'It's a pain in the backside' - racecourses frustrated by confirmation of early starts as 2024 fixture list takes shape

Independent courses were on Monday coming to terms with the impact of premiersation on next year's schedules as the BHA announced the long-awaited 2024 fixture list is set to be published next week.

Senior figures at International Racecourse Management (IRM), which owns Wetherby, Catterick, Thirsk and Redcar, confirmed some of their Saturday fixtures will be moved outside the 'shop window' between 2pm and 4pm, which is being decluttered to allow greater promotion of the big meetings in a bid to boost betting turnover.

The initiative's two-year trial begins next year when three of IRM's Saturday fixtures will have new slots, with winter jump meetings at Wetherby and Catterick starting in the morning and Thirsk's first Flat card of the season in the spring moved to late afternoon.