Shake-Up in Britain A radical shake-up of racing in Britain is in the pipeline, under the direction of BHB chairman Peter Savill. The plan is to introduce a three tier approach to the running of meetings, namely under the headings, Premier, National and Regional.According to a report in today's Racing Post, each category would cater for horses within designated rating bands. The Premier meetings, of which there would be 100 Flat and All-Weather and 50 Jumps would cater for those rated 85 and above on the flat (N.H. ratings yet to be decided). A minimum value per race here would be 20,000 pounds for 3yo+, 15,000 for juveniles.National meetings would be set to make up the bulk of the racing diet with 650 on the level and 400 over obstacles. These would cater for the flat band of 45 to 85.Perhaps most striking about the plan is the Regional aspect. For horses rated 45 and below, they would carry a daily prize-money rate of just 10,000 pounds. Horses here would be grouped in bands of 5Ib and would compete off level weights. Information would be carried in a separate programme book and cards would only be covered by, it is hoped, trade and regional press.While it is widely acknowledged that the handicapping system needs some examination, the planned introduction of this system for 2004 does look somewhat optimistic.
