British Horseracing Authority confirm fixtures delay

Next year’s racing fixtures have been further delayed at the request of the Racecourse Association and Horsemen’s Group.

It had been hoped to announce the programme for 2012 no later than September 30, but that will not now happen.

Publication of the fixture list had originally been delayed because of discussions about funding from the Levy Board.

The fixture allocation process had been suspended since early June, but funding was expected to be confirmed at the next Levy Board meeting on September 14 after which the total number had been due to be finalised.

It had already been decided to cut the number of racing fixtures in Britain by at least 80 after the British Horseracing Authority decided to cap the number at 1,400.

A statement from the BHA read: “At the request of its stakeholders – the Racecourse Association and Horsemen’s Group – the British Horseracing Authority has agreed to further delay publishing the 2012 fixture list until after September 30.

“The Authority remains deeply concerned about the downgrading of the race programme, the declining horse population and the associated impact on competitiveness levels in 2012, all of which are the result of a Levy system that is failing the sport.”