The Sovereign Series
July 23rd 2008 09:28
In the US wagering on horse racing has collapsed. In this day of sports betting and the Internet there are so many other forms of gambling vying for the entertainment (gaming) dollar. Some are ascribing the fall in revenue to the dramatic increase in oil (petrol) prices that make discretionary expenditure decisions all the more difficult (hmmm...takeaway chicken or the favourite in the first...).
Or perhaps it is because horse racing no longer holds pride of place and centre of (gambling) interest as it once did. Horse racing may be beginning to appear stale and staid - an anachronism of the 20th (19th or even 18th) century. The entertainment is looked upon not as appreciation of the horse, but merely as opportunity to wager. Large amounts of time with no action or perceived entertainment.
If there is no interest in the horse itself, then the product and format have many rivals.
So perhaps the US (and Australia) could learn from this new British initiative.
In Britain horse racing is second only to football as the United Kingdom's most popular sport, although it attracts nowhere near the same revenue streams. So, now inspired by the success of the modernisation of stale old cricket through the introduction of Twenty20 cricket, British horse racing has just revealed a series of plans to revitalise and revive interest in the sport. At the heart of this is a competition scheduled foe 2010 which will be known as the Sovereign Series.
It will involve the leading racecourses who will host a series of 10 Group One races, with points being awarded to the first three home in each event. At the end of the series the horse with the most points will be crowned as champion and earn a considerable amount in prizemoney.
The Sovereign Series will boast a prize pool of £2million with an additional £3million in prizemoney divided among the races involved, already worth a total of £5million. A marketing budget of £3million will be used for promoting the annual series.
This format looks very English in nature with a (football) Premier League view of the Champion being the one at the head of the points table at seasons end.
The aim is to make this series a high profile event on the sporting calendar, comparing it with Wimbledon and The British Open (golf). This series may also keep the best British horses racing at home and stem the flow to other lucrative races in France, Ireland and Dubai.
Given the arduous nature of a ten race campaign at the highest level it is anticipated that a horse would run in no more than eight of the events over the 10 race Sovereign Series races. And because some of the races are restricted by age, it would be impossible for all, apart from the freakish 3 year old, to compete in all at any rate.
The Sovereign Series:
Stan James 2,000 Guineas, Newmarket
Juddmonte Lockinge Stakes, Newbury
The Derby, Epsom
Prince of Wales's Stakes, Royal Ascot
Coral Eclipse, Sandown
King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Ascot
BGC Sussex Stakes, Goodwood
Juddmonte International, York
Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, Ascot
Emirates Airline Champion Stakes, Newmarket
Or perhaps it is because horse racing no longer holds pride of place and centre of (gambling) interest as it once did. Horse racing may be beginning to appear stale and staid - an anachronism of the 20th (19th or even 18th) century. The entertainment is looked upon not as appreciation of the horse, but merely as opportunity to wager. Large amounts of time with no action or perceived entertainment.
If there is no interest in the horse itself, then the product and format have many rivals.
So perhaps the US (and Australia) could learn from this new British initiative.
The Sovereign Series
In Britain horse racing is second only to football as the United Kingdom's most popular sport, although it attracts nowhere near the same revenue streams. So, now inspired by the success of the modernisation of stale old cricket through the introduction of Twenty20 cricket, British horse racing has just revealed a series of plans to revitalise and revive interest in the sport. At the heart of this is a competition scheduled foe 2010 which will be known as the Sovereign Series.
It will involve the leading racecourses who will host a series of 10 Group One races, with points being awarded to the first three home in each event. At the end of the series the horse with the most points will be crowned as champion and earn a considerable amount in prizemoney.
The Sovereign Series will boast a prize pool of £2million with an additional £3million in prizemoney divided among the races involved, already worth a total of £5million. A marketing budget of £3million will be used for promoting the annual series.
This format looks very English in nature with a (football) Premier League view of the Champion being the one at the head of the points table at seasons end.
The aim is to make this series a high profile event on the sporting calendar, comparing it with Wimbledon and The British Open (golf). This series may also keep the best British horses racing at home and stem the flow to other lucrative races in France, Ireland and Dubai.
Given the arduous nature of a ten race campaign at the highest level it is anticipated that a horse would run in no more than eight of the events over the 10 race Sovereign Series races. And because some of the races are restricted by age, it would be impossible for all, apart from the freakish 3 year old, to compete in all at any rate.
The Sovereign Series:
Stan James 2,000 Guineas, Newmarket
Juddmonte Lockinge Stakes, Newbury
The Derby, Epsom
Prince of Wales's Stakes, Royal Ascot
Coral Eclipse, Sandown
King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Ascot
BGC Sussex Stakes, Goodwood
Juddmonte International, York
Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, Ascot
Emirates Airline Champion Stakes, Newmarket
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