The St Leger turns 250. The partnership supporting racing must be protected
As Parliament marks 250 years of the St Leger, Grainne Hurst of the Betting and Gaming Council and Martin Cruddace of Arena Racing Company argue that the future of British racing is closely tied to the health of the regulated betting industry, and warn that policies which weaken high street betting shops will be felt across the sport
In 1776, a small crowd gathered at Cantley Common outside Doncaster to watch a new horse race, won by a filly called Allabaculia.
Few of those watching that first running could have imagined they were witnessing the beginning of a sporting institution that would endure for a quarter of a millennium.
Later named after the man who conceived it, Colonel Anthony St Leger, the race predates the Derby by four years. Today, it is the world’s oldest Classic, the North’s only Classic and the final leg of the British Triple Crown.
There is an old racing saying that the fastest horse wins the Guineas, the luckiest wins the Derby and the best horse wins the St Leger. Run over more than a mile and three-quarters, it is a test of speed, stamina, courage and class.
For 250 years, generations have returned, and Race Week has become woven into the life of Doncaster and Yorkshire, drawing huge crowds and producing champions whose names still echo through the sport. In 1970, Nijinsky became the last horse to complete the British Triple Crown.
Last night we marked that anniversary together in Parliament because the story of British racing cannot be told without recognising the vital role played by regulated betting.
BGC members contribute more than £350m every year to British horseracing through the Levy, media rights and sponsorship, supporting prize money, racecourses, trainers, breeders, jockeys, stable staff and horse welfare.
Racing supports around 85,000 livelihoods and generates roughly £4bn for the economy, much of it through the yards, haulage firms, feed merchants, vets, hotels, pubs and local businesses far beyond London.
The St Leger is one of racing’s great showcases. Last year, more than 52,000 people attended the four-day Festival, including more than 26,000 on St Leger Saturday, up 11 per cent and making it the best-attended British Classic of 2025. This year, we expect a crowd of more than 30,000 on St Leger Saturday alone.
The St Leger is a national sporting treasure, but it is not a museum piece. Its future depends on people continuing to watch it, work in it, invest in it and bet on it.
A substantial part of the money sustaining racing comes through one of the most frequently misunderstood parts of our industry: the high street betting shop.
Betting shops contribute around £140m a year to horseracing. They pay roughly £1bn in direct tax and a further £60m to councils in business rates. They are also racing’s shop window, where generations of fans have watched and enjoyed the sport.
Last month, the Government set out plans to give communities more say over what opens on their high streets, alongside tougher action against criminal operators. We support both principles.
But good policy must draw clear distinctions. A licensed betting shop, staffed by trained employees and operating under strict regulation, is not a rogue or criminal operator.
Betting shops are legitimate high street businesses which have made enormous progress in preventing gambling-related harm. They employ tens of thousands of people, contribute to local economies and operate under some of the toughest regulation anywhere in the world. Policy should recognise that reality rather than treating them as a problem to be managed out of our high streets.
Shop numbers have fallen by more than a third since 2019. Around 3,000 have closed and more than 15,000 jobs have been lost. The 37,500 people still working in them support local economies and bring footfall to neighbouring businesses.
For some customers, particularly older people, the local betting shop is also somewhere to see familiar faces, talk about racing and enjoy a shared interest. Racing is a sport enjoyed by people from every section of society, and it is proud to be so.
Respecting communities means respecting those choices too. An empty unit is not regeneration. A lost job is not renewal. A regulated business should not be stigmatised simply because some politicians dislike what it sells.
The Government says it wants thriving high streets with a diverse mix of businesses that serve their communities. We agree. But that should not mean politicians deciding that a licensed, regulated betting shop is somehow less worthy of a place on the high street than another vape shop, fried chicken takeaway, dingy barber, nail bar or coffee shop where the cost of two oat milk lattes would trigger an affordability check. People should be trusted to choose where they spend their money, without politicians passing judgement on one legal product but not another.
But there is a consequence here that has gone almost entirely unmentioned. The closure of 500 betting shops would cost racing around £20m. Every closed shop means a little less prize money, a little less investment in the sport and, ultimately, greater difficulty in exporting one of Britain’s great sporting products and attracting international investment.
Affordability checks pose another challenge. The Gambling Commission has confirmed that the checks will proceed, so what matters now is whether the promise that they will be genuinely frictionless is honoured.
If credit reference agency data is inconsistent, customers could still find themselves restricted or asked for payslips and bank statements simply to continue with a legal activity that 22.5 million adults enjoy safely every month.
Racing customers are particularly exposed because the sport is seasonal. Someone may bet very little for much of the year and then have several more bets during Cheltenham, Aintree, Royal Ascot or the St Leger. That is normal behaviour for a racing fan, not necessarily a sign of financial risk.
Our modelling suggests the proposed approach could reduce Levy receipts by around £13.2m a year and push more than 70,000 customers towards the illegal gambling market.
That market pays no British tax, buys no media rights, contributes nothing to the Levy and offers none of the protections of the regulated sector.
We are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for fair, proportionate policy based on evidence and an honest understanding of how closely racing, betting and local communities are connected.
Our message to the Prime Minister, and indeed former prime ministers, is clear: please do not treat the betting shop as something you accidentally trod in. It is so much more than that, and it deserves respect.
Two hundred and fifty years ago, people came to Doncaster to watch a horse race. What began there became part of Yorkshire’s identity and Britain’s sporting heritage.
The St Leger is, fittingly, a race about staying power. After 250 years, few sporting institutions have shown more.
That legacy is worth protecting. As Parliament marks this extraordinary anniversary, public policy should create the conditions for racing to flourish and for the partnership that sustains it to remain strong.
