Senedd members invited to racecourses amid uncertain future in Wales

Phil Blanche, Press Association

Welsh politicians will be invited to inspect training yards as part of a British Horseracing Authority-commissioned economic impact study on the sport in Wales amid growing uncertainty over its future.

A ban on greyhound racing in Wales was passed in March against a backdrop of growing political uncertainty over the future of animal sports in the country.

Plaid Cymru’s Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts MP asked in April for National Hunt racing to be banned in Wales, prompting the BHA to make an independent and evidence-based assessment of the economic contribution made by the sport to the Welsh economy.

Wales has three racecourses, with Chepstow – which stages the Welsh Grand National and Flat racing – in the south-east, Ffos Las in the south-west and Bangor-on-Dee in the north-east.

“We just felt the time had come now to tell the politicians and people here what horse racing brings to Wales,” said Phil Bell who, in his role as Arena Racing Company regional director for the south and west, is in charge of Chepstow and Ffos Las.

“The whole point of the study is to get the actual figures. I could take a very rough guess how many people are employed in horse racing in Wales, but I wouldn’t know if it was particularly accurate.

“Over the next six weeks we will put a plan together on what we do with that evidence, and we will certainly be inviting all Senedd members to Wales’ three racecourses to see them in action, as well as point-to-point meetings.

“We will also invite them to go to stable yards to meet the vets and show them everything that happens there, all the practices that are in place to help with animal welfare.”

The BHA has been active in the Senedd for a number of years, running a cross-party group and engaging with the Welsh government on behalf of the industry.

But the Welsh political landscape changed in May when Plaid Cymru came into power after 27 years of Labour rule.

First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth, the Plaid Cymru leader, has declined to rule out a future ban on jump horse racing in Wales.

Replying to a question on the issue in June, he said the vote on greyhound racing “was a free vote, and I believe it was for most parties in the last Senedd”.

Bell said: “The greyhound ban in Wales got lots of coverage for quite a small sport here, and then you start hearing people say ‘I wonder if horse racing will be next?’.

“That is obviously a concern to us. We haven’t had any indications from the government that they’re looking into it.

“But the very fact greyhound racing has been banned needs us to prove how important horse racing is to Wales, how much money it brings in and how many jobs it creates.

“If you look at Chepstow, for example, it is open not just for racing. We’ve had artists like Tom Jones and Lionel Richie play here in front of 25,000 people, bringing thousands of pounds into the local economy.”

Jump racing is currently booming in Wales with trainers like Mickey Bowen, Christian Williams and Rebecca Curtis producing high-profile winners.

Champion jockey Sean Bowen, Ben Jones and James Bowen also saw Welsh riders finish in three of the top four places in last season’s jump jockeys’ championship.

“That’s another element to the sport,” said Bell. “It’s incredible how Wales is punching well above its weight in terms of the small nation it is.”

---

Get more trusted Welsh news

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.