The British Horseracing Authority expects to unveil the 2024 fixture list in mid-September, with approximately 160 new premier cards planned.

A shake-up of the racing calendar was announced in May, with the BHA outlining its aim to grow the sport’s reach, appeal to new fans and better engage existing customers in the hope it will generate extra revenues which will in turn boost prize money levels.

Part of the changes unveiled was the introduction of premier fixtures, which will offer higher prize money and feature better horses, with a two-hour slot on a majority of Saturday afternoons limited to two of the premier cards and one other meeting for a two-year trial period. Other fixtures scheduled on those days will have to start either earlier or later.

The 2024 fixture list is nearing publication, when details of what constitutes a premier fixture will be confirmed, and Richard Wayman, the BHA’s chief operating officer, thinks the number of premier fixtures planned indicates the desire of tracks to be involved.

He said: “If every racecourse continued their 2023 behaviour into 2024, we would have had about 115 or 117 premier fixtures that would effectively meet the criteria we’ve set.

“We are looking at the moment at around 160 premier fixtures in 2024, which I think gives an indication there is significant change in those fixtures, that racecourses are changing their behaviour and wanting to be part of staging premier fixtures.”

Wayman said around 20 premier fixtures are scheduled on Sundays, which represents “a reasonable step up in quality”, while details of a pilot for six Sunday evening meetings in the early part of the year on the Flat are being finalised.

Concerns have been raised that premier fixtures would result in less funding for lower-grade racing and Wayman added: “Part of creating premier fixtures involves investing more money.

“There is a combination of measures we are looking at as to how that extra money would be generated from requests to Levy, some redistribution of money into premier, but also asking the Levy Board for additional prize money support to support the strategy. The Levy Board doesn’t meet until September so they will consider that then.

“Racecourses are looking to invest some of their own revenues into these premier fixtures and in terms of wanting to stage some of these fixtures, they will be thinking about how they distribute their own budget across the year and one would imagine there will be some redistribution from within racecourse budgets too.”

During a media conference, the BHA’s director of communications and corporate affairs Greg Swift offered an update on ongoing work concerning Levy reform, with various pieces of work having been submitted in recent months and subsequent meetings held with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport as “a sustainable Levy process” is sought going forward.

Swift also outlined the BHA’s response to proposed affordability checks for gamblers, saying “sweeping blanket checks” would be “unacceptable” whilst outlining a collective approach from across the industry to respond to the Gambling Commission’s consultation process on the matter.

Last year’s Derby winner Desert Crown remains on course for a sizzling clash with Paddington and Mostahdaf in next week’s Juddmonte International having come through his latest gallop in good style.

The four-year-old was put through his paces by Ryan Moore, who will be on Aidan O’Brien’s Paddington on the Knavesmire, in a spin on Wednesday morning.

Desert Crown has only been seen once since his Epsom victory, when he lost his unbeaten record in finishing second to Hukum in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes in May.

He was then a late absentee from the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes, with familiar adversary Hukum taking home the Ascot showpiece.

“Desert Crown worked this morning, he worked nicely and everybody was happy with him,” said Bruce Raymond, racing manager to owner Saeed Suhail.

“He’s not a great worker, as has been stated before, but everyone was very happy with him this morning and everything went as well as expected.”

William Buick had been announced as his jockey in the King George before he was ruled out, but he is expected to be aboard next week.

“William didn’t ride him. Ryan Moore rode him this morning. He’s ridden him a lot of times at home and Sir Michael just sometimes likes a different opinion,” Raymond went on.

“It’s really shaping up into a great race. One thing I can definitely tell you is this horse needed it badly at Sandown, it wasn’t said at the time but Michael was quite surprised how much he was blowing afterwards.

“He had worked on the grass but nowhere near as much as we would have liked as it kept on pouring down.

“Having spoken to Richard Hills (assistant racing manager for Shadwell, owners of Hukum), their horse had been working really, really well for a long time, so we met a very fit horse that day and he’s gone on to prove again he is a very good horse as he’s one of the favourites for the Arc.

“We’re looking forward to next week. Where else could you take a horse like that? He’s got to go somewhere and when you are in his class, there are only certain races you can run in.”

Last year’s Prix du Jockey Club and Coral-Eclipse winner Vadeni has been retired to stand at stud.

Trained by Jean-Claude Rouget and owned by the Aga Khan, the son of Churchill finished second to Alpinista in last year’s Prix de l’Arc de Triopmphe.

