Towards Better Horse Racing
Horse racing is a complex sport and a major business as well! It has endless facets from the biology of breeding and caring for thoroughbred horses to the math of handicapping. Horse racing calls for experts from diverse fields to come together and work in tandem for the pleasure pf spectators and the profits of punters. The sport has enormous dimensions in terms of the number of enthusiasts and the financial investments involved. That is why horse racing needs elaborate organizational structures to manage the various aspects involved.
Regulation and development are two major but diverse branches of horse racing. Both are important for the future of horse racing, but it is difficult for one team to do justice to both aspects. Regulation needs a variety of technical and administrative skills different from the ones which are needed to work on the future of the sport and its protection. That is why the separation of the 2 fields of responsibilities in U.K. horse racing makes such sense.
The Jockey Club has been responsible for all facets of horse racing in Great Britain for well over two centuries. It is one of the oldest and most respected bodies in international horse racing. However, the formation of the British Horse Racing Regulatory Authority has liberated the Jockey Club of a host of bureaucratic and administrative duties. The Jockey Club has responded splendidly by resolving to focus on the commercial operation of 13 top British race tracks under its care, and hopes to generate significant profits from the enterprise.
Other horse racing bodies throughout the world should take a close look at the evolution of the Jockey Club from a regulatory body to one that generates profits, which can be ploughed back for the betterment of the sport. Breeding is one of the key areas in which the Jockey Club will concentrate, and there is no doubt that the fund of experience and expertise in the body will be put to best use in such ways. This is a firm step towards a better future for horse racing in the British Isles, and will add value for all lovers of the sport in the country.
