British Horseracing Authority

A saliva testing trial, a screening method for cocaine and some other banned substances, is now under way at UK racecourses, the British Horseracing Authority announced on Wednesday. Utilising oral swabs, the testing method results are provided near-instantly indicating whether substances are present in a rider's system above existing thresholds. If the trial is successful, British racing will become the first major sport in Britain to utilise on-the-day screening for banned substances through oral swabs. If a jockey does not test negative during the trial, they would be stood down...

Benoit de la Sayett has returned a positive test for cocaine, the Professional Jockeys Association announced on Tuesday morning. The British Horseracing Authority has subsequently suspended De La Sayette until the end of the disciplinary process. The 18-year-old apprentice jockey to John and Thady Gosden was shown in a video on social media in late March allegedly in the presence of the drug at a party after winning the Unibet Lincoln H. at Doncaster aboard Haqeeqy (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) on Mar. 27. At that time, the PJA defended...

Amateur rider Lorna Brooke passed away on Sunday after falling at Taunton earlier this month, the Injured Jockeys Fund announced on Monday morning. Brooke, 37, fell from Orchestrated (Ire) (Mahler {GB}), owned and trained by her mother, Lady Susan Brooke. "It is with deep sadness that we have to share the tragic news that Lorna Brooke passed away yesterday," the IJF statement said. "Her family thank everyone for their kindness in the last few weeks, particularly the staff at Southmead Hospital who were so professional. They will be having a...

UK racing organisations welcomed the news that the racing industry would receive £21 million in loan support, which was announced late on Sunday evening. The loan is to assist with the continuing financial fallout due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The British Horseracing Authority (BHA), Racecourse Association (RCA) and The Horsemen's Group released a joint statement in response on Monday morning. The statement read: "The leaders of British racing have welcomed the announcement that around £21 million of loan funding will be made available to the sport through the Sports...

As much of the UK prepares for stage one of Boris Johnson's 'roadmap' out of the third coronavirus lockdown, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has announced its plans for owners in England and Scotland to be allowed to return to the racecourse from Monday, March 29. The latest national lockdown came into force on Jan. 4 following severe restrictions for most of the country over the Christmas period. While elite sport was allowed to continue, racing has again operated behind closed doors with only essential personnel present on the racecourse. ...

John and Thady Gosen will have their first runners under a joint licence on Saturday, Mar. 27, after announcing their imminent partnership earlier this year. Several horses, among them Haqeeqy (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) in the Doncaster Unibet Lincoln Heritage H., will step forward for the Clarehaven duo on Saturday. The news was first reported by the Racing Post. John Gosden told Racing Post, "It was always the plan to launch the dual-licence for the start of the Flat season and only delays on BHA modules due to Covid-19...

British Horseracing Authority Chief Executive Julie Harrington said in a Zoom call with members of the media on Wednesday that she does not anticipate barriers to runners trained by Denise "Sneezy" Foster competing at Cheltenham next week, but that British racing's governing body is seeking clarification from the Irish Horse Racing Board on the conditions of Foster's license. The day after it was announced last week that leading Irish National Hunt trainer Gordon Elliott was banned for a year-with the second half of the ban suspended-after a photo surfaced of...

The British racing industry will launch a pilot scheme on Monday offering routine pre-raceday Covid testing for racecourse attendees including jockeys, valets and officials. The pilot, which is funded by the Horserace Betting Levy Board, will last for an initial four-week period and will use regular and repeat Later Flow Testing to detect positive Covid-19 cases well in advance of race day. Dr Jerry Hill, the British Horseracing Authority's chief medical adviser, said, "Advances in testing means that it can now be delivered in a more rapid, convenient and targeted...

As the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) investigates the case of the photograph of Gordon Elliott sitting astride a dead horse on his gallops, racing authorities in Ireland and Britain expressed their dismay at the distressing image.  A statement released by Horseracing Ireland on Monday afternoon read, "Horse Racing Ireland unreservedly condemns the disturbing photograph that appeared on social media at the weekend. "This image does not reflect the care, attention and respect that racehorses receive, and does a disservice to the thousands of people who look after their horses...

The British Horseracing Authority is planning to welcome owners and amateur riders back to racecourses on Mar. 29. Spectators are expected to be allowed back on racecourses in mid-May. This year's Cheltenham Festival and the start of the flat season on Mar. 27 will take place behind closed doors. A BHA update released on Friday evening read, "Following the publication on Monday, Feb. 22 of the UK Government's plan to ease lockdown restrictions in England, the industry Covid-19 group has carefully studied the implications for racing in England. Any changes...

The British Horseracing Authority has released its full fixture list for 2021, with 1,486 total fixtures-897 flat and 589 jumps-- scheduled and with prizemoney minimums across all races set to return to pre-Covid levels with the Horserace Betting and Levy Board continuing its higher than usual contribution to prizemoney. There will be 1,079 afternoon fixtures and 407 evening fixtures. Jockeys will continue to be restricted to one meeting per day, with the situation to be reviewed when Covid protocols are no longer required. The BHA will reduce the number of...

The British Horseracing Authority will this spring roll out a pilot programme to assess the use of saliva testing of jockeys on raceday to get near instant results for the presence of cocaine and other banned substances. The BHA is developing the pilot programme in conjunction with the Professional Jockeys Association. The programme would mean that any jockey testing positive could be stood down prior to race riding. Oral swabbing is highly cost effective, meaning that if successful the programme would result in a significant increase in raceday testing of...