British Horseracing Authority

The return of spectators to British sporting events has been put on hold due to a rise in COVID-19 cases in the country, a development that racing's tripartite leadership bodies described as "a serious blow to the horseracing industry and to the people and communities who depend upon it for their living." Prime Minister Boris Johnson indicated the hold could last "perhaps six months." Warwick Racecourse hosted 500 spectators for its jumps meeting on Monday, and it was the second time a British racecourse has had fans since racing resumed...

Reciprocal arrangements on participation by runners trained in international jurisdictions were announced jointly by the British Horseracing Authority and Horse Racing Ireland on Monday. Beginning on Oct. 1, internationally-trained horses will be permitted to participate in all British races other than Class 5 and 6 handicaps/classified stakes on the Flat and Class 5 handicaps over Jumps. All such runners will be subject to the relevant government regulations. The same arrangements will also be introduced in Ireland on Oct. 1. The Irish Rules of Racing will continue to state that "a...

The process for how trainers declare staff to attend the racecourse using Racing Admin will change on Sept. 18, the British Horseracing Authority announced on Monday. There will be a new Declare Staff section on Racing admin which will include the staffmember's: Health status (green / amber / red) Questionnaire status for that fixture (sent / completed / not sent) Questionnaire Last Completed date (to help calculate a 7-day validity) Also, the new area will give the ability to declare staff immediately after making a declaration to run, up until...

Effective Monday, Sept. 7, Phoenix Thoroughbreds cannot have runners in races in Great Britain until further notice, the British Horseracing Authority announced on Thursday. Phoenix had earlier in August made the decision to leave UK racing and was reportedly banned from racing in France a few days later. Any horse currently entered will not be permitted to be declared in its current ownership. All racing administration accounts of all registered ownership entities that involve Phoenix Thoroughbreds have been suspended. The BHA is in regular correspondence with Phoenix Thoroughbreds, and after...

Southwell, which has suspended jumps racing, will have its next three fixtures transferred to other tracks, the British Horseracing Authority announced on Tuesday. The Sept. 15 card has moved to Hexam, while the Oct. 1 card will instead be held at Ffos Las. Lingfield hosts the Oct. 22 fixture. The three cards will all consist of seven races apiece and be similar to those originally programmed. For more information, go to www.racingadmin.co.uk.

Racing With Pride, the LGBT+ network for British racing, was launched by the Diversity in Racing Steering Group (DiRSG), the British Horseracing Authority announced on Monday. The network is designed for British racing's industry members and fans who identify as lesbian, gay, bi, trans and other sexual orientations and gender identities (LGBT+) as well as allies of the LGBT+ community who want to demonstrate their support, regardless of their own identity. The goals of Racing With Pride is as follows: Support: offer a safe space for LGBT+ people and allies...

The British Horseracing Authority and Arena Racing Company have made the joint decision to suspend jumps racing at Southwell until further notice after two further fatalities occurred at Thursday evening's fixture. There have been six fatalities at the track between July 1 and Aug. 24 and a process is already underway to investigate them. Brant Dunshea, chief regulatory officer at the BHA, said, "The BHA and ARC met earlier this week and agreed a series of immediate measures which were put in place for this evening's meeting. The course was...

A consultation into the regulation of shared ownership was launched by the British Horseracing Authority on Thursday. The purpose of the evaluation is to identify the current risks and opportunities of shared owner ship and how these can be addressed to promote growth and consumer confidence in syndicates and racing clubs. This consultation was one of the nine key goals for British racing's recover plan published last week. Key areas of interest are: Current registration structures can best support evolving ownership models; Prospective owners can make well informed decisions about...

After being trialled in February, non-standard race times-like the 2.22 at Warwick or the 3.13 at Fairyhouse-will be permanently introduced from the start of next month. The move will provide greater flexibility and avoid race clashes and delays during busy periods. Race times for events covered by ITV will remain standardised in traditional five-minute slots whenever possible. Richard Wayman, chief operating officer of the British Horseracing Authority, said, "The trial of non-standard times in February resulted in a reduced number of race clashes and delays on busy afternoons, which was...

A total of 15 new independent judicial panel members were announced by His Honour Brian Barker CBE QC, the independent Judicial Panel Chairman to the British Horseracing Authority on Thursday. The previous judicial panel members' term expires at the end of the month and the new members will begin their duties on Sept. 1 for a term of three years. The role of the new members will be responsible for holding enquiries under the Rules of Racing, hearing appeals against the BHA's racecourse stewards' decisions and, where appropriate, imposing penalties...

Susannah Gill has been appointed the new Chairwoman of the Diversity in Racing Steering Group, replacing British Horseracing Authority CEO Nick Rust who is leaving his BHA role at the end of the year, the British Horseracing Authority announced on Thursday. Gill, a member of the DiRSG since it began in 2017,  was previously the director of external affairs and board member for Arena Racing Company. Prior to that, she was the Betfair Head of Public Affairs. Currently, Gill is a Trustee of the Racing Foundation and National Horseracing College...

The Pertemps St Leger Festival at Doncaster is one of eight meetings that will be staged with crowds as part of stage five of the UK government's plan to return spectators to elite sport, the Racecourse Association announced on Wednesday. Doncaster's four-day Classic meeting from Sept. 9-12, a Sept. 21 Warwick fixture, and Newmarket's Cambridgeshire Meeting from Sept. 24-26 have all been greenlit to allow racegoers in limited fashion. In Doncaster's case, a maximum of 3,640 spectators will be allowed on the first day, increasing to 6,202 for the final...