Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:26 pm on 12 October 2021.
First Minister, the week beginning 13 September was National Racehorse Week across the UK, which is designed to showcase many of the fascinating aspects of horse racing, and open the doors of many of the horse trainers to show the high standards of love, care and attention that race horses receive. In Scotland and England, specific organisations have been set up to promote horse racing and to highlight the benefits that it has to their economy and tourism industry. In Scotland, Scottish Racing promotes and supports its five racecourses, assisting in the development of a sustainable horse-racing industry and its success globally. The organisation promotes all sectors of the industry and plays an integral part in delivering long-term prosperity and sustainability to the sport in Scotland. Sadly, in Wales, we have no such organisation, yet we have some of the finest trainers in Britain. Tim Vaughan, for example, who owns and operates a racing stable in the Vale of Glamorgan, has trained horses that have won many prestigious races, including the Scottish Grand National, and I believe that Wales deserves the same level of representation as other nations in the UK. I am confident that such an organisation promoting Welsh horse racing would undoubtedly benefit our economy and industry here in Wales. I am further confident that there would cross-party support for such an organisation. With this in mind, could the First Minister commit to meeting with myself and the necessary representatives of the industry to explore the possibility of setting up a specific Welsh organisation? Thank you.