Queen's death and Frankie's farewell mean racing must spend big to stand still

In closing ITV's coverage from Cheltenham on New Year's Day, lead presenter Ed Chamberlin confessed to having made a mental list of the challenges facing British racing in 2023.

"Lack of money," Chamberlin began. "Crowds – which have been better over the last few days but it is a problem; small fields for the BHA to solve; too many fixtures perhaps; the Flat horses being sold abroad; whip rules and the white paper we're still waiting on."

In the Racing Post this week, you will be able to read a major three-part series examining the gathering crises for the sport that require urgent attention in the next 12 months. As Chamberlin noted, from crowds that have been slow to come back post-Covid in the face of a shell-shocked economy, to the need to generate extra prize-money as British-based assets and owners head abroad, and with a lot more in between, there is an awful lot to unpack.