The British Horseracing Board today publishes Racin?_x0019_s Fixture List for 2003, which fulfils the Boar?_x0019_s policy of meeting the needs of racegoers, punters, racehorse owners, breeders, the betting industry and the media in a balanced manner which maximises Racin?_x0019_s income.

Its key features include:

 1,270 fixtures, up 48 on 2002

 70 Sunday fixtures on 24 Sundays (compared to 60 on 19 Sundays in 2002), allowing a further extension of the successful Sunday programme but with fixtures placed so as to include breaks in the calendar to alleviate pressure on training yards and, in particular, stable staff

 175 evening fixtures on 85 evenings (163 and 77 in 2002), including 7 Saturday evenings in the summer period (6 in 2002) and, for the first time, racing on every Thursday evening from mid-May to mid-August

 No breaks of the Levy Board’s Fixture Criteria, compared to 7 in 2002

 The addition of a third fixture on those Monday and Tuesday afternoons in the autumn and winter on which only two fixtures were programmed in 2002

 The addition of a fifth fixture on four Saturday afternoons in the autumn and winter, awarded to racecourses in the North in recognition of the demand for additional opportunities in the North in this period

2003 will also see:

 A continuous run of eight-race All Weather Track fixtures on Saturdays from the end of November 2002 to the start of March 2003 to safeguard betting turnover in the winter months, with the extra races to be added to the front of existing cards

 The Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup Meeting at Newbury scheduled for Saturday and Sunday (as against Friday and Saturday in 2002)

 The creation of a two-day Saturday and Sunday Becher Chase Meeting at Aintree (formerly just a Sunday fixture)

 Newmarket’s Cambridgeshire Meeting reduced to three days from four

 The creation of a new two-day Festival at Perth in July

BHB Racing Director Trevor Beaumont said today: “BHB is pleased to publish a Fixture List for 2003 which brings benefits both for Racing’s customers and industry participants. All the additional fixtures are judiciously placed and are either particularly racegoer-friendly, punter-friendly or meet the needs of the horse population and, in some cases, fulfil more than one aim.”