Is CI racing on the brink?

Guernsey Race Club’s financial troubles had already led to a pre-Covid postponement of the 2020 annual meeting, but now Jersey Race Club and their long well-established racing scene is in serious financial trouble and if that disappears, prospects for Guernsey are very bleak.

Racing has taken place in Jersey since 1789, but its future is now in serious doubt. Members of the Jersey Race Club received a letter earlier this week which made clear that the organisation’s ‘future is in a very parlous state following the fallout from the coronavirus disaster’.

The message went on to outline the urgent need to raise funds for the club – which will probably lose £75k in 2020 – to survive through the winter and has since been followed by news that the club’s high-profile president, Mark Johnson, has resigned.

Trevor Gallienne, president of the Guernsey Race Club, said he remains hopeful that the Caesareans will sort it out, but if they don’t the repercussions will be felt here.

‘It would be a massive blow to Guernsey racing because a large part of our field comprises of Jersey-trained horses.’

Gallienne estimates that there are 50 horses in full-time training in Jersey, including one of his own, and racing at Les Landes is part and parcel of its island heritage, not least tourism.

‘We find it incredibly hard to find five race sponsors each year, but they have 45 to find,’ said Gallienne.

‘They have been incredibly successful in finding sponsorship over the years and that is probably the biggest issue for them now.’

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One of JRC’s new fundraising measures is to invite members to pay annual subscriptions early for the 2021 season.

Meanwhile, the club has decided not to refund members their 2020 subscriptions despite the fact that they did not get the sport they paid to see. Nor will subscriptions paid in respect of 2020 be rolled over to next year for returning members.

JRC has two employees, a clerk of the course and a secretary and both have remained in employment throughout, despite the fact that racing has not taken place, with their employment costs offset through the government’s employer easement scheme. The club is receiving £1,600 per month government support for each employee.

The letter to members stated: ‘Total income this financial year is one sixth of the average earned in 2018 and 2019 (excluding sponsorship of race prize monies). We have received no income from our regular earners such as admissions, tote surplus, race entries, concessions and bar sales which items make up between 75% to 80% of our normal income. The result of this situation is an operating deficit of between £65,000 and £75,000.’

With no reserves the club says it will need to raise at least £100,000 to ensure the future of racing. That said, dates for next season’s meetings have been published, subject to the Jersey Bailiff ’s approval.

Johnson, a UK based, world-renowned racecourse commentator who also appears regularly at the L’Ancresse meeting, was elected president before the 2018 season.

He had articulated a plan to help fund the local sport through new sources of income achieved from wider coverage of racing in Jersey and increased betting turnover. However, it appears there had been no interest in the plan.

On his departure, JRC stated: ‘Mark lives and is employed in the UK and has thus found, not being able to travel to Jersey for most of this year and the inability to have face to face meetings, it is impossible to perform his role to the extent that the committee and members of JRC should expect.

‘Accordingly he is resigning to allow the club to appoint new officials in good time to formulate their own plans in preparation for the renaissance of Jersey Race Club.’

Without JRC solving its issues, there would be little chance of Guernsey racing returning which is planned for 3 May 2021.

Gallienne said that GRC would be giving itself an early 2021 deadline to find the race sponsors they need to keep going.

‘We intend to race next year, sponsorship permitting,’ said Gallienne.

‘Hopefully, we can attract a huge crowd when we come back,’ he added.

Meanwhile, horse owner Gallienne confirmed he has now retired both Herm and Sark, the former recently suffering a double tendon injury at Kempton Park.