Ascot’s bold move in turf war leaves racing fighting to avoid constitutional crisis

It is possible that, when faced with what is potentially an existential crisis, the RCA will come up with proposals for change that meet with the Jockey Club’s approval, and Wilf Walsh, the RCA’s chair, can draw on a wealth of experience both within racing and in industry in trying to strike a balance. But that would still mean a major shift of power towards the biggest tracks, and less influence for those further down the pecking order.

Lord Charles Allen made a fruitless attempt to impose a modern governance structure on the BHA. Photograph: Joanna Grabowska/Alamy

In terms of what this may mean for punters and racegoers, it is tempting draw a parallel with the formation of the Premier League in the early 1990s, when England’s biggest clubs broke away from the Football League, to grab a much bigger slice of the sport’s TV revenues. Tempting, but arguably misleading, as the two sports have different structures, fanbases and revenue streams, not least income from off-course betting that means ARC can stage hundreds of meetings each year that attract a few hundred spectators at best.

It is not a straightforward division either between the major tracks, with significant income from ticket sales, hospitality and, more recently, the Hong Kong-based World Pool in addition to their off-course media rights, and ARC’s heavily betting-dependent model.

There is also a cohort of smaller independent tracks, from Plumpton in the south to Kelso in the Scottish borders and dotted around in between. Chester, a member of the Large Independents group alongside Goodwood and York, stages its May festival this week, but also operates Bangor-on-Dee and Musselburgh. Nor is there any real scope for promotion or relegation.

There is a more general argument, though, that while the formation of the Premier League was excellent news for the country’s most famous clubs, and made little difference to the old Division Three teams that were used to rubbing along with little cash and a loyal, local fanbase, the pinch was felt mostly keenly by some familiar names somewhere in between.

Plumpton, in fact, quit the RCA two years ago, as Peter Savill, its owner and also a former chair of the British Horseracing Board, the BHA’s predecessor, felt the RCA’s representatives on the BHA board did not adequately represent the views of small independent tracks.

If Ascot’s decision to quit the RCA ultimately leads to a governance structure for racing in which the major tracks hold more sway, my guess would be that the less productive tracks in ARC’s portfolio could be particularly vulnerable. Its all-weather courses efficiently deliver a consistent stream of “product” for the betting industry. The turf tracks, not so much.

With Ascot, the country’s premier track, leading the charge, racing’s governance structure may finally be set for long overdue reform. It promises to be a messy and painful process, however, with possible casualties among the current muster of 59 tracks If you have a particular favourite, now might be a good time tovisit.