Annual Review and Outlook 2019 ■ BOARD & STAFF MEMBERS The Board • Sir Ian Good Chairman • John Gellatly Director • Mark Hunter Director • Alan Macdonald Director • John Prideaux Director Scottish Racing • Delly Innes Manager • Eleanor Boden Community Engagement & Education Manager • Stacey MacPherson Administrative & Marketing Assistant Racecourse Chief Executives • David Brown Ayr • Vivien Currie Hamilton Park • Jonathan Garratt Kelso • Bill Farnsworth Musselburgh • Hazel Peplinski Perth 2 www.scottishracing.co.uk Scotland is well represented amongst all sectors within British racing, and over ■ SCOTTISH RACING EXECUTIVES half of the senior management team are female. David Brown: Hazel Peplinski: David became Finance Director for Ayr Hazel has built an enviable reputation in Scottish Racecourse in July 2007, and was then racing holding positions that include Chief appointed Managing Director in 2012 and is a Executive, Director, Racing Manager and Clerk of member of the Large Independent Racecourse the Course at Hamilton Park, as well as further Group. Clerking roles at both Kelso and Ayr Racecourse. Earlier in her career Hazel was a Public Relations Vivien Currie: Officer for the Racecourse Association (RCA) Vivien was appointed as Chief Executive at and obtained Event Management experience Hamilton Park in June 2008. She was a Director in the golf and tennis arenas. Hazel has been a of the British Horseracing Authority from 2016 to trustee of the Injured Jockeys Fund since 2013. 2019, a former Vice Chairman of the RCA, and a member of the Development Board of the Marie Delly Innes: Curie Hospice in Glasgow. Prior to this, Vivien Delly took up her post as Manager of Scottish was Chief Executive of Livingston Football Racing in 2016, following her position as Head of Club, bringing the club out of Administration, Political Research for the Countryside Alliance and also sat on the Scottish Football League and then their Wessex Regional Director from Management Committee. 2004 to 2010. She also sits on the BHA Public Affairs Steering Group which develops and Jonathan Garratt: implements agreed industry strategy on political Jonathan took on the role of Managing Director engagement, and is a member of the Racing at Kelso Racecourse in 2018, having been Futures Steering Group, Managing Director of Cartmel Racecourse since August 2010. Jonathan represents small Eleanor Boden: independent racecourses as a director of the Eleanor is a PHD student, charity worker and RMG, and also serves on the RCA specialist is also stable manager at Cartmel Racecourse. groups committee for race planning and betting. She has gained a wide-range of experience from her time as as a Senior Lecturer and as Bill Farnsworth: Education and Training Development Manager Bill has been General Manager of Musselburgh at the HEROS Charity. Eleanor carries out all for 16 years. He has served on the board of the community engagement activity and is also BHA and the RMG, and currently represents leading on the project to address education and independent racecourses on the Board of the training provisions in Scotland. She also sits on RCA. the Industry Recruitment, Retention & Training Programme Board. www.scottishracing.co.uk 3 ■ CONTENTS ■ ABOUT SCOTTISH RACING • Chairman’s Introduction 5 • Manager’s Summary 6 SCOTTISH RACING: • Customer Growth 7-10 • Commercial Partnerships 11-12 • Equine Welfare 13-17 Scottish Racing is the only organisation that promotes and • People 18-19 supports the sport of horseracing throughout Scotland and • Public Affairs & Communications 20 its five racecourses: Ayr; Hamilton Park; Kelso; Musselburgh and Perth. RACING IN SCOTLAND: • Industry Overview & Data Map 21-22 The organisation promotes all sectors of the Our vision is to increase the popularity of industry north of the border, by lobbying horseracing as a spectator sport in Scotland. • Ownership 23-24 on political issues in both Westminster and Holyrood, generating coverage in broadcast, Our mission is to promote and support the • Racehorse Development 25-26 printed and social media, updating existing five racecourses in Scotland and assist in racegoers on all racing news, and campaigning the development of a sustainable Scottish to attract new audiences to racing. Scottish horseracing industry and its success on a global Racing plays an integral part in delivering long- scale. • Contact Details 27 term prosperity and sustainability to the sport in Scotland. 