success.
I ought to know but presumably the main festival meetings are separate from the Premier ones so won't be changed?
You'd have thought so, sageform, although the new list will be announced "later in the year".
That will mean promoting Royal Ascot and the Cheltenham Festival and all the rest that the racegoer on the Clapham omnibus already knows about even without this BHA initiative.
That will mean promoting Royal Ascot and the Cheltenham Festival and all the rest that the racegoer on the Clapham omnibus already knows about even without this BHA initiative.
the highly paid experts at the BHA have to come up with something every now and then to 'justify' their pay packets...
it's just one gimmick after another...
and guess what...
NONE of them will work coz horse racing is in terminal decline...
they just can't admit it coz they want to keep their jobs.
it's just one gimmick after another...
and guess what...
NONE of them will work coz horse racing is in terminal decline...
they just can't admit it coz they want to keep their jobs.
when my generation kicks the bucket god knows what state horse racing will be in...
it'll probably be a Premier League of...
Coolmore v Godolphin on the flat and jumps racing will be so farcical (the fences are already a complete joke now) they probably won't have any jumps whatsoever to actually jump over.
it'll probably be a Premier League of...
Coolmore v Godolphin on the flat and jumps racing will be so farcical (the fences are already a complete joke now) they probably won't have any jumps whatsoever to actually jump over.
as these racedaya re now longer considered premier i presume course will reduce4 tkt prices for next seasons inferior product
Project Race...
Project Beacon...
consumer proposition...
gtf.
Project Beacon...
consumer proposition...
gtf.
my mate told me last night...
Musselburgh Ladies Day...
£60 a pop...
Musselburgh Ladies Day...
£60 a pop...
HappyHibby25 Jul 25 14:55Joined: 18 Oct 02 | Topic/replies: 25,887 | Blogger: HappyHibby's blog
my mate told me last night...
Musselburgh Ladies Day...
£60 a pop...
£60 for a lady to pop seems pretty reasonable to me.
my mate told me last night...
Musselburgh Ladies Day...
£60 a pop...
£60 for a lady to pop seems pretty reasonable to me.
£60 entry...
drink...
food...
bets...
transport...
dry cleaning bill after the pewk up session afterwards...
hundreds of pounds doon the drain for what ?
coz they want to go along and try and snare a chick...
nowt to do with the actual racing itself.
drink...
food...
bets...
transport...
dry cleaning bill after the pewk up session afterwards...
hundreds of pounds doon the drain for what ?
coz they want to go along and try and snare a chick...
nowt to do with the actual racing itself.
you dont know much if you think puke is something that civilised folk do
spending a few quid seems anathema to you. stay home and complain about everything
spending a few quid seems anathema to you. stay home and complain about everything
I do agree, Hibby is a glass half empty sort of boy....
i see good in most folk when im out and about, and thats all ages...young and old.
there will always be a tiny minority of cnts, there were when i was young, there is now.
unfortunately social media means folk being cnts is recorded and we think its the norm.
i see good in most folk when im out and about, and thats all ages...young and old.
there will always be a tiny minority of cnts, there were when i was young, there is now.
unfortunately social media means folk being cnts is recorded and we think its the norm.
The annual Friday Night at the Races fixture in August drew its largest crowd yet, of 4,375, while Ladies Day was an 8,000 capacity sell-out – an increase of almost 600 on the previous year and the 20th consecutive year that Ladies Day has sold out.
They keep coming and seem happy to pay the price,
Ladies days aren't my favourite days, far too busy
Ladies days aren't my favourite days, far too busy
Id agree that the racing will be secondary to a lot of the crowd, but if you can capture even 10 per cent, who as well as enjoying a different kind of day out, also get into the racing and come back on a quieter day.
really dont see the issue of trying to attract a crowd, its a business afterall.
really dont see the issue of trying to attract a crowd, its a business afterall.
i dont much care for them either, except aintree where the sheer volume of them brings down the price of my chances from 1000/1 to about 50/1
From the ones I've been too I would say the majority have a bet and watch the race, student days also a big success for the
i must have missed the news the day the Cost of Living Crisis ended tbh.
there is only a cost of living crisis, for those poor buggers mortgaged to the hilt who are in their 30s and 40s......under that age , still living with mummy or at uni, over that age, life is good...lol
i certainly wouldn't fancy owning a BBQ...
was at the shops yesterday...
lassie told me that charcoal went up overnight from £3.99 a bag to £6.49...
who cares tho...
as long as everyone enjoys Ladies Day that's all that really matters.
was at the shops yesterday...
lassie told me that charcoal went up overnight from £3.99 a bag to £6.49...
who cares tho...
as long as everyone enjoys Ladies Day that's all that really matters.
thats the spirit Hibby, life is to be enjoyed, especially with ladies...who cares if i have to forego a cheap, charred burger twice a year...
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