Racecourse closures

Can they be expected to keep a course running that isn't profitable though? They aren't a charity. Don't get me wrong, I'm as sad about racecourse closures as any other racing fan, but companies exist to make a profit...
 
The fact these announcements have come out of the blue is suspicious, they look to me like a negotiation ploy, in one case to be handed a longer lease and in the other to get a juicy planning permission. I wouldn't be as accepting of the reasons given by Northern Racing as Paul Bittar appears to be.


From the Sporting Life:

Attempts to extend Hereford's lease from Herefordshire County Council have been unsuccessful, while plans are also in place for Folkestone to cease trading at the end of the 2012 season.
Tony Kelly, managing director of Arena and Northern Racing, said Folkestone may reopen in the future - subject to on-going negotiations with Shepway Council.
Kelly said: "Hereford is owned by Herefordshire County Council and run under a lease arrangement.
"Attempts to extend the lease, which has 17 years remaining, have been unsuccessful.
"Despite being unviable for several years we have supported the racecourse but much-needed investment, required to breathe new life into the racecourse, cannot be justified in the absence of a long-term future for the business.
"Folkestone suffers from outdated facilities and has been the subject of detailed discussion between the previous management, Arena Leisure, and Shepway District Council for several years now.
"The proposal for the site incorporated significant residential development, which would have enabled a new racecourse to be constructed with much enhanced amenities.
"However, these plans have been delayed following the recent Examination in Public of the local plan.
"Discussions will continue with Shepway District Council in the hope that there will be approval of development plans which would secure the future of the racecourse.
"If they succeed, work to reconfigure the racecourse could commence in 2013."
Racecourse fixtures currently staged at Hereford and Folkestone will be transferred to other racecourses within Arena and Northern Racing.
Kelly said: "Every effort to continue trading at these racecourses has been explored but it is with regret that a variety of circumstances means that this is no longer possible, therefore both Hereford and Folkestone racecourses will therefore cease trading at the end of the 2012 season.
"The fixtures will be transferred to other racecourses within the group, where we will be able to offer increased prize-money and better quality facilities for connections and racegoers alike."
Northern Racing is owned by businessmen David and Simon Reuben, who bought out Arena Leisure plc in March 2012.
Arena and Northern Racing is now Britain's largest racecourse group.
The two racecourses - Hereford is a National Hunt track while Folkestone stages both Flat and Jumps racing - will be the first to shut in Britain since Great Leighs lost its licence in 2009.
Paul Bittar, chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority, believes racing's "outdated" financial model is the root cause behind the closures.
In a statement, Bittar said: "This decision is a matter for Northern Racing and Arena Leisure. We recognise and respect the commercial pressures that lie behind it.
"While British racing is immensely popular on many levels, and enjoyed record attendances last year, the fact is that the sport's financial model remains badly outdated.
"This undoubtedly makes life very difficult for all who depend on the sport for their living and it also impacts upon racecourses, particularly smaller ones.
"We are encouraged to learn that the fixtures transferred as a result of the closures will benefit from increased prize-money, but the priority for the whole sport remains the modernisation of our funding mechanism to underpin the future of British Racing and ensure a fair return for all participants."
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I don't think the Reuben brothers ever pretended to be fans of the sport. It was surely inevitable that once Northern Racing, and then Arena, fell into the hands of a company whose main business is property development, closures would come along. Sadly, Hereford & Folkestone may just be the start.
 
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I would be indifferent to Folkestone but Hereford has a certain charm.I cam remember Michael Dickindon sending either Bregawn or Silver Buck to Hereford for their Gold Cup prep run- no sp returned.
 
Though to be fair - Folkestone has had Hunt Ball run there so it doesnt always get bad horses (i know you didnt say that exactly, but Ive remembered HB so I need to get it in !! ;) )

I like Hereford, its a shame about them closing if it does. Never been to Folkestone, but as it stopped me having a hot date at the end of last year when my friend got held up on his way home from there, its not on the top of my list of favourites ;)
 
They often are and they lost 2 or 3 meetings to the weather in April that can't have helped CL.

Hunter Chase night at Folkestone is one of my favourite meetings of the year - hope they can find a new home for it (preferably at Fontwell since they're moving the fixtures to Arena/Northern Racing courses and the meeting itself has a SE bias with the race entry criteria).

Martin
 
From a sporting perspective, is Kent the most boring county in Britain, given that it has a population of nearly 1.75m people in a wealthy part of England?

Its only football league club, Gillingham, is in the bottom division, so is its cricket team, and now it's in danger of losing its only remaining racecourse.

Are there other contenders for this dubious title?
 
LUKE said:
I would be indifferent to Folkestone but Hereford has a certain charm.I cam remember Michael Dickindon sending either Bregawn or Silver Buck to Hereford for their Gold Cup prep run- no sp returned.
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Bregawn got the better of Pucka Fella in a sustained duel* to win the Newent Handicap Chase at Hereford on March 5th 1983. Former Gold Cup winner Master Smudge was third. He paid £1.10 on the Tote.



* not really - he won by a distance despite losing at least 20 lengths at the start when the lad who was tasked with leading him in was caught on the hop.
 
Grey said:
From a sporting perspective, is Kent the most boring county in Britain, given that it has a population of nearly 1.75m people in a wealthy part of England?

Its only football league club, Gillingham, is in the bottom division, so is its cricket team, and now it's in danger of losing its only remaining racecourse.

Are there other contenders for this dubious title?
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My wife was living in the beautiful Kentish village of Snodland when we first went out, so I won't have a bad word said against it.
















Oh, go on then, it's an absolute shithole, unless oasthouses float your boat.
 
Are there other contenders for this dubious title?
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Cornwall

Kent cricket is struggling at the moment but to be fair it is a strong sport down there with a long history

Canterbury is a fine city and one of the worlds iconic grounds

Charlton is in fairness a bit of a Kent team
 
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I think I find the much lauded Mr Bittar's reaction to be most depressing . Accepting it without even the slightests critical consideration of their reasoning which I understand both local authorities have challenged . There is a whiff of brinkmanship about this .

Moreover , how Northern manage to lose money at any track considering how appallingly low their prize money is beats me :confused:

It is more than slightly ironic that one of the results of the OFT's rule 14 notice that supposedly was to promote competition has been to leave us with a monopoly situation in the area of racecourse management and with those racecourses now largely able to do what they like in the face of a toothless governing body
 
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Grey said:
From a sporting perspective, is Kent the most boring county in Britain, given that it has a population of nearly 1.75m people in a wealthy part of England?

Its only football league club, Gillingham, is in the bottom division, so is its cricket team, and now it's in danger of losing its only remaining racecourse.

Are there other contenders for this dubious title?
Click to expand...
Hertfordshire knocks spots off Kent in that respect!
 
Ardross said:
....

It is more than slightly ironic that one of the results of the OFT's rule 14 notice that supposedly was to promote competition has been to leave us with a monopoly situation in the area of racecourse management and with those racecourses now largely able to do what they like in the face of a toothless governing body
Click to expand...

The scandal of it all is that the fixtures now seem to "belong" to the management company. Even if someone else wanted to run Hereford they couldn't, because they would have no fixtures. This means that the racecourse operators can demand anything they want or close the racecourse if they wish, and the owner of the track is powerless.

In this case I heard that the county council will give a 125 year lease to anyone who will run it as a racecourse. Unfortunately the only people who could consider such an offer are Northern, who have made their position clear.

I also cannot understand how Hereford would lose money and say Sedgefield make money. Maybe Sedgefield is doomed too...
 
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