4 www.scottishracing.co.uk ■ CHAIRMAN’S INTRODUCTION I am delighted to introduce channels, events and projects. We are now seeing Scottish Racing’s Review, the benefits of the racecourses’ investment in where we take a look back on prize money, fixtures and infrastructure, with our work over the past two attendances having risen by over a fifth, and years and review the state of runners having expanded by over a quarter, in the the horseracing industry in last twenty years. Scotland. Scottish Racing has also increased community Racing has its highs and lows, and this has been engagement activity which reflects the value that no more apparent than in Scottish racing. On diverse charitable groups place on the racing the back of 2017’s success in the Grand National industry’s ability to reach a wide demographic, and the Ebor, 2018 saw the Racehorse Owners’ and we very much recognise how much racing Association award nearly all the Scottish courses can give back to local and national communities. with their Gold Standard, and Hamilton Park was 2018 saw us develop our partnership with rightly crowned Champion Racecourse by the William Hill, so that all Scottish courses will have Racecourse Association; the first time a Scottish their betting shops, enabling us to enhance our course has won the award. A particular highlight customer experience on the courses. was seeing Catch Bissett, from Nick Alexander’s yard, being crowned Employee of the Year at We were delighted to receive support from the the 2019 Godolphin Stud and Stable Awards, Racing Foundation to research and review with a total of four nominees from Scotland - an Scotland’s education and training provision, and excellent achievement. work is in progress to create a charitable organisation to address the current gap in the However, we have also faced tribulations with the recruitment and retention of stable staff in Beast from the East and equine flu, which had an Scotland. obvious impact on attendances and the number of races run. I hope you enjoy reading our Review and I look forward to welcoming you to a Scottish Scottish Racing continues to play a key role racecourse soon. within the British racing industry and informs and engages both the racegoing public, stakeholders Sir Ian Good and parliamentarians through a variety of Chairman www.scottishracing.co.uk 5 ■ MANAGER’S SUMMARY Horseracing continues to make racing’s position amongst other sectors allows the recruitment and retention of staff into, and within, a substantial contribution to sport to identify areas for new approach. the industry in Scotland. The ongoing project to the Scottish economy and is a For example, it is interesting to note that racing create a charitable organisation to address the key part of Scotland’s cultural, generated a turnover of £306.3m in Scotland in gap in education and training provision currently sporting and tourism offering. 2018, an increase of £5.1m in the past two years, available in Scotland, reflects the importance of Since our last Review in 2016, we more than that of the TV & Radio industry which Scottish racing within the wider industry and we have seen a significant growth saw a turnover of £249.2m. Horseracing sustains look forward to updating you on its progress. in many areas of the racing 3,400 FTE jobs, and the oil refining industry in It would be remiss of me not to mention the industry north of the Border, Scotland supports 1,750 jobs. With attendances tragic death of work rider, Natasha Galpin not least from those of the racecourses of 280,000, racing remains Scotland’s second in January 2019. Natasha sadly passed away themselves, which has seen their economic biggest spectator sport after football, and more following a tragic accident on the gallops of impact rise by a phenomenal 35% in the last two than rugby who welcomed 150,000 attendances. Iain Jardine, and her dedication to horses, her years. Racing paid out £9.1m in total prize money in skill and her remarkable work ethic exemplify With Scottish Racing’s mission to promote 2018; £1m more than prize money for The Open. the qualities which we celebrate within the and support both the racecourses, and assist Thanks to constant innovation from the horseracing industry in Scotland, and we extend in the long-term sustainability of the sport in racecourses themselves, economic impact from our sympathies and best wishes to her family and Scotland, in 2018, we focused our priorities into the racecourses rose by more than a third from friends. five key areas: Customer Growth, Commercial £37.7m in 2016, to £51.1m in 2018. £3m of this was Finally, we were thrilled to see two members of Partnerships, Equine Welfare, People, Public generated by the racecourses for construction, the Scottish racing “family” recognised for their Affairs and Communications, all of which are building & landscaping services in Scotland. hard work and dedication by the wider industry. detailed throughout this Review. Collectively, the five racecourses generated For Catch Bissett to be named Employee of the As Sir Ian has mentioned in his introduction, the £23.9m of revenues and sustained 180 full time Year when the sport in Britain employs 6,000 sport in Scotland has expanded significantly equivalent jobs directly, whilst simultaneously people, was a huge achievement. Hamilton over the last twenty years, when we have seen contributing £33.3m and 390 jobs to their local Park’s crowning of Racecourse Champion at the attendances rise by more than a fifth (21%), economies in near-course activity.