Pilot scheme for six Sunday evening all-weather cards wins backing of stable staff chief

One of the more eyecatching elements of the 2024 fixture list is a six-card pilot of Sunday evening meetings on the all-weather, an experiment that has the backing of National Association of Racing Staff (Nars) chief executive George McGrath.

The six fixtures, agreed by racing's commercial committee and to be run from January 7 to March 10, will have a minimum of £145,000 in prize-money with races at Class 4 and below run at least three times the relevant minimum value, and a bonus payment of £150 for stable staff.

Evening racing on Sundays has long been an area of debate within the sport, particularly among stable staff, but McGrath accepts that it is worth ascertaining if such fixtures can take advantage of a window in which bookmakers report turnover is strong.

McGrath, who sat on the 13-strong cross-industry commercial committee, said: "It remains an issue of contention, but from an industry-wide perspective this is something that will help promote our sport and we are currently in decline. The authorities have to do everything they can to arrest, and even reverse if possible, that decline. Sunday evening racing, from that perspective, ticks an awful lot of boxes."

McGrath, who will be at every Sunday evening fixture to survey staff, believes the issues surrounding Sunday evening racing could be resolved by updating working practices and he added: "It has a huge impact for the staff and Sunday evening racing has never been popular, but there is an upside, the £150 payment will be welcome, and from a financial perspective you could earn two or three times more money than if you were racing any other day. 

"That could lead to its own problems if staff say, 'I'll go to Chelmsford on Sunday as I'll earn more than going to Kempton on Wednesday'.

"The issue isn't just racing on Sundays but the working practices whereby the majority of employers still expect staff to work 13 days out of 14 mornings a week. As an industry we need to start looking at ways to make the working patterns right across the board more agreeable with today's society. The staff focus on Sunday racing as the issue, it's not, the issue is the shift patterns in the yard."

Wolverhampton will host the first Sunday evening fixture, with others at Chelmsford (January 21), Newcastle (February 4), Kempton (February 18), Newcastle (March 3) and Southwell (March 10).

Richard Wayman, BHA chief operating officer, acknowledged the impact on staff and said: "We recognise that hosting racing on a Sunday evening will not be viable for some parts of the sport’s workforce. Staging this trial will help us to establish the value of Sunday evening racing and whether it generates sufficient amounts to make it sustainable for those involved in servicing it. 

"However, we are also aware that this is not only about money and will ensure that the impact on those who attend these fixtures is considered before any decision is made on whether to extend the trial."

The evening racing trial is not the only overhaul for Sunday racing introduced in the 2024 fixture list, with a prize-money boost for 29 Premier meetings on Sundays. 

Such fixtures require at least four races at Class 3 and above, of which at least one race must be Class 1 or Class 2 worth £75,000, a minimum total prize-money of £225,000 for Flat meetings and £180,000 over jumps. 

For 2024 and 2025 there is no requirement for ITV coverage, although fixtures with free-to-air coverage will receive 'preferential status'. Midweek evening fixtures do require ITV coverage to qualify for Premier funding.

Wayman added: "The appetite for racing on Sundays, in particular for hosting Premier fixtures on these days, has significantly exceeded expectations and will mean that, generally speaking, Sundays become a much stronger day of racing in Britain from 2024. This represents a significant opportunity for the sport to grow engagement and establish itself more firmly as a fixture over the course of the full sporting weekend."

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