Racing Post Desk Diary 2023

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Paddy Power are giving away free bets to new and existing customers, and all you need is an account. Sign up here We are in the middle of an economic crisis so it's hard to distinguish one effect from another, but we see the issue of competitiveness as a big one for racing. She can gatecrash the party and 25-1 looks too big' - our experts provide their best bets for Royal Ascot BHA chair Joe Saumarez Smith said British racing's new governance structure, which made the BHA the ultimate decision-making body in the sport, had enabled progress in compiling the new-look schedule.

The meetings will feature higher prize-money with the aim of showcasing the best races in a bid to increase fan engagement, improve revenues, recruit and retain owners and encourage the best horses to be trained and raced in Britain. BHA chief executive Julie Harrington said the 2024 fixture list was a "first foundation step" in much wider strategy work with the aim of achieving "the long-term transformation of the sport". Efforts to create more competitive racing through improved field sizes by reducing the size of the fixture list and race programme, including the removal of 300 jump races and 20 jump meetings, bringing the overall schedule for 2024 down to 1,468 meetings A programme of 1,478 meetings was unveiled, just four down on the total when this year's list was released.Lots of questions still to be answered but British racing is being asked to lose its fear of failure The Listed Chesham ( 2.30 ) and two further handicaps – the Wokingham ( 5.00 ) and the Golden Gates ( 5.35 ) – add further intrigue to the last day before the meeting concludes with the Queen Alexandra ( 6.10 ), a race won for the last two years by Stratum, trained by Willie Mullins. For the 2023 fixture list, we were already running out of time, but what's not published yet is the race programme, so there's still an opportunity to introduce new ideas.

Asked why he thought that might be, Armstrong, who recognised how racing had suffered with small fields this season, added: "You should probably ask Ralph.Harrington said the BHA would "absolutely" be happy "fronting up" to things that had not worked. She added: "I think the sport as a whole needs to not be scared of trying things and openly admitting that things didn't work because I do think there is a culture change required. If you think there is just going to be a massive pile-on every time something hasn't quite gone to plan then it is just going to stifle the appetite to try anything new." The top action keeps coming on day two of the royal meeting. The feature Group 1 is the Prince of Wales's ( 4.20 ), which is supported by three Group 2s – the Queen Mary ( 2.30 ), the Duke of Cambridge ( 3.40 ) and the Queen's Vase ( 5.35 ).