HORSERACING can be held on Good Friday next year, the British
Horse Association (BHA) announced last week.
Good Friday is one of the few non-racing days in the year. The
racing and leisure group ARC has announced plans to hold the finale
of its all-weather championships on Good Friday next year at
Lingfield Park, in Surrey. A total prize-fund of £1 million is on
offer.
On Wednesday of last week, Rod Street, the chief executive of
Great British Racing, the marketing and promotional arm of the BHA,
said: "Good Friday will deliver significant new revenues and give
our many different customers a compelling reason to participate on
an important leisure day."
Last month, the chief executive of the Professional Jockeys'
Association, Paul Struthers, told the BBC that "most jockeys are
unhappy about the idea. . . It is going to be a huge dilemma for
those who see it as a religious issue."
In August, Rupert Arnold, the chief executive of the National
Trainers Federation, told the Racing Post that "our main
position is, we'd prefer not to see racing on Good Friday."