British horse racing's grassroots are "to be given a shot in the arm" of nearly £10M ($13M) in '18, when a record number of 1,508 fixtures are scheduled, according to SKY SPORTS. The funding is "being targeted at mid and lower-tier racing" through increases to prize money funding supported by a "new appearance money scheme and race incentive fund." The £9.7M ($12.7M) represents £8M ($10.4M) of new levy funding plus the reallocation of £1.7M ($2.2M) of existing levy funding for prize money that will "largely now be met by racecourses' contributions." A total of 1,508 fixtures have been scheduled, 11 more than planned in '17 (SKY SPORTS, 7/25). The BBC reported the British Horseracing Authority proposed to invest additional levy income in racing from '18, with the "aim of delivering three key objectives for the sport" -- supporting ownership, delivering more competitive and compelling racing and increasing customer engagement. A statement by the BHA proposed that, in addition to the increased number of meetings next year, there will also be "customer-friendly slots on Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons throughout summer with the aim of increasing attendances" (BBC, 7/25).
WORKERS' RIGHTS: RTÉ reported the Irish government "should intervene to prevent employment rights abuses for workers in the horse racing industry," according to political group Independents4Change. A report, commissioned by the group and launched on Tuesday, said that it found "widespread breaches of rights" in areas including excessive working time, "black economy" activity, failure to pay overtime, holiday pay, pension, bonuses and other entitlements and "inadequate representation for stable and stud staff" (RTÉ, 7/25).
