A racing certainty? What a Labour government would mean for the sport | Horse racing

Few could have guessed when the field came under starter’s orders for the general election in May that betting and the Gambling Commission would turn out to be such fixtures on the daily news grid. Or, for that matter, that Keir Starmer would suggest, in response to a question on his political punting habits, that he “only bets on the horses”.

Assuming the price of around 1-33 is correct and that a Labour administration with a significant majority takes the reins this week, that may well prove to be the first and last significant mention of the turf – or gambling, for that matter – by a member of the new government for some while.

Football is the only sport that gets a mention in the Labour manifesto, while the word “gambling” appearsfour times in a single paragraph towards the end of the section that deals with the party’s plans for the NHS. “Labour is committed to reducing gambling-related harm,” it says. “Recognising the evolution of the gambling landscape since 2005, Labour will reform gambling regulation, strengthening protections. We will continue to work with the industry on how to ensure responsible gambling.”

The remainder of the manifesto – a dozen sections and many thousands of words – highlights the long list of issues, inequalities and deep structural problems that will, quite rightly, be seen as more pressing priorities. Who can blame them?

The outgoing administration’s reforms to the last Labour government’s Gambling Act in 2005 are working their way through the system, with a pilot scheme of the controversial (in racing circles at least) affordability checks for punters due to begin next month. Racing’s long-running attempt to boost its income via reforms to the Levy system will be buried so far in the political rough that it is effectively unplayable.

Starmer, as it happens, is not a complete stranger to the turf. His wife, Victoria, grew up in Doncaster and he has often accompanied her to the St Leger, the city’s biggest day at the races, in September. Many racecourses, meanwhile, remain popular local landmarks, employers and revenue generators, which MPs of all colours would be foolish to ignore.

The British Horseracing Authority says it has been preparing for a change of government for many months, building contacts with the relevant shadow ministers and dropping regular reminders of the industry’s significant to the wider economy, in rural areas in particular, and the many jobs that depend on racing and betting. Like any other industry or sport, though, it will need to get in the queue when it comes to asking for particular favours. If it could, for instance, work out its problems with the gambling industry directly over the next Levy scheme, it would surely be appreciated in the corridors of power.

One further point here that may be worth some consideration is that Thursday’s shift in the political landscape will come at a time when an unusual number of the sport’s top jobs are up for grabs and dozens – indeed hundreds – of ex-MPs and ministers will be suddenly be in need of gainful employment.

Dido Harding, whose strong links with the previous administration hardly need re-stating, is due to take over as the first female senior steward of the Jockey Club this month. Matt Hancock, who as health secretary put Harding in charge of the much-criticised test-and-trace programme during the Covid pandemic, has recently been “mentioned” a possible chair of the BHA when Joe Saumarez Smith steps down next May.

Hancock formerly represented the constituency that includes Newmarket racecourse and rarely misses an opportunity to mention that he rode the winner of a charity race at the track in 2012. When it comes to racing winning friends and influencing people under a Labour government, however, one member of the old Tory chumocracy in a senior position may well be more than enough.

Ultimately, perhaps, the most racing – and the country – can realistically hope for from a new administration is an easing or even an end to the cost-of-living crisis, which has been at least partly to blame for a steady decline in attendance at many of the sport’s most high-profile events.

Cheltenham, Aintree and Epsom clearly have a huge amount of work to do to tempt the crowds back to their showpiece events. It would surely be a more achievable task, though, against a backdrop of growth and a general sense of optimism and renewal in the country as a whole. If a Starmer government can deliver on that – and it is, let’s face it, a big if – then racing should have little to fear from the generational change in the political landscape that seems to be a few days away.