British Horseracing Authority

Representatives of the British Horseracing Authority, horsemen and racecourses have agreed on a plan for the next stages of the industry's recovery plan from COVID-19. The recovery plan lists nine industry goals, which are as follows: To secure a full resumption of race-day activity, with the best possible ownership and spectator experience, and the maximum attendance possible; To maintain the health and safety of participants, staff and all those attending raceday meetings by continuing the safe return of racing and adherence to strict controls on social distancing; To put in...

The Aug. 25 fixture at Great Yarmouth has been altered to allow the ground on the bend of the round course to be repaired, the British Horseracing Authority announced on Tuesday. Two races over a mile on the card-a Class 5 handicap and a Class 6 handicap, both for 3-year-olds and up--have instead been replaced with two six-furlong events, one a nursery and another a fillies novice stakes for juveniles. Lingfield Park will also stage a 10-furlong Class 6 handicap on Aug. 26 to replace one of the lost Yarmouth...

After feedback from owners, trainers and other industry members, the owner experience in the UK has been enhanced, the British Horseracing Authority announced on Monday. The BHA, along with the Racehorse Owners Association (ROA), Racecourse Association (RCA) have agreed to several changes to enhance the owner experience on raceday, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The measures are as follows: Good communication--racecourses will send timely communications regarding badges, entry requirements and amenities available on course prior to attendance. Badge allocation--most racecourses are offering an increased number of badges per declared horse,...

George Rooke, an apprentice jockey riding for Richard Hughes, has been suspended seven days after riding several races under an incorrect claim, the British Horseracing Authority announced on Monday. Rooke has had five winners removed from his record after failing to report three winners from Jersey in the summer of 2019, and he was thus claiming too much weight for a period of time. He was also disqualified from 19 of the 26 races in question. An enquiry was held by the BHA with evidence given on July 23. Due...

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has announced the appointment of Julie Harrington to the role of chief executive from January 2021. A former BHA board member during her eight years as a senior executive with Northern Racing, Harrington has been the CEO of British Cycling for almost four years. She has also previously been managing director of Uttoxeter Racecourse and operations director of the Football Association (FA), during which time she was responsible for Wembley Stadium and the FA's training facility, St George's Park. A statement released by the BHA...

Hamilton's eight-race Friday evening card has been cancelled due to areas of false ground, Clerk of the Course Harriet Graham confirmed on Twitter. Thursday afternoon's inspection revealed false patches inside the final 400 metres of the course. The area has received 54mm of rain in the last 48 hours. "Racing abandoned @HamiltonParkRC [because of] areas of false ground we are unable to avoid and with rain forecast again during racing, sadly we have decided to call racing off.," she tweeted.

In the latest resumption of racing update, racing behind closed doors is set to continue for the foreseeable future, the British Horseracing Authority announced on Thursday. The BHA thanked participants for their continued support and cooperation in following the behind closed doors protocols, but stressed that with both government and public health concerns about a rise in cases and a potential 'second wave' of COVID-19 cases, that it is vital everyone in racing continues to follow the proper protocols so that progress can be resumed towards re-introduction of spectators at...

A number of changes have been made to the equine anti-doping rules in the UK, the British Horseracing Authority announced on Wednesday. These changes have been made following a comprehensive review of the sport's anti-doping rules announced in 2018. Individual trainers and the National Trainers Federation were consulted, with additional input from both the UK and World Anti-Doping Agencies and sports bodies such as the FEI. Northridge LLP, a specialist sports law practice, also provided independent legal advice on the rule changes. In summary, the changes, which will go into...

An apprentice jockey in the UK has tested positive for the coronavirus, the British Horseracing Authority confirmed on Sunday. The rider in question has not participated in a race several weeks, but did recently attend a race meeting. The identity of the apprentice has not been released. British racing was halted in March until June 1 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Once racing started up again, all racing personnel have been operating under strict government guidelines and safety protocols to ensure that social distancing is followed and the chance...

Rab Havlin has won his appeal against a 10-day ban for careless riding after an incident at Yarmouth on July 22. Yarmouth stewards deemed that Havlin had failed to take sufficient action to prevent the John Gosden-trained Swift Verdict (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) from shifting left and causing a chain reaction that affected Dreaming Blue (GB) (Showcasing {GB}), ridden by Tom Marquand, and My Vision (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) under Harry Bentley. Swift Verdict, the €1.4-million first foal out of Classic winner Just The Judge (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}), eventually finished third with...

The British Horseracing Authority has published its fixture list from Sept. 1 through the remainder of the year, with minimum prizemoney levels set to rise. From Sept. 1, minimum prizemoney at the middle and grassroots levels of British racing will be restored to their pre-COVID levels, while for Class 1 races and heritage handicaps minimum purses will be at 75% of their pre-COVID levels. In addition to levy funding, all racecourses will make executive contributions to prizemoney of every race. The appearance money scheme, which pays out to horses out...

There have been several changes made to upcoming races in the UK and the overall race programme, the British Horseracing Authority announced on Monday. The September to December Fixture List is still under discussion with