Horse racing could be coming to London’s streets
When most people think about horse racing, their mind immediately jumps to traditional racetracks with crowds dressed up to the nines. However, the sport could be about to undergo a significant change… Recent developments suggest that horse racing could be coming to a street near you?
That’s exactly what the London-based sports and entertainment agency, SEL UK have in mind. Plans are in place to bring horse racing to the forefront, away from the countryside and into the city. What exactly will this entail? Let’s take a closer look at the possibility of City Racing coming to London in 2019.
Pop-up horse racing
Headed by Peter Phillips, the Queen’s grandson, SEL UK want to turn iconic sporting events on their head. Instead of traditional race fixtures, they want to bring horse racing to the big smoke. Plans aren’t limited to London either, with talks of a global series kicking off in Europe and then onto Australia, Asia and the US.
The aim for this event is to hold six flat races, with eight runners over a 1,000m course. The track itself would be temporarily laid on iconic streets such The Mall in London city centre, with pedestrian crowd barriers. This would allow fans to get up close and personal, creating an intense energy around the races.
Test runs
Bearing this in mind, experts held a test event at Aintree at the end of 2018. Organisers modelled the 1,000-metre track on The Mall and Buckingham Palace. At the event three mock races were held, which proved that themambitions of City Racing are in fact logistically possible.
The day before the event took place, the artificial surface – Equaflow – was laid down in 18 hours. The surface is designed to provide cushion and is covered by 180mm of all-weather surface which was used for equine events like those at the London Olympics.
Safety first
Although the artificial surface is said to provide high-quality cushion, concerns have been raised about the safety of the horses and the jockeys on this temporary track. With extensive testing, Phillips responded to critics stating that, “equine safety is paramount. We have a veterinary advisory board and a gold-standard welfare framework.”
This focus on the well-fare of the animals shows the seriousness of the project, which have also been backed by London mayor, Sadiq Khan. A spokesperson for his office said, “we are always keen to host new and exciting sporting events in the capital.”
Attracting a new racing audience
So, what exactly is the aim of City Racing? Simply, they want to promote the sport to a wider modern audience. Horse racing is a long-held tradition in British culture, but there are worries that younger audiences don’t have the same appetite for traditional racing fixtures.
Will City Racing broaden the appeal of horse racing?
The event organisers surely hope so. By bringing horse racing to the door stop of younger city dwellers, they want to make the event more accessible, innovative and exciting. Not only can street racing bring horse racing to the masses, but it can be a fantastic platform for jockeys with more opportunities to build up name recognition in the industry.
The big question going forward is: will you be amongst the city crowds? Or do you think horse racing should stick to the suburbs?
