The popularity of the English Premier League is having a detrimental effect on horse racing.

That — in a nutshell — is the reason top racing executives are looking at other forms of revenue such as the recent staging of a concert by the band Westlife at Newmarket racecourse, the headquarters of British racing.

The punter trend is away from racing, with a dramatic increase in the past two years of wagering on football and online gambling.

“Racing as a share of overall betting in the UK appears to be in the decline,” commented Ian Renton of Arena Leisure, the operator of seven racecourses in Britain. “We haven’t yet found the solution for changing punters’ preference back to racing.”

Horse racing is just one of a number of industries struggling despite the belief the recession is over and many believe the light at the end of the tunnel is some distance away.

Sir Martin Sorrell, head of the advertising giant WPP, said: “It’s going to be a slog. The UK is surprisingly strong this year, but there are doubts it will last. Growth will probably slow and pick up again once the deficit is dealt with and we’re closer to another election.”

Racing operators in the UK are critical of bookies moving their operations offshore so they can avoid contributing to the horse racing betting levy which was introduced in 1961. Basically, this requires bookmakers to contribute about 10% of their profits to the levy which is used towards the salaries of those involved in the sport including jockeys, stable lads and veterinary practices.

The decline in the levy has resulted in Britain’s Horse Racing Authority taking the dramatic step of reducing the number of race meetings next year from 1500 to 1350.

Yet, amazingly, racecourse attendances are slightly up in the UK this year with daily attendance at the UK’s 60 racecourses showing an increase of 3,5% in the first six months of this year compared to the same period a year ago.

Although there was the usual full house at last month’s Durban July, increasing racecourse attendance in SA remains a priority for the industry’s top executives.

However, JSE-Listed Phumelela Gaming & Leisure, which runs racing in Gauteng and the Eastern Cape, has a trump card in the increasingly popular Soccer 6 bet.

With the new English Premier League season under way, wagering on top teams like Manchester United and Chelsea is a big attraction for thousands of soccer fans, and pools are expected to increase dramatically.

If racing is to survive it is going to have to adapt to the times and — if this means Turffontein racecourse hosting a top musical act — there is every likelihood they would embrace the idea with open arms. Their objective will be to win over younger people to the sport of racing.

Other sports are also feeling the economic pinch and — in order to promote Test cricket which has seen dwindling attendances compared to the popular Twenty20 format — a four-country knockout tournament is being planned for 2013 amongst the four top cricketing nations, presumably Australia, SA, England and the West Indies.

Horse racing, unquestionably, faces its own “slog”, but the sport continues to be backed by some of the wealthiest people in the world. Provided they maintain their involvement, racing will not throw in the towel.

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