He was also third to Luxembourg in the Irish Champion Stakes but finished a long way behind that same rival when last seen in the Tattersalls Gold Cup and connections have decided now is the best time for him to head to the Aga Khan’s Haras de Bonneval stud to stand as a stallion.

“We are delighted to have Vadeni join the team at Haras de Bonneval, and he will come to stud with a very exciting profile,” said Georges Rimaud, the owner’s racing manager on www.agakhanstuds.com.

“A Stakes winner at two, he showed a fantastic turn of foot to win the Prix du Jockey Club by a record five-length margin at three, proved the best of a stellar field in the Eclipse Stakes, and placed in both the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and the Irish Champion Stakes.

“He showed a great constitution and temperament that enabled him to perform with distinction at the highest level not just in France but also in Ireland and the UK.

“He is everything you would want in a racehorse – precocious, fast, sound and consistent, and a dual Group One winner. After two busy seasons, he ran a great race to come second in the Arc in testing conditions on his first try at 12 furlongs, and it possibly took more out of him than we thought. We have therefore taken the decision to retire him now and focus on the next chapter ahead of him.

“Like Siyouni, he hails from a prolific Lagardère family that consistently produces good horses, and he is bred on the successful cross of Galileo and Monsun – so he boasts an excellent pedigree to go with his race record.”

Dominic Ffrench Davis is favouring a tilt at the Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes at the end of next month with his star filly Persian Dreamer.

The daughter of Calyx provided the Lambourn handler with the biggest win of his career to date in the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes on the July course.

She is unbeaten in two outings at Newmarket having won on debut at the Craven meeting on the Rowley Mile, before suffering defeats at York and Royal Ascot.

Her Newmarket record, though, means French Davis favours the Cheveley Park over a trip to Ireland for the Moyglare Stud Stakes.

“It was an absolutely fabulous day winning the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes with her and it is what dreams are made of.

“She is a smashing filly and she showed us on that ground what she can do. Hopefully, we will get similar ground back at Newmarket for the Cheveley Park.

“It is down to the team what they do. She has an entry in the Moyglare, but I think she will probably only have one go at a Group One this year. It is up to them whether that is the Moyglare, Cheveley Park or Fillies’ Mile.

“My inclination is to go for the Cheveley Park. She has been to Newmarket twice and she has come away with a win both times.

“Keeping her to six furlongs as well this season would probably be the way to go forward.”

Even for Luca Cumani it is hard to believe 20 years have passed since the fabulous Falbrav landed the Juddmonte International during a solitary but sensational season on British soil.

Described by his trainer as “the Muhammad Ali of the racing world”, Falbrav had already proven himself a top-class performer by the time he joined the Bedford House maestro, having won two Group Ones in Italy and the Japan Cup under Frankie Dettori the previous year.

That international success at Nakayama proved to be his last for Cumani’s fellow Italian Luciano d’Auria as Falbrav moved to Newmarket for what proved to be his final campaign.

“It doesn’t feel like 20 years ago at all, it feels more like five or six years,” said Cumani.

“The owner had raced him for three years in Italy and he thought it was time to see what he could do on the international circuit.

“I think he came to me in around February of his five-year-old year and we started from there.”

The 74-year-old revealed that while Falbrav’s ability did not immediately shine through, it did not take him long to realise he had something special on his hands.

He added: “It wasn’t immediately obvious how good he was as he was a very laid-back horse who didn’t show you much when he was just cantering, but from the first time he galloped and did a piece of work, you could see that he had instant acceleration and was very powerful.”

Falbrav headed back to the continent to make his first couple of starts for his new trainer, finishing third in the Prix Ganay in April before securing further Group One glory in the Prix d’Ispahan the following month.

He could finish only fifth behind Nayef in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, but turned the tables to win a humdinger of a Coral-Eclipse at Sandown.

Another defeat at Ascot in the King George followed, but Cumani never lost faith.

He said: “His run in the Ganay was a good start – he showed that he belonged, but he needed to improve. And sure enough he improved on his second start when he won the Prix d’Ispahan.

“He won the Eclipse in very good style and the mile and a half and the softer ground didn’t really suit him in the King George, but I remember there was some sort of bonus on offer, otherwise we probably wouldn’t have run him.”

Dropping back in trip on a quick surface at York the following month, hopes were high that Falbrav could again bounce back from disappointment in the Juddmonte International.

Always travelling well in the hands of Darryll Holland, Cumani’s ace kicked in the turbo to propel himself two lengths clear of Magistretti, with his old rival Nayef back in third.

