The ‘Future of Racing‘ programme joint initiative between the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and Flutter Entertainment has caught the attention of more than a few startups.

According to the BHA, over 100 startups applied to join the initiative before the end of November, with the programme having only been announced in October – coming in the midst of the often heated debate around betting and racing taxation.

The BHA and Flutter have also shifted plans, however, with the principal day of startup pitches taking place on Tuesday 10 February in London. Startups will pitch their ideas to sports investors, as well as venture capitalists and key stakeholders in horseracing and the betting industry. 

The event was initially scheduled to take place at York Racecourse, though the track will still host a showcase event at an as-yet-unconfirmed date in summer 2026. As it stands, 11 startups out of the 100 applicants have been confirmed at the 10 February event in London.

“It is extremely encouraging to have received so many applications for the Future of Racing Summit,” said Brant Dunshea, BHA Chief Executive.

“This project represents a unique opportunity for the sport to embrace new thinking as we seek to secure the future generations of fans, so to have such a positive response following the application phase is greatly encouraging. 

“I am eager to learn more about the startups as this process continues, with the newly confirmed format providing us with the opportunity to understand how the sport could benefit from what they have to offer.” 

Horseracing hunts new ideas

Future of Racing applicants are being requested for innovations and technologies looking at four key areas – equine safety and welfare technology, educational tools and solutions, ideas to elevate the social and entertainment value of the raceday experience, and pitches for immersive behind-the-scenes fan engagement.

The programme’s inception was based on Project Beacon, a wide scale study into British racegoers preferences and opinions. The survey of 7,500 people identified three concerns – high cost of attendance, difficulty understanding betting terminology and form, and racehorses wellbeing.

Consumers in the 18-28 age bracket were found to express these opinions the most – this is the generation that racing, and by extension the bookmakers that pay so heavily into the sport, need to get on side for their respective industries to remain sustainable.

The collaboration between Flutter and the BHA comes after years of difficulties in British racing, with attendances struggling in particular during certain years, while the COVID-19 pandemic dealt a huge blow to the sport as its finances took some time to recover from.

Last year also saw the traditional political alliance between racing and betting take a hit after the BHA announced a strike in September in protest at potential tax raises on the sport, a move which was criticised by the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC).

Ultimately, taxes on horseracing did not increase, though the ones on betting and gaming did – with online duties up 21% to 40% in April 2026. The collaboration between Flutter and the BHA shows that the relationship is not lost, however.

Seb Butterworth, Strategic Racing Director for Flutter, added: “Our Alpha Hub team at Flutter have been working on promoting the Future of Racing programme to a wide audience of startups over the past few months, and we’re absolutely delighted to have received over 100 exciting applications.  

“This is a fantastic opportunity to understand new ways to take forward British Racing, and answer important questions posed by Project Beacon.  

“I’m really looking forward to exploring these concepts in more detail, as the programme progresses through the interview process and on towards creating a shortlist ahead of the pitching day in February.”