RACING FOR CHANGE ANNUAL REVIEW 2011 INTRODUCTION

RACING FOR CHANGE ANNUAL REVIEW 2011
PREMIER RACING
Rod Street, Chief Executive of British Champions Series
In April 2011, the launch of the QIPCO British Champions Series at
Newmarket – and its culmination at Ascot in October with QIPCO British
Champions Day – was a major turning point for the sport.
The introduction of a Series, based around racing’s
premier events, gave the sport a framework upon
which to promote Britain’s finest Flat racing to a
broader audience. In addition, the creation of a
new high-profile finale provided British racing
with a much needed climax that has captured the
attention of many potential sports fans.
The Series and British Champions Day enabled
the sport to attract a major new sponsor to the
sport with QIPCO. Furthermore, the BBC secured
the privilege of broadcasting British Champions
Day and succeeded in selling their rights to
76 countries.
Although the strategy for British Champions
Series is a long-term one, much was achieved
in 2011 with increased attendances and TV
audiences proving that promotion of our premier
events can, and does, deliver more customers.
Racecourse attendances on the 28 days that
made up the new Series were up 7% on 2010,
adding 44,000 to the gate. Average terrestrial
viewing figures on the BBC and Channel 4, which
broadcast the racedays between them, have
seen a 33% increase on last year, delivering an
extra 4.4 million viewers.
Not all of this increase is attributable to the
creation of the QIPCO British Champions Series,
but it is certainly an encouraging trend for
the future.
British Champions Day delivered equally positive
results, having been blessed by excellent
weather and Frankel’s participation. The day was
watched by 27,000 racegoers, an autumn record
for Ascot. According to International Ratings,
British Champions Day was the best day’s racing
anywhere in the world in 2011, based on quality
of the top four finishers.
The TV audience for the first-ever British
Champions Day was impressive, with a peak
of 1.5 million viewers, equivalent to the best
achieved by the BBC at Royal Ascot.
Racegoer research was also reassuring, with
98% of those surveyed rating the day as good or
excellent. 76% of racegoers rated it among the
best racedays they had ever attended, and 90%
said they were likely to attend in 2012.
These results and others convince us that
promoting the very best of our sport in more
creative ways can enhance the experience for
existing fans while also attracting new ones.
However, this year, we won’t necessarily have
either Frankel or excellent weather so we’ll need
to work even harder if we are to deliver our
strategic goal of broadening the sport’s appeal.
Frankel winning the QIPCO 2000 Guineas at Newmarket
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