Harrington said: "We think it is really important that there is transparency around that and that we are not disappearing and saying trust us, it worked. We are going to be publishing in the next couple of weeks a range of measures that show this is what we think are the top-line objectives, the reason why we are doing this.

BHA chief executive Julie Harrington said the 2024 fixture list was a "first foundation step" in much wider strategy work with the aim of achieving "the long-term transformation of the sport". Armstrong, not surprisingly, rejected those views. He said: "There were many racecourse representatives involved in creating that [Savill] work, so it's supported by those involved and I agree that there are some really good ideas in there, which we look forward to discussing as part of the industry strategy meeting on September 19 and 20. The RCA is far from against change – we just want to make the right change. Lots of questions still to be answered but British racing is being asked to lose its fear of failure

They could include fewer, more or the same fixtures, but you'd do it differently, or smarter. We get trapped sometimes by measuring things – the fixtures or races – and that's not the only way to look at it; are we running the right races for the right horses on the right day? I'm sure there are ways we can do that much better."

Day three features the Group 1 Gold Cup ( 4.20 ), the year's most prestigious prize for stayers, and is supported by two Group 2s – the Norfolk ( 2.30 ) and the Ribblesdale ( 3.40 ) – and one Group 3 in the Hampton Court ( 5.35 ). Owners have always been incredibly loyal in their support of British racing, but we are experiencing a significant growth in the number of higher-rated horses being sold overseas and, over jumps, an increasing number of the best horses being based elsewhere. The St Leger festival at Doncaster will become a Thursday-to-Sunday meeting in 2023 Credit: Edward Whitaker Need to 'maximise appeal' the driver behind culling of 20 jumps meetings from new-look fixture list Notable changes include the St Leger festival at Doncaster becoming a Thursday-to-Sunday meeting and the Christmas break being reduced to two days for the first time since 2017, with four fixtures staged on Saturday, December 23. Meanwhile, the Grand National will be staged on its latest ever date, Saturday, April 15.

About

The creation of a protected window between 2pm and 4pm for Premier racedays on Saturday to control the number of fixtures, allowing them "room to breathe" to improve revenues from betting and media rights

The big race: The Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee is run over 6f and open to four-year-olds and upwards. The Australian sprinter Artorius heads the market for this year's running after finishing third behind Naval Crown last year, with a host of international challengers and top European sprinters on course for a cavalry charge up the long Ascot straight. Total prize-money will reach record levels this year but, as we enter the yearling sales season, when many owners are making their plans for next year, it is vital that we have been able to announce further steps forward in the guise of increased minimum values for 2023." The Windsor Castle ( 6.10 ), a Listed race for two-year-olds over the minimum distance of 5f, will be fast and furious, while the Kensington Palace Fillies' Handicap ( 3.05 ) and the Royal Hunt Cup ( 5.00 ) are extremely competitive events. The meetings will feature higher prize-money with the aim of showcasing the best races in a bid to increase fan engagement, improve revenues, recruit and retain owners and encourage the best horses to be trained and raced in Britain. The simple fact of the matter is this – the sport has to take radical steps if it is to retain its pre-eminent place in British culture and at the pinnacle of world racing. The changes we are introducing for 2024 are a significant first step in this process."

2023 and 2024

We are in the middle of an economic crisis so it's hard to distinguish one effect from another, but we see the issue of competitiveness as a big one for racing.

The top action keeps coming on day two of the royal meeting. The feature Group 1 is the Prince of Wales's ( 4.20 ), which is supported by three Group 2s – the Queen Mary ( 2.30 ), the Duke of Cambridge ( 3.40 ) and the Queen's Vase ( 5.35 ).A programme of 1,478 meetings was unveiled, just four down on the total when this year's list was released. The published list may well increase slightly as it does not include fixtures for the Sunday Series or the Racing League, which will be added if and when they are confirmed.