Cumani said: “I was certainly hopeful going to York. In the whole of my career, I’ve never been confident as you never know what might happen in a race. My favourite saying was when it comes to horses and women – never confident, always hopeful!

“It definitely was one of his best performances. He sat behind the pace and when Darryll asked him to quicken with three furlongs to go, he put the race to bed immediately.

“Once Darryll gave him a bit of rein he showed a good burst of speed, got to the lead and held on to the line and won by a couple of lengths.”

Following his success on the Knavesmire, Falbrav was beaten a neck by High Chaparral in the Irish Champion Stakes. Connections attempted to have the result reversed on appeal following interference, but were unsuccessful.

Cumani’s charge gained some compensation in the QEII at Ascot, after which he was again trumped by High Chaparral in a Breeders’ Cup Turf for the ages at Santa Anita, before fittingly rounding off his career with an eighth Group One success in the Hong Kong Cup.

“The Irish Champion Stakes was slightly controversial as I think Mick Kinane rode two horses that day – he was riding High Chaparral and Falbrav!” Cumani recalled.

“He held Falbrav tight in a pocket against the rail and Darryll could never really get down to ride the horse properly and we were beaten a neck, so he was a bit unlucky.

“It was fantastic, that win in Hong Kong again showed what a good horse he was. He did it very easily and showed his trademark turn of foot with a couple of furlongs to run.”

Falbrav ran in 10 top-level races in the space of eight months for Cumani, winning five.

The trainer feels his overall record of eight Group One wins achieved in five different countries is testament to the horse’s class and constitution.

He said: “He had an amazing year with all the travelling he had to do, going to America and back and Hong Kong after that.

“He was a bull of a horse – I always used to say he was the Muhammad Ali of the racing world.

“He would definitely have to be one of the best horses I trained.”

Alflaila could be supplemented for the Irish Champion Stakes rather than take on fellow Shadwell-owned runner Mostahdaf in next week’s Juddmonte International at York.

Trained by Owen Burrows, Alflaila is on a four-race winning streak and landed the Group Two York Stakes over the same course and distance as the International last time out.

The highlight of the opening day of the Ebor meeting would look a logical next step but Angus Gold, Shadwell’s long-serving racing manager, feels it could be prudent to split the pair up.

“It’s unlikely at this stage that we would run the two against each other, I would think,” he said.

“God willing, Mostahdaf stays in good shape – he’ll be the one to represent there. Obviously, we will leave Alflaila in just in case something went wrong.

“Sheikha Hissa may decide to run the two together. But at the same time if he didn’t go there, we may look to supplement Alflaila for the Irish Champion.”

The John and Thady Gosden-trained Mostahdaf is second favourite behind Paddington currently, but his rating of 128 makes him one of the best in the world.

“Mostahdaf was very impressive at Ascot. We’ve freshened him up, just given him a little break after Ascot and hope we can get him to York in as good a form as he was at Ascot,” said Gold.

“Frankie (Dettori) rode him the other day and was very happy with the horse. And John and all the team there have been happy. On paper, it’s a fascinating clash. Let’s hope it lives up to its billing.”

Another big hope for the famous blue and white silks on the Knavesmire is Roger Varian’s Al Husn, who is set to step up in trip for the Pertemps Network Yorkshire Oaks.

“She’s never run over this trip before and nobody has ever particularly said she needs that trip,” said Gold.

“She’s so tough and she’s such a little star of a filly that she might well stay. On pedigree, the mare (Hadaatha) I think would have stayed – she was by Sea The Stars out of a Linamix mare. And Al Husn’s by Dubawi – they can do anything.

“She a very easy filly to ride and she’s got a heart the same size as her. So, she might well get it and it would be fun to try it, but we’re in the luxurious position of her already being a Group One winner now, so we’ll just see how Roger and his team feel she is and whether she’s ready to go again.”

Running Lion will be bidding to serve a reminder of her quality when she lines up in the British EBF 40th Anniversary Upavon Fillies’ Stakes at Salisbury on Wednesday.

John and Thady Gosden’s three-year-old was well-fancied for the Oaks earlier this year having racked up an impressive four-race winning sequence, but her Epsom dreams were dashed when she was withdrawn at the start having got upset in the stalls.

Given the chance to gain Classic compensation she headed to Chantilly for the Prix de Diane, but struggled to make a telling impact from an unhelpful draw and was eased down in the closing stages by regular partner Oisin Murphy.

Running Lion is one of 13 fillies who head to post in the Listed heat, with Roger Varian’s Ameynah tackling 10 furlongs for the first time having blown away the cobwebs with a respectable return from a long absence in the Valiant Stakes at Ascot.

