BHA reveals its targets to measure the performance of 2024 fixture list shake-up

Targets for improved betting turnover, attendances, horses in training, prize-money and field sizes were among the performance indicators set out by the BHA on Monday to measure the success of the shake-up to next year's fixture list.

When the governing body published the 2024 fixture schedule last month it promised it would develop indicators to judge the success of the changes, which include 170 Premier racedays to showcase the best of British racing.

The setting of such targets was an important factor in persuading the Levy Board to provide extra funding for the project.

However, the BHA said it had agreed with the Levy Board that success or failure would not be based solely on the benchmarks and that there would be a wide-ranging series of quantitative and qualitative measures through 2024.

Among the dozen key performance indicators (KPIs) set out by the BHA was the aim of total betting turnover on the 33 Saturdays with only three fixtures in the new, protected, 2pm to 4pm window outperforming the remaining 19 Saturdays by six to seven per cent.

There is also the aim of reversing the fall in attendances and raising the figure by as much as ten per cent by the end of 2025 at Premier meetings, and increasing the number of horses who race in Britain by two and a half per cent by the same point.

Industry modelling has estimated that British racing's finances could improve by £90 million from 2024 to 2028 as a result of improved engagement resulting from the new measures, compared with a situation where nothing was done and in which industry revenues continued to decline.

In the short term the BHA is looking for an initial improvement in revenue of approximately £6m in 2024.

BHA chief operating officer Richard Wayman

The changes to the fixture list have been introduced on a two-year trial basis and the BHA's chief operating officer, Richard Wayman, admitted not all the measures would be immediately successful, if at all.

"Some may take time to bed in – behaviour change frequently does – and some may not work at all," Wayman told the Racing Post. "By setting two-year targets we are, in effect, trying to evaluate a long-term strategy through a very short timeframe.

"In addition, the short timeframe means the targets we have set are not the ultimate, long-term ambitions for where these changes will leave us. In this narrow timescale we are instead looking for early indicators of direction of travel."

Wayman also warned that a number of external factors such as the rising cost of living and the impact of affordability checks could have repercussions for the targets.

He added: "For this reason, alongside measurement against the targets, we will also be conducting detailed, retrospective analysis of racing on an ongoing basis. However, it is crucial that any initiative and strategy is based on measurable data and targets."

According to Wayman the BHA remains optimistic the changes announced for 2024 would strengthen the fixture list. He said: "The changes we have made are going to result in a more customer-friendly and better fixture list than if we had just carried on with what we had before.

"Making best use of your best fixtures, trying to do more on a Sunday, trying to make racing more competitive – all of those are obviously good things.

"We don't want to lose sight of that. There is a lot of common sense in here as well as the data and information we have used to pull the strategy together."

The targets

1 Total betting turnover on the 33 Saturdays with only three fixtures in the protected window to outperform the other 19 Saturdays by six to seven per cent.

2 Total betting turnover on Sunday evening fixtures to outperform midweek (Tuesday to Thursday) floodlit meetings by 15 to 20 per cent.

3 Slowing the decline in betting across the entire fixture list compared with 2023, with Premier fixtures showing a one to two percentage point better relative performance than the remainder of the fixture list.

4 To halt the decline in total attendances at Premier fixtures in 2024, and then increase them by five to ten per cent in 2025 versus 2023.

5 Saturday attendances to recover to within 25,000 of their current levels by 2025 after an initial fall.

6 Reduce the number of clashing British races on Saturday afternoons in 2024 from nearly ten per cent to three per cent.

7 Increase the number of horses who race in Britain by 2.5 per cent by 2025 compared with 2023.

8 Increase the number of horses rated 85+ on Flat and 130+ over jumps. On the Flat, to increase by five per cent in 2024 and a further five per cent in 2025. Over jumps, to increase by 2.5 per cent and a further 2.5 per cent respectively.

9 Total prize-money at Premier fixtures to increase by £6-7m in 2024 and for total prize-money at the remainder of the fixture list to return to close to its current levels by 2025.

10 To grow average field sizes in 2024 compared with 2023 to as much as 11.3 for Premier Flat fixtures.

11 To grow the percentage of races with eight-plus runners in 2024 compared with 2023, to as much as 80 per cent for Premier Flat fixtures.

12 To grow the percentage of races with an odds-against favourite in 2024 compared with 2023, to as much as 90 per cent for Premier Flat fixtures.

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