A summer horse racing competition, in a similar format to F1 racing, has been delayed until at least 2020.
The competition was planned to happen throughout July and August on Thursday evenings and was to be called “The Series”.
Eight racecourses in total are on board with the idea. The race tracks are Ayr, Epsom, Goodwood, Haydock, Leopardstown, Newbury, Newmarket and Sandown.
The competition was set to have 12 sponsored teams, each having 30 horses within their ranks. The 48 planned races had a total of £100,000 in prize money, as reported by https://www.sbcnews.co.uk/.
Trainers can link up with one another to form their 30 horse army, or they can operate solo if they so wish.
But with time running out, Championship Horse Racing (CHR) announced that “The Series” would have to be delayed until at least 2020, as they, alongside a number of other factors, were not ready to launch the races this summer.
A CHR spokesman said: “We are currently getting the teams in place for 2020 and over the summer we will make a more detailed announcement about our exciting future plans”.
“Leicester Racecourse – Inside the final furlong“ by Richard Humphrey (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The sport did receive good news, however, as Qatar Racing has announced it will be extending its deal to sponsor Glorious Goodwood, the largest British horse racing deal to date, as stated by https://www.racingpost.com/news/latest/.
The concept looks likely to stay in place; however, the CHR simply requires more time in order to make sure the competition runs smoothly.
“The Series” will have eight fixtures, with each fixture hosting six races. The scoring will be similar to that of F1, with 25 points to the winner, down to one point for the horse which finishes last.
The project, led by former Swindon Town Football Club chairman Jeremy Wray, has been welcomed with open arms by those involved within the sport, with the extra media coverage and prize funds being a massive positive for horse racing.
However, leading owner and sponsor Sheikh Fahad Al Thani has had his say on the competition, branding it as a “ridiculous idea.” He has made his opinions clear, urging trainers and owners to re-think about “The Series” now that it has been put on hold.
Wray said: “Anything to get more participation and funding into racing is something we’re all interested in, but there has been some scepticism about it”.
Despite the “The Series” not taking place, there is plenty of high-quality racing over the summer months, with all the latest odds for meetings at https://betting.betfair.com/horse-racing/horseracing-tips/. After the success of Royal Ascot, Glorious Goodwood follows in July with top class racing also at The Curragh in Ireland, as the sport continues to go from strength to strength.
Talks remain ongoing with the British Horse Racing Association (BHA) about when “The Series” is likely to take place. There remains a lot to be discussed, with the eight proposed racetracks needing to arrange meetings around the new competition.
All eight tracks will now have plenty of spare Thursday evenings free during July and August, and plenty will look to add more meetings over the course of the summer, now they know “The Series” has been put on hold for the foreseeable future.
Source: Pixabay