An announcement by the British Horseracing Authority this morning confirms that the structure of the new Racing Authority, which will take over the functions of the Levy Board from April 2019, has been confirmed by the main stakeholders. The BHA, the Horsemen’s Group and the Racecourse Association will all get two board members each, alongside two independent appointees including Sir Hugh Robertson, the chairman, a former minister for sport.
Buried in paragraph six, meanwhile, is the interesting news that yield from the 2017/18 levy scheme – the first to include mandatory payments from offshore bets placed online – is expected to exceed £90m, and could even reach £95m.
Since the 2016/17 yielded just £49.8m, a drop from £54.5m in 2015/16, this suggests the success of the new regime in capturing bets that were previously slipping through the net has exceeded beyond most expectations, given the widespread prediction when the new scheme was introduced that it might generate an extra £30m in Levy income.
The Levy is, of course, calculated on the basis of bookies’ gross profits, and a bumper programme of six meetings today, including the popular finale to the hunter-chase season at Stratford this evening, will be a tricky one to negotiate without adding a few more pennies to the Levy yield along the way.
The best bets of the day may be later on at Goodwood, where Sky Eagle (7.05) will be hard to beat in the stayers’ handicap. Ed Walker’s colt has improved steadily through a seven-race career to date and his latest run into third in a hot race at the Dante meeting was his best yet. The step up to 14 furlongs seems sure to bring further improvement and he looks a big price at around 9-4.
Incentive (6.30) should go well on the same card, while Lady Dancealot (3.00) and Chiswick Bey (5.00) both have solid chances at the prices at Carlisle. Tigerwolf (3.10) goes well at Brighton while Kilbree Kid (7.50) could be the answer to a competitive renewal of the Champion Hunter Chase at Stratford.
Carlisle 1.30 Rockin Roy 2.00 Only Spoofing 2.30 Me Before You 3.00 Lady Dancealot 3.30 Stone The Crows 4.00 I'm Improving 4.30 Mister Moosah 5.00 Chiswick Bey
Brighton 2.10 Crystal Deauville 2.40 Barbara Hepworth 3.10 Tigerwolf
3.40 Bridge Of Sighs 4.10 Altra Vita 4.40 Spirit Of Sarwan 5.10 Zapper Cass
Wolverhampton 2.20 Terri Rules 2.50 Elliot The Dragon 3.20 Attain
3.50 First Flight 4.20 Dutch Monarch 4.50 Elegiac 5.20 Black Truffle
Stratford-On-Avon 5.35 Steeles Terrace 6.05 Exclusive Rights 6.40 Excitable Island 7.15 Monsieur Gibraltar 7.50 Kilbree Kid 8.25 Creevytennant 9.00 Rapaport
Goodwood 5.55 Danzay 6.30 Incentive (nb) 7.05 Sky Eagle (nap) 7.40 Pretty Jewel 8.15 Ellen Gates 8.50 Sarim
Haydock Park 6.15 Ravenhoe 6.50 Cool Exhibit 7.25 Presidential 8.00 Elasia 8.35 Benadalid 9.10 Lamloom
