CORK Racecourse is set to benefit financially from being the only track in Ireland or Britain to race on Wednesday, September 10th.

All four scheduled meetings for Britain on that day have been transferred to other dates in protest at the British government’s proposed tax rise on horserace betting.

This will be the first time that British racing has voluntarily taken such an action in its modern history.

The announcement comes as British racing’s ‘Axe the Racing Tax’ campaign gears up in advance of the Autumn Budget. The campaign is urging the British government to axe the Treasury’s proposal to bring existing online betting duties into one single rate which the British Horseracing Authority [BHA] says would have devastating consequences for racing.

Cork’s fixture scheduled for that day does not start until 4pm and it is certain to attract far more betting turnover than usual given the circumstances. Under the current media rights deal, racecourse payments are largely derived from betting turnover levels on their respective individual fixtures.

John B. O’Connor of Ballykelly Stud in Cashel, Co Tipperary, has called on Horse Racing Ireland [HRI] to show solidarity with British racing by also making September 10th a blank day. O’Connor told The Irish Field yesterday: “Irish racing, especially breeders, rely on a thriving British racing industry, so it is in our interest that British racing’s act of protest has maximum impact. By staging racing on September 10th we are undermining our neighbours as punters will still have racing to bet on.

“The BHA says the threatened tax hike will take £60 million out of British racing every year for the next five years. The industry in Britain is already on its knees in terms of falling foal crops and this tax rise could tip it over the edge.”

The Irish Field understands that HRI has no plans to ask Cork Racecourse to postpone its September 10th fixture, but neither will HRI look to capitalise on the situation by scheduling an extra afternoon meeting on that day. It’s believed that no British stakeholders have placed any pressure on HRI to cancel racing on that day.