This update is intended to inform participants of the key changes that will be delivered across Programme Book 4.

Premier Racedays

Premier Racedays will be run for at least £250k on the Flat (£225k Sunday) and £200K over Jumps (£180k Sunday). This is part of the industry-agreed strategy to invest in the top end of the sport to encourage the owning, training and racing of better horses in Britain.

Higher Minimum Values will apply at Premier Racedays, where, in addition, no Flat race will be worth less than £20,000 and no Jump race less than £15,000, ensuring that additional funds are being shared amongst horses who are not exclusively operating in the top races.

The number of Premier Racedays programmed is a result of racecourses offering up greater prize money in order to meet the minimum thresholds to be classed as a Premier Raceday.

Programme Book 4 will see the following Premier Racedays:

Flat Programme

1. +1/+2 Removal for Class 5 and 6 Handicaps

The option to run horses that are 1lb or 2lb above a race’s published rating band will not be available in Class 5 and 6 handicaps from Monday 11 November.

This is an extended trial that will run on both the All-Weather and Turf through to 31 August 2025, at which point the impact will be reviewed.

2. Divisions

Following the trial at meetings on the All-Weather in PB1 for races to divide at 16 declarations, races will again divide at 16 on the All-Weather only, from Monday 11 November until the Turf season starts again on Saturday 29 March 2025

3. Race Volume

As part of the re-distribution of Flat races to better match the horse population across the year, the following rules will apply to Core race volume:

• On the Turf, fixtures will programme seven races and be able to divide once to eight races.
• On the AW, fixtures will programme eight races with the option to divide to nine.

Jump Programme

1. Race volume reduction

As part of plans to improve competitiveness of Jump racing in 2024, 300 races overall will be removed across the whole year. Racecourses will continue to programme an average of 6.5 races per fixture across the whole of the year

2. Jump Pattern

Mares’ Class 1 Steeple Chase Programme

• Carlisle’s Houghton Mares’ Chase (2m 4f) – 3 November

Carlisle has agreed to move The Houghton from its 1 December slot to the earlier 3 November date. The Premier Raceday status of the December fixture has therefore moved with the race to November.

• Market Rasen’s Bud Booth Mares’ Chase (3m) – 27 November

Market Rasen has accommodated the movement of this race to 27 November which takes it three and a half weeks after the Houghton.

Mares’ Class 2 Hurdle Programme

• Kempton’s Listed Hurdle reduced to 2½ miles – 25 November

Kempton’s Listed hurdle for mares has been reduced in distance from 3 miles to 2½, but remains on the same date at the end of November

• New Doncaster Listed 3m Hurdle – 14 December

A new race has been programmed at Doncaster at 3 miles on 14 December (three weeks after Kempton and three weeks before Sandown). This is now the only Mares’ Hurdle over 3 miles in the first half of the season and will fit the shape of the programme, delivering a Listed race over 2 miles, 2½ miles and 3 miles in this period.

3. Wider Mares’ Handicap Chase Programme

In a bid to ensure the competitiveness of the Mares’ handicap chase programme, Mares’ novices handicap chases have been removed from the programme.  Mares will now only have the option to run in novices’ handicap company or mares’ handicap company.

This has enabled the Racing Department to programme a better spread of Mares’ handicap chases whilst giving racecourses the confidence that the remaining spread of races will be supported.

Overall

1. Division Thresholds

The 2024 maximum prize money threshold for races dividing will be:

• £15,000 at Core Flat and Jump Fixtures (other than NHF races which will be £6,000)
• £15,000 at Premier Jump fixtures
• £20,000 at Premier Flat fixtures

At Core fixtures, racecourses can opt out of dividing races with prize money greater than £12,000. Should a racecourse take this option, it would apply for all such races at that venue within the relevant Programme Book.

2. Blank Races

A number of blank races will be left in the programme, which will be programmed nearer to the race date, so that the latest horse population requirements can be taken into account.

Race details will be confirmed approximately two weeks ahead of the fixture.

3. Cancellation of Races

Any Class 4-6 Handicap on the Flat or 4-5 Handicap over Jumps that receives three or fewer declarations will be cancelled, subject to a minimum of at least 6 races remaining on the card.

Where a fixture only has six races, a deletion can still occur if a Class 3 or below has at least 12 declared runners and therefore a division of two races of at least six + can be created.

If you have any queries about Programme Book 4, or indeed any other race planning matters, please contact the BHA Racing Department via:

• The Race Planning Forum on NRAS
• [email protected]
• 0207 152 0050