Sports Betting News: Newmarket Gets 2000 Guineas Crowd Boost

Racegoers were out in force last Saturday as the prestigious 2000 Guineas Day card was staged at Newmarket Racecourse. 
 
Officials reported a significant year-on-year increase in the attendance, while horse racing betting sites reported an uptick in traffic. 
  
Read on as we look at the figures from last weekend before assessing some of the other top stories impacting the sports betting industry this week. 

The 2000 Guineas Day card at Newmarket was watched by 15,752 people - a 9.4 percent year-on-year increase of 1,353 racegoers. 
 
The figure is the highest since the COVID-19 pandemic and not far adrift of the 16,208 people who watched the first Classic of the season in 2019. 
 
A total of 29,016 people attended the three-day meeting this year, a slight increase on the 28,459 who went through the turnstiles in 2023. 

The British Horseracing Authority has introduced a new policy allowing racecourses to switch fixtures on the day from the turf to the all-weather. 
 
If a meeting would otherwise be cancelled due to ground conditions, racecourse officials can move the card to ensure it still goes ahead. 

The policy applies to flat racing courses which stage meetings on the turf and the all-weather. Lingfield meets this criteria, but work is ongoing on a new turf course at Chelmsford. 

QuinnBet has been confirmed as new the betting partner of the upcoming Tattersalls Irish Guineas Festival at The Curragh from May 24-26. 
 
The meeting has record prize money of €2.4 million this year and several of its races will be included in the Tote World Pool for the first time. 
 
The operator’s name will feature on the €100,000 QuinnBet Emerald Mile and the €50,000 QuinnBet Premier Handicap.