A boost in attendances at the races was welcomed this week as the Racecourse Association announced that over five million people attended race meetings in Great Britain in 2025 for the first time since 2019. Overall, it’s been a good week for participation, as the Future Of Racing initiative gained over 100 applicants, which we cover too in our news round-up.
Today’s Racing round-up
British racing was buoyed by the news of an increase in attendances this week, as it was reported by the Racecourse Association (RCA) that attendance figures topped five million in 2025, the highest they have been post-COVID. It is also the first time since 2019 that more than five million people have attended racing fixtures in Britain, while there is also hope for the future, as a 17% increase in under-18s attending horse racing meetings was also announced by the RCA. (Racing Post)
Over 100 different startups have applied for the Future Of Racing programme, an initiative developed to provide cutting edge technology to the sport. The project, which the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) launched in conjunction with Flutter, was launched to encourage startup businesses to pitch their ideas to a horse racing panel, with the best of them intended to be rolled out from 2026 onwards. he BHA reported that 11 have been put through to a second stage of the development process in February. (BHA)
In this week’s racing, four horses have been declared for the Grade 1 Clarence House Chase at Ascot on Saturday 17 January. The race is the first top level contest over jumps in Britain in 2026, with a clash between Il Etait Temps and Jonbon certain to warm the cockles of those in attendance. Willie Mullins’ grey, who stormed to victory over Jonbon in the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown, will look to become the first Irish-trained winner of Ascot’s elite chase since 2018, when Un De Sceaux won it for his trainer. (At The Races)
However, according to Timeform, the Clarence House Chase is not necessarily a two-horse race, as Thistle Ask is well worth is place in the Grade 1 shake-up on their ratings for Dan Skelton. The £11,000 purchase has been the biggest improver in National Hunt racing this season, shooting up 43lb in the handicap since joining the Skelton team, and was hugely impressive in both the Haldon Gold Cup and Desert Orchid Chases, both of which are Grade 2 handicaps. His Timeform rating for the latter puts him just 6lb below Jonbon in Timeform’s book. (Sporting Life)
Friday’s racing provides a delicious appetiser to the weekend, with Windsor kicking off a superb three days of racing in the Berkshire Winter Million. In the feature race of the day, Nemean Lion will seek to defend his title in the Weatherbys Cheltenham Festival Betting Guide Hurdle, a class 2 event that he won against a strong field in 2025. Against him will be Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies’ consistent young star Potters Charm in an event that could have repercussions at the Cheltenham Festival. (Cumberland News & Star)
Finally, a recap of Thursday’s action centres around the deeply impressive debut of Mighty Park at Fairyhouse for Willie Mullins. The five-year-old, who was second in his only point-to-point before being purchased by JP McManus, scored by a whopping 38 lengths from stablemate Roc Dino, with many claiming that Mullins has finally unearthed a potential contender for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. (Racing TV)