British Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday is expected to attract more than 28,000 spectators but overall attendance in Britain is “off the pace” compared to the growth in the United States and Australia, David Redvers, the racing manager to Qatar Racing, told AFP.
Qatar Racing’s Sheikh Fahad Al Thani was the driving force behind British Champions Day and instrumental in the family’s Qatar Investment and Project Development Holding Company (QIPCO) sponsoring Britain’s most lucrative race meeting from 2011 to this day.
He and the spectators will be rewarded with potentially one of the races of the flat season as British star Economics takes on Calandagan from France and Irish raider Los Angeles in the Champion Stakes.
Redvers, who has been Qatar Racing’s racing manager and bloodstock advisor since 2009, says they are “very, very happy” with the ticket sales.
It is 6,000 more than attended Europe’s most prestigious race, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp earlier this month where crowds were boosted by large contingents of Irish and British racegoers.
“Attendance-wise, I would say it is steady as it goes,” he told AFP on Wednesday.
“It is a sharp contrast in the USA and Australia where the fan base is growing significantly and is highlighted when you go to the Melbourne Cup and the Kentucky Derby.
“At the Kentucky Derby this year (where overall attendance was 156,710) the crowd grew in number by more than the entire Guineas meeting (where 29,016 attended over three days).
“It gives you an idea how British racing is falling behind.”
Redvers says racing authorities need to look at other sports for examples of boosting crowds and appeal.
“We need the type of size of crowd that turn up for rugby at Twickenham or a football match at Wembley,” he said.
“We are off the pace and it is maybe not achievable the way we are financed at the moment, although it also asks questions of France as well as they are so well-funded.”
– ‘Major success’ –
Qatar is a huge sponsor of racing — another wing of the Al Thani family sponsors the Arc weekend and the historic ‘Glorious Goodwood’ meeting also has Qatari backing.
Redvers says his employer’s commitment has had a positive impact in “a far wider appreciation of horse racing in Europe and the United Kingdom in particular” from the United Arab Emirates and Gulf Arab states.
“It is really interesting how much investment in bloodstock there has been from the Emirates and Gulf states in general,” he said.
“Sponsorship has played a role in that.”
However, Redvers insists British racing cannot become complacent by believing that Gulf sponsorship is an eternal magic money tree, even if QIPCO has extended its Champions Day sponsorship to 2026.
“Can British racing just expect to hold its hand out to receive sponsorship in the future? Definitely not,” he said.
“One frustration as a racing manager is they have not made progress on British Champions race day as we wanted and that absolutely has to change.
“There is still no two-year-old race, which is more than disappointing.
“But British racing has all sorts of issues to concern itself with, whether it be governance or finance.
“The product itself is also under considerable threat by losing a significant proportion of horses of a certain quality to trainers from abroad.”
But one aspect of Champions Day that delights Redvers is its success in attracting a younger demographic.
“Students is one of the major success stories of the Champions Series,” he said.
“British Champions encourages students in particular to come racing and understand it.
“Hopefully it encourages them one day to be a participant in some form.
“There are a record 6,000 students coming to Champions Day on Saturday.
“It is something Sheikh Fahad and his brothers are especially proud of, of changing the demographic on Champions Day.
“It is a huge positive.”
pi/gj
