Next season will see limited changes to the rules and regulations of the sport. However, there are three key changes, detailed below, which will have an impact on the sport. A commentary on the reasons behind each of the three is provided.
Length of ‘Racing Season’ and National Championships
The official end of the racing season will be Spring Bank Holiday Monday, May 27th, and the results that count towards the National Championships will also finish on that day. However, the actual season will continue for a further two weeks to allow the Tiverton Staghounds and Torrington Farmers to continue to run on their traditional weekend dates after the Spring Bank Holiday, providing they remain at their current courses. NB: all results will be included in official records, as do walkovers.
Commentary
Over the past few years, there have been numerous comments on the length of the ‘racing season’, c.f. the number of horses and fixtures. Next season will have just over 130 fixtures, which is the fewest since just after the war, when the sport was in recovery, and - of course - the racing season has more than doubled in length since then. At the same time, weather, ground and owners’ expectations have changed quite radically – albeit at differing rates across the country - which has led to increasingly small fields for a longer period of time in the Spring. Whilst many courses manage to provide superb ground, this is not always available at training facilities, and it is worth noting that we now see sharp fall in Veteran horses running in May when, traditionally, they might have been expected to be the ones kept going as the ground firms. The overall result of these factors is that late fixtures in many Areas have either moved or are no longer held. This has created a spiral, with fewer horses staying in training and numbers dropping further for the later meetings.
Most people recognise this, and so - in 2022 - an earlier end to the 'racing season' was recommended. The PPA Board, whilst accepting the logic, also accepted the reasoning from the Devon & Cornwall Area that the subject had not been properly debated and so decided not to take immediate action. The PPSA then requested a discussion paper on the length of the ‘racing season’, which was circulated in November 2022, and then discussed in February 2023, providing time for all Areas to consider locally. The PPSA decided, with Devon & Cornwall dissenting, that the Spring Bank Holiday Monday should be the official end of the ‘racing season’, meaning that fixtures could not apply for dates after that. However, it also recognised that this would prove difficult for Devon & Cornwall, and was also unfair on the two fixtures at Bratton Down and Umberleigh that had traditionally run after that date. As a result, they were given clearance to continue to run on their traditional dates, providing they remained on those courses. The PPSA further proposed that the National Championships should be in line with the official end of the season. The PPA Board met in March to discuss these proposals further, and it was agreed that they should all be put in place from the 23-24 season onwards.
The National Championships are the responsibility of the PPA and, as such, are not part of the regulations. Whilst it is of course right that we mark our Champions, they are also there to encourage engagement in the wider sport, and therefore must give opportunities to all parts of the country. Five Areas, including the two in the north, now finish their seasons by mid-May, meaning that their horses have to travel to continue to compete. It has been argued that the Greenalls (not necessarily representative of the average owner) used to travel to Umberleigh to compete, but since those days the north has lost its two late May fixtures, so the need to travel is starting earlier.
NB 1: It was originally suggested that the results from the June fixtures could be included in the following season’s Championships. Unfortunately, it was pointed out that they belonged to different seasons, so that would not be possible.
NB 2. Beginning of the 'Racing Season'. It is often suggested that the beginning of the racing season should also be later, and it may well be that it starts a week or two later in future seasons. Currently, the start date is based on which fixtures want to run pre-Xmas and how many each weekend can bear. In basic terms, we try to keep the South West fixtures paired with the Midlands or Wales. Larkhill (and Barbury in its day) are considered central to both so we attempt to avoid others on the same weekend, except for Northern fixtures - although this year we have ended up with Wadebridge and Larkhill clashing, as well as the debate over Great Trethew and Ffos Las clashing, despite them being the furthest apart of all fixtures in the southern part of the country pre-Xmas.
Changes to Keeper Responsibilities
From the 23-24 season onwards:
- Where an Owner has placed a horse with a Keeper, the Keeper will become responsible for all breaches of the Regulations 'as if the Owner'.
- No action will be taken against the Keeper where it can be shown that any breach of the Regulations was the result of an action by the Owner, to which the Keeper was not a party, in which case the Owner will be responsible.
In practical terms, this means that a Keeper will have to have signed at least one Hunter Certificate to confirm that (s)he has understood and accepted his/her new responsibilities. We have used this opportunity to adjust both the Hunter Certificate Registration form, to be more in line with how the information is entered on to the system, and the confirmation letters.
NB 1: An owner can retain responsibility if they wish, but in such cases, the Keeper will not be responsible for their actions/activities.
NB 2: Weatherbys will not register a horse without the Keeper’s signature if they can find no record of that signature having been provided for another horse in same season. It is therefore strongly recommended that you get the signature or provide the name of a horse already registered with the Keeper’s signature.
NB 3: Only one person can be registered to make entries online. This is a requirement of the current software.
Commentary
The official non-recognition of Keepers in point-to-points has appeared increasingly out of step with reality. Over half our horses are now with trainers far away from where the owners live. Furthermore, the BHA has had the right for some time to visit point-to-point yards to check on horse welfare etc, which indicates implicit recognition of Keepers. During Covid, an element of the problem was perfectly demonstrated when an owner was fined for a failure for the horse to be properly presented in the paddock, despite them being in a different zone. On the other hand, we obviously want to allow owner-trainers to continue as they always have done, without increasing the official requirements laid down for licensed trainers. We believe that the above will cover these issues. The software for Hunter Certificate Registration is due for replacement in the near future, so we are not inclined to change the current system, although we recognise it is a problem.
Race Conditions
There have been some minor changes to ensure the regulations are stating the rules as was originally intended. E.g. point-to-point races, whether flat or over jumps, have the same stipulations regarding licensed trainers. However, there has been one significant change:
Restricted Race. The change is to allow a winner of a Restricted race to continue running such races, with a 5lb penalty. After a second win, the horse moves to Intermediate level, the conditions for which remain the same.
Definition. A Restricted Point-to-Point steeplechase is a race open to any horse, except where further restrictions have been imposed, which, at starting, has not won any race under the Rules of any Recognised Racing Authority other than National Hunt Flat races or Flat races, or any Point-to-Point Steeplechase other than Maiden Races, Hunt/Members races or no more than one Restricted race.
Penalties. A winner of one Restricted Race will carry a 5lb penalty.
Commentary
The majority of point-to-point horses used to follow the traditional ‘progressive’ route from Maiden through to Intermediate and beyond. This has been changing over the last 20 years, and most markedly since Covid, with horses increasingly moving backwards and forwards between point-to-pointing and National Hunt, often picking up a small National Hunt race and so making them ineligible for ‘progressive’ races. This has been partly driven by the nature of ownership, with horses less likely to be held for their lifetime and often being moved on after one or two seasons. However, the lack of horses following this route has also driven down the number of Intermediate races being offered: from 58 two seasons ago, to 43 last season and 31 next year, which means that (outside Devon & Cornwall) the races have just not been available in most parts of the country when wanted by the more traditional owners, who do not want to travel long distances. In effect these two factors have created their own downward spiral, resulting in similar risks to the future of Restricted races. The options were either to accept the demise of the ‘progressive’ element of pointing, or to try to nurture it and allow it to regain its former place. Whilst it was initially proposed that any changes were introduced gradually, the PPA Board - after long discussion - decided that it would be much easier, and more understandable, to carry out a full reform immediately.
NB: To keep things simple, the baseline weight for Restricteds is staying at 12st in line with other race types. As a result, some owners/keepers may still decide to go straight to Intermediates to avoid the 5lb penalty