Jockey Callum Shepherd hits out at 'unhealthy' Sunday evening horse racing plan

08 January 2024 , 12:14

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Jockey Callum Shepherd has called for Sunday evening races to be scrapped (Image: @AtTheRaces)

Callum Shepherd believes racing on a Sunday evening is "unhealthy" for its participants.

The jockey rode a winner at Wolverhampton this past weekend, the first of six meetings trialled by the British Horseracing Authority. Part of a 2024 fixture list revamp, it is hoped they will increase betting turnover during a quiet time for sport in general.

Shepherd, who rode Charlie’s Choice at the West Midlands track, told Sky Sports Racing: "We don’t need to be here on a Sunday evening. We might get a couple of hundred quid extra in our pockets, but I don’t think it is healthy.

“I want to be able to go watch football with my dad and things like that and if this becomes a regular thing – which it will – you just cross that brink between having absolutely no work-life balance and I don’t think that is right."

The trial, which followed the first Premier card at Cheltenham on New Year's Day, offers extra prize money with a minimum of £15,000 per race.

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Sunday evenings are normally a period of relaxation for jockeys and trainers, with the sport requiring long hours and early starts to prepare runners in peak condition.

National Trainers Federation representative Paul Johnson said: "It places a demand on our members, they are already struggling for staff. There needs to be the benefit of the upside to make it worthwhile."

Wolverhampton (pictured) was the first event in the Sunday evening trial by the BHA (Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images)

He added: "This isn't a perfect example of what it's going to be like in the future. This is a night where we are racing for £150,000, staff are being paid £150 to turn up. Will that carry on in the future? Probably not. If it becomes established in the fixture list I don't think it's financially viable to do all that."

Dunstall Park's initial fixture, to be followed by five more until March, is an extension of Sunday afternoon racing which has taken place for over three decades.

The BHA's chief operating officer Richard Wayman said: "We are trying to improve the quality of Sunday racing, listening to our colleagues in the betting industry who have told us there is significant growth in the amounts of money being bet on Sunday evenings.

"What we don't know is what appetite there will be for betting on British racing. The purpose of the six-fixture trial is to ascertain what demand there is from existing and potential new customers.

"Callum's comments are perfectly understandable. We appreciate it does put a lot of pressure on people servicing the fixtures – and we will get feedback to see if this is something we should be doing longer term."

Melissa Jones