• Overall Prize Money figure holds up well despite significant drop in Levy Board contribution
• Further records in number of owners and horses in training

British Racing’s total Prize Money stood at £98.7m for 2007, down from £104m in 2006. At the same time, new records were set for the number of registered owners and horses in training.

As a result of the declining Levy yield, the Levy Board’s contribution to Prize Money fell by some £8.7m. However, the overall figure only fell by £5.4m due to increased contributions from racecourses, owners, sponsors and the Development Fund, the latter created with money raised through the online fixture bidding process and used to support race that serve a particular race planning role.

Against this backdrop, the number of horses in training and owners reached an all-time high in 2007, with particularly strong growth in the number of partnerships registered.

As breakdown of the key indicators is as follows:

• Horses in training – 15,046, up from 14,470 in 2006, an increase of 4%
• Owners – 9,551, up from 9,329, and increase of 2.4%
• Fixtures staged – 1,330, down from 1,332, a drop of 0.2%
• Races run – 8,877, down from 8,934, a drop of 0.6%
• Runners – 93,719, down from 94,610, a drop of 0.9%

British Horseracing Authority Chief Executive Nic Coward said: “These are very strong figures, and reflect a sport in good health. But there are many complex challenges ahead.

“A vital part of racing’s future is a fair return from the betting industry – we have seen a very real decline in Prize Money from the Levy. This is one of the major aspects of our case for the return from the Levy being between £135m and £153m.

“Prize Money is not just about owners; it is key to the livelihoods of stable staff, jockeys and trainers. It is one of the many factors we have to all look at in getting the best shape for the sport.”

1st February 2008

Notes

1. Comparative figures for 2003 to 2007 can be obtained by emailing [email protected]