Kempton loss would be a tragic sign of the times

Recent media reports suggesting that Kempton’s iconic racecourse, home of the Grade 1 King George VI Chase, could be lost to make way for a housing development at the south London site have been met with cries of horror from many in the racing industry, writes Paul Alster.

Owned by The Jockey Club, the track faced potential closure less than a decade ago before a deal was agreed in 2018 that essentially allowed the property development company Redrow to have an interest in the site, but not develop it. Recent changes to planning legislation appear to have reopened the door to the possible development of the site, something that newtly appointed Jockey Club chief executive Jim Allen alarmingly referred to in a recent interview as being “out of my hands”.

Opened in 1878, the Sunbury-on-Thames venue lies close to Hampton Court Palace on prime land just thirteen miles from the centre of London and is considered one of the great jumps tracks of British racing. The traditional Boxing Day show-piece King George VI Chase has provided some of the great moments of the sport, including legendary multiple winners such as Wayward Lad, Desert Orchid and Kauto Star, while the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle, won for the last three years by the outstanding but recently luckless Constitution Hill, is another race that ranks high in the national racing consciousness.

As well as it’s famed right-handed jumps track, Kempton’s all-weather Flat circuit has become the testing ground of some outstanding horses on the level, including the mighty Enable, making it an essential part of the now increasingly important all-weather racing that ensures Flat action, regardless of winter freezes or extended dry spells in the summer. To lose a facility central to both Flat and Jumps racing would be a crying shame.

As far as jumps racing goes, the alarming fall in the number of runners in this sphere is certain to see an increasing number of tracks coming under closer scrutiny with regard to future viability. Two, three, and four-runner races do not draw the public to the track itself. Such races make little appeal to the average punter resulting in less turnover in betting offices which has a knock-on effect for the funding of the sport.

If Kempton were to close, the King George VI Chase and Christmas Hurdle would certainly find a home elsewhere, although the early suggestion of Aintree – which already has a Grade 1 Boxing Day fixture – seems a poor fit given its distance from London and the fact that it is a left-handed and not right-handed track. Regardless of racing’s internal politics, I would suggest that nearby Ascot would be the best fit, but such a debate can be had another time should the situation come to a head.

The fact that this great track, a jewel in the crown of British racing, is in any sort of danger highlights the direction that the sport seems to be travelling of late. Racing’s finances are in a dire state with the business model barely fit for purpose.

That’s not just my opinion as someone who has worked in the industry for over forty years and closely followed the sport for longer. More importantly, it is the considered opinion of Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, the chief executive of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, one of the world’s most successful and profitable racing jurisdictions. In a recent Racing Post interview, Engelbrecht-Bresges referred to British racing as being on a “burning platform”, suggesting that the funding model for British racing is fundamentally wrong and ill suited to the rigours of 21st century business, sports media, and the interactive betting industry.

I think the HKJC boss has hit the nail on the head. Unless drastic action is taken very quickly, and the various interested parties in British racing change the habit of a lifetime and work together instead of invariably working to the detriment of one another, Kempton may just be the first of many tracks that become a distant memory as the clamour for more housing space grows ever stronger while the viability of many tracks lurches closer to the abyss.

Paul Alster has broadcast and reported on the British racing industry for four decades as a commentator, journalist, TV and radio presenter, betting correspondent, SP Returner, tipster and form analyst, among other things.