Survey warns 60 per cent of owners may downsize as ROA reveals Covid action plan

A startling 60 per cent of racehorse owners in Britain would consider reducing or ending their involvement in the sport because of either a lack of prize-money or poor raceday experiences.

That is the finding of a consultation between the Racehorse Owners Association and 1,100 of its members in September, and those two continuing issues lie at the heart of the ROA's release of a six-point action plan aimed at retaining investment during the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.

Those six points map on to many of the same issues raised in the nine goals announced by the BHA on August 25 in the industry's recovery plan, and ROA president Charlie Parker defended what some critics have perceived as a lack of progress in the intervening nine weeks.