Champions get their day in the sun

THE creation of a British Champions' Day and the subsequent reallocation of races between Newmarket and Ascot is one of the major changes to have been announced in the 2011 racing fixture list.

As a result of the funding issues affecting racing, the British Horseracing Authority delayed the list's publication by two months and there are several other big adjustments which are intended to increase the sport's popularity.

These include the Newmarket July and York Ebor meetings being moved back a day so the July Cup and Ebor take place on a Saturday.

The prospect of British Champions' Day at Ascot as a finale to the season has caused upset to traditionalists, those in Newmarket and the French racing authorities, who feel it will now be too close to the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe weekend.

British Champions' Day will happen two weeks after the Arc, on 15 October, and feature the former Newmarket races of the Champion Stakes, Pride Stakes and Jockey Club Cup, as well as the Berkshire track's existing Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, moved back from this weekend.

But the Rowley Mile has some beefed-up feature days of its own. On the equivalent of this weekend in 2010 will be a glittering card for Cambridgeshire Day on Saturday, with the Fillies' Mile and the Royal Lodge Stakes moved from Ascot to slot alongside the existing Cambridgeshire handicap, Cheveley Park Stakes and Sun Chariot Stakes.

The Cesarewitch meeting will be between the Arc and Champions' Day.

On Saturday 8 October, Newmarket will stage the Dewhurst, Rockfel and the Middle Park Stakes, with a couple of smaller Group races also moved from Ascot.

Other changes include switching Sandown's Whitbread meeting to the Easter weekend, moving Aintree's November Becher meeting to the first Saturday in December alongside Sandown's Tingle Creek card, and putting back Newbury's Challow Hurdle day from 29 December to New Year's Eve.

This is part of the creation of Premier Fixtures - so there are two quality meetings on every Saturday in the calendar.

The total number of fixtures has decreased from 1,503 to 1,480, with Levy Board prize money contributions allocated to 1,298 of those, down 164 on 2010.

Britain's newest racecourse, Ffos Las, has been allocated 13 self-funded fixtures to go along with 16 others from the Board.

There will be 96 twilight fixtures between 1 January and 8 April on the floodlit all-weather at Kempton and Wolverhampton, starting 10 minutes after the afternoon meetings have concluded.The BHA's research and feedback from the betting industry has suggested they are wanted by the customer.

Nic Coward, the BHA's chief executive, said: "I said at the British Horseracing Conference in February that a vital task for this year was getting the fixture list for 2011 in the best possible shape, in challenging circumstances.

"That meant drawing together and implementing the Strategic Review of the fixture list, Racing for Change and addressing what has become an ever worsening Levy yield.

"We have changed the approach to the fixture list and the race programme and the funding structure behind it.

"We have made significant progress in creating a differentiation of our fixtures and races. As well as British Champions' Series and British Champions' Day, we will be highlighting our Premier Fixtures at weekends in addition to the festivals which generate so much international and national interest.

"In creating the Premier structure, efforts have been made to strengthen Saturdays, including for instance the move of both the Ebor at York and the July Cup at Newmarket to Saturdays.

"We challenged the industry to adopt a new approach to the fixture list and its funding, so that we will have in 2011 the smallest number of centrally funded fixtures for many years.

"We have led the new process through which horsemen and racecourses have for the first time negotiated and agreed fixtures and their prize money.

"In creating the fixture list, we have had to look hard at the interests of racecourses and their importance to local communities, and the present Levy returns, which have been forced down by betting operators exploiting every available loophole.

"At the same time, we have confidence that in the coming months racing will see a scheme to apply from April 2011 that will deliver the right return so that courses and horsemen can see a sustainable future.

"Racing is losing out on money it currently should be getting through the existing Levy Scheme. These failings must be addressed if we are to be able to provide our key customers with the product we believe they deserve, and ensure racing's people achieve a fair return for all that goes into putting the show on the road."