The Levy Board and the Racing Foundation, which received the proceeds of the £265m sale of the Tote in 2011, have agreed a £22m package of support for British racing during the coronavirus crisis.
The Levy Board’s contribution to the fund will focus on assisting racecourses through what is an indefinite suspension of racing, while the Racing Foundation’s funds will be directed towards immediate hardship for participants, both human and equine, arising as a result of the lockdown.
The combined fund will include £13.5m available to racecourses and £8m for the sport’s participants. Racecourses will be able to access loans of up to £200,000, while the hardship grants run by the charity Racing Welfare will receive additional funding of £750k.
A scheme offering hardship grants to jockeys, valets and agents who cannot earn while racing is suspended will receive £900k, while a Racing Relief Fund, which aims to meet the welfare needs of racehorses whose owners can no longer support them, has been established with initial funding of up to £2.5m.
“The board has agreed to make available significant sums to racecourses through a combination of measures that will meet the demand for cash in the short term,” Paul Darling, the chairman of the Levy Board, said on Friday.
“Importantly this approach preserves further Levy funds that we know will be needed for prize money when racing resumes. It is certain the Levy Board will have a major role at that stage and beyond.
“Negotiating the many challenges ahead of us all will require exceptional cooperation between every sector. Those challenges can only be met if British racing and the betting industry work in partnership and the Levy Board will play a full and active part in ensuring that this happens.”
Jade can earn backers a fortune
Britain’s bookmakers will be pricing up the 10-race card at Sha Tin on Sunday morning, while the Tote will allow punters to bet directly into the local win and placepot pools via their website and report “double digit growth” in turnover since they started offering customers the opportunity.
5.45 Antoine Hamelin hit the ground running with a double on his Sha Tin debut last weekend and Liverbird Star is an interesting ride in Sunday’s opener. He showed a decent turn of foot to get into contention last time and with no confirmed frontrunner in the field, Hamelin should be well placed to strike a furlong out.
6.15 Zac Purton and Joao Moreira are neck and neck for the Hong Kong jockeys’ championship and could fight out the finish here on Full Power and Defining Moment respectively. Both were winners last time out but Defining Moment finished strongly from a long way off a fierce pace and the race may unfold more to Full Power’s benefit here.
6.45 Righteous Mate was a 92-1 shot over course and distance last time but stayed on strongly from a long way back to grab the favourite Super Red Dragon, with three more of today’s rivals also behind. That was on a sloppy track and with the surface likely to be quicker Jade Fortune could find enough to emerge on top this time having been dropped a pound in the ratings.
7.15 Purton and Moreira are on fancied horses in Superich and Foodie Princess but they are in stalls 14 and 13 respectively so Clear Choice, from two, could give Hamelin another big opportunity.
8.05 Super Power Man is up 7lb in the weights since winning over course and distance in February but he won with something to spare and has more scope for improvement than his rivals too.
8.40 The lightly raced Team Power stayed on well in the closing stages last time to get to within a length of the winner. He has an obvious chance from a handy draw in stall two.
5.45 Liverbird Star 6.15 Full Power 6.45 Jade Fortune (nap) 7.15 Clear Choice (nb) 8.05 Super Power Man 8.40 Team Power 9.10 Eternal Harvest 9.40 Elite Patch 10.15 Gunnison 10.50 Mighty Giant
9.10 Eternal Harvest had to work a bit harder to get to the lead last time than he had when winning on his previous start. He felt the effects late on but could have an easier time getting to the pace from stall four here and still has some scope from his current mark.
9.40 Plenty of pace in the field for this six-furlong sprint on the dirt and Elite Patch, a ready winner from off the pace over track and trip in December, could pick up the pieces if they go too hard up front.
10.15 Gunnison should get a decent pitch behind likely leader Winner Supreme and though it is a long time since his CD win in December 2018 he has spent most of that time running off much higher marks.
10.50 Mighty Giant is on a roll and stall four should give Purton plenty of track to work with as his partner goes for a hat-trick.