The embarrassment of a horse race sans horses at Newbury on Saturday, apparently the result of a trainers’ boycott in protest at the prize money on offer, is already receding in the rearview mirror and, since this is the wacky world of racing, the next unseemly internal squabble will doubtless be along soon enough.
But one line that emerged amid the claims and counter-claims over the £6,500 race that didn’t happen bears further examination. While doing what it could to defend its overall prize money offering in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic, Newbury pointed out that it plans to boost prize funds significantly from 2023 “when our new media contract comes into effect”.
