We are a fifth quarter in the media rights clash between ARC/GMG and SIS writes Floyd Amphlett.
| JANUARY 2019 | ||
| CORONATION CUP | Romford 575m | £5,000 |
| JANUARY 2017 | ||
| CORONATION CUP | Romford 575m | £5,000 |
| PRESTIGE | Hall Green 645m | £6,000 |
| SILVER SALVER | Central Park 450m | £2,000 |
| CEARNS MEMORIAL | Central Park 500m | £2,000 |
| FEBRUARY 2019 | ||
| BUSSEY MEMORIAL | Crayford 540m | £2,000 |
| GOLDEN JACKET | Crayford 714m | £17,500 |
| FEBRUARY 2017 | ||
| BUSSEY MEMORIAL | Crayford 540m | £2,000 |
| GOLDEN JACKET | Crayford 714m | £17,500 |
| MARCH 2019 | ||
| MAIDEN GOLD CUP | Henlow 550m | £2,000 |
| JUVENILE | Sheffield 500m | £5,000 |
| SPRINGBOK | Central Park 480mH | £5,000 |
| MIDLAND PUPPY DERBY | Monmore 480m | £10,000 |
| WINTER DERBY | Hove 490m | £10,000 |
| G. STAR MARATHON | Henlow 870m | £2,000 |
| GOLDEN SPRINT | Romford 400m | £10,000 |
| SILVER SALVER | Central Park 265m | £3,000 |
| QUEEN MOTHER CUP | Sheffield 660m | £3,000 |
| MARCH 2017 | ||
| MAIDEN GOLD CUP | Henlow 550m | £2,500 |
| JUVENILE | Central Park 500m | £5,000 |
| SPRINGBOK | Central Park 480mH | £5,000 |
| MIDLAND PUPPY DERBY | Monmore 480m | £10,000 |
| GOLDEN SPRINT | Romford 400m | £10,000 |
| GOLDEN MATCH | Romford 750 | £3,000 |
| ARC | Swindon 480m | £8,000 |
| 3 x CLOSURE OPENS | Wimbledon 480m/H | £6,000 |
| QUEEN MOTHER CUP | Sheffield 660m | £3,000 |
| APRIL 2019 | ||
| CORAL REGENCY | Hove 695m | £10,000 |
| GOLDEN CREST | Poole 450m | £4,000 |
| BGBF PUPPY CUP | Sheffield 500m | £4,000 |
| GRAND NATIONAL | Central Park 480mH | £8,000 |
| BRESMED SPRINT | Sheffield 280m | £8,000 |
| APRIL 2017 | ||
| BGBF PUPPY CUP | Sheffield 500m | £4,000 |
| THREE STEPS | Sheffield 660m | £10,000 |
| BGBF SPRINT | Henlow 277m | £4,000 |
| GOLD CUP | Harlow 592m | £8,000 |
| BRESMED SPRINT | Sheffield 280m | £8,000 |
| BGBF PUPPY OAKS | Romford 400m | £4,000 |
| MAY 2019 | ||
| SCOTTISH DERBY | Shawfield 480m | £20,000 |
| MAIDEN DERBY | Henlow 460m | £5,000 |
| GEORGE ING ST.LEGER | Yarmouth 659m | £7,500 |
| MAY 2017 | ||
| CORAL REGENCY | Hove 695m | £10,000 |
| SCOTTISH DERBY | Shawfield 480m | £20,000 |
| RPGTV PUPPY | Shawfield 480m | £2,000 |
| RPGTV 500 | Shawfield 500m | £2,000 |
| GYMCRACK | Kinsley 462m | £8,000 |
| JUNE 2019 | ||
| ENGLISH DERBY | Nottingham 500m | £100,000 |
| ENGLISH DERBY SEMIS x2 | Nottingham 500m | £2,500 |
| DERBY PLATE | Nottingham 500m | £3,000 |
| RPGTV PUPPY | Nottingham 500m | £3,000 |
| RPGTV STAYERS | Nottingham 680m | £3,000 |
| JPW CUP | Nottingham 480m | £3,000 |
| JUNE 2017 | ||
| BGBF LEGER | Centrai Park 642m | £4,000 |
| YORKSHIRE OAKS | Sheffield 500m | £2,000 |
| ENGLISH DERBY SEMIS x2 | Nottingham 500m | £5,000 |
The effect on graded racing has been positive – at least in terms of prize money. The reaction to wall-to-wall racing has been less enthusiastically received.
There have been side issues in relation to open racing, not least the loss of SKY meetings. RGTV has attempted to fill in as best it could, and in general the reaction has largely been positive.
(You might not choose bread instead of cake, unless the alternative is going without)
But how has the media rights issue affected the open race Calendar? The fear that a string of major events would be cancelled has largely proven unfounded, though there have been changes, losses and gains.
Here is a comparison between early 2017 the last year of ‘pre media rights’ and the 2019 Calendar as it currently stands.
January is traditionally quiet though the loss of the Prestige was necessitated by the closure of Hall Green. The Silver Salver was moved to March, though there is currently no word on the Cearns Memorial.
February’s open race schedule can be rounded down to one meeting at Crayford where nothing has changed.
A string of traditional March favourites have survived though delays in work at Swindon saw the 2018 Arc cancelled. If it is staged in 2019, it will be following that work which is finally underway.
March ’17 also marked the closure of Wimbledon with an open race meeting. On the plus side, March 2019 featured two new events, the Greyhound Star Marathon and the Cat 1 Coral Winter Gold Cup.
April is quieter in 2019. Harlow’s Gold Cup was a one-off in 2017, not repeated last year, while Sheffield are still to make an announcement on the Three Steps to Victory tri-distance event. The 2017 Grand National was staged in October and the Regency has been moved forward a month.
There is mixed news in May. The big loss is the Gymcrack with Shawfield’s supporting competitions still to appear in the Calendar but apparently due to for a downgrade.
On the plus side, the George Ing Memorial and the Henlow Maiden Derby are both upgraded to Cat 1.
The 2017 English Derby Final was staged on July 1 and was worth £175K to the winner. The 2019 prize money will be reduced, though but for the intervention of Nottingham, this whole article would only be about the loss of one event.
Looking forward, there is still nothing positive on July’s William Hill Festival. We hope to update this story later in the year.
