Racehorse owners in Britain are recouping only 21% of their expenditure, compared to 54% in France and "still higher figures elsewhere," according to Alan Lee of the LONDON TIMES. The sport was warned yesterday "that declining numbers of owners will impact on employment, while the government was urged to 'be true to its word' on measures to improve racing’s funding." A mood of "simmering discontent" characterized the annual meeting of the Racehorse Owners’ Association, which focused on money shortages endangering the health of the sport. ROA President Rachel Hood said, "The economics of racehorse ownership, and the associated impact on the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people in racing, is the biggest single challenge facing our industry.” Calling for prize money, only £94M last year, to be raised to £120M ($184M) in '14, Hood said, "Any racecourse that isn’t prepared to act appropriately must be left in absolutely no doubt that horsemen will, quite rightly, choose to race their horses elsewhere" (LONDON TIMES, 6/26).