The daughter of Exceed And Excel had not been seen since finishing sixth to Cachet in last year’s 1000 Guineas and with only four career starts to her name, she could have plenty more to give.

“We were pleased with her comeback run at Ascot and we have a lot of belief she is a nice filly,” said Varian.

“She looks to have come forward nicely from that run and we’ve always thought 10 furlongs would be within her compass, so we’re looking forward to running her.”

Another filly returning from a break is Sparkling Beauty, who placed in the Group Two Prix du Calvados when trained by Richard Hughes last term and has been sighted just the once this campaign.

She is now trained by Dominic Ffrench Davis and the handler is confident of a bold showing from the Amo Racing-owned filly on her stable bow.

“She came to us earlier in the year and Richard Hughes did a very good job with her,” said Ffrench Davis.

“She won a nice maiden at Goodwood, the same one we won with Ornellaia the other week and she was then Group Two placed and I just think she disappointed a little bit earlier on in the year and could do with a break.

“She’s done nothing wrong with us and is coming to the boil nicely and I think she will run a big race.”

French racing’s new star Ace Impact maintained his unbeaten record in the Prix Guillaume d’Ornano at Deauville.

Jean-Claude Rouget’s three-year-old grabbed the headlines when displaying an electrifying turn of foot in the Prix de Jockey Club in June, coming from a long way back to beat Big Rock.

Off the track for 72 days, Ace Impact was very keen in the early stages under Cristian Demuro before dropping in at the rear of the field, with only had one behind him for much of the race as stablemate Cambronne set the pace.

Aidan O’Brien had two runners in Breeders’ Cup winner Victoria Road and Greenland, while his son Joseph fielded Al Riffa, a Group One winner as a juvenile last season.

They mounted a stern challenge and had their chances, but Ace Impact made up plenty of ground in the straight and grabbed the lead in sight of the post.

However, he had to battle with Al Riffa, who finished three-quarters of a length adrift in second, with Birr Castle a further head back in third and Greenland coming home fourth.

Paddy Power left the winner unchanged as their 7-2 favourite for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, however, Coral eased him slightly to 9-2 from 4-1.

Bradsell is primed for a York rematch with Highfield Princess in the Group One Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes on Friday week.

The pair, trained by Archie Watson and John Quinn respectively, filled the first two places in the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot, with Bradsell edging the victory by a length in a tight finish to the five-furlong heat.

Bradsell was trying the minimum trip for the first time that day after connections decided to supplement the three-year-old and following the colt’s maiden Group One victory, Watson is certain the fast five furlongs at York will present no issues.

He said: “I don’t see a sharper five furlongs being a problem.

“He travels so well that nothing can really take him far enough into his races. Over the quick five furlongs at York he should get a nice tow deep into the race.”

While Highfield Princess went on to finish third in the six-furlong Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes on the final day of the Royal meeting and subsequently registered an impressive win in the King George Stakes at Goodwood, Watson has kept Bradsell in reserve for his Knavesmire date.

“I would say it’s (his absence) a reflection of the options over five furlongs,” said the trainer.

“He won his Group One at Ascot, so I didn’t feel the need to go to the Group Two at Goodwood, and I wasn’t going to step him back up to six furlongs in between either.

“I have been delighted with him since Ascot. He cantered away in his routine for six weeks and then has been galloping well through August into this race.”

Bradsell won at the first time of asking on good to soft ground at York last May and while he has stuck to sound surfaces since, Watson would not be perturbed should conditions be on the easy side.

He added: “He has obviously got very good form on good and good to firm ground.

“We haven’t deliberately avoided cut in the ground. His maiden win was on good to soft but until we run on proper soft ground we won’t know.

“I never get overly concerned about it until you know that a horse doesn’t handle a certain type of ground. If it rains, it rains.”

Aside from his sprint star, Watson also has Newbury Listed winner Action Point in contention for the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack Stakes, while Ambushed features in the Goffs UK Harry Beeby Premier Yearling Stakes.

Of Action Point, Watson said: “The flat, quick six furlongs at York should suit him well and I’m looking forward to seeing him up in class as he was impressive last time and is a horse we have always thought a lot of.

“Ambushed won his maiden at Newcastle from a horse of Adrian Keatley’s who was subsequently second in the Richmond Stakes (Ballymount Boy).

“He has plenty of ability and I hope he can run a good race, if the draw and pace set-up are kind. You need plenty of luck in the big-field sales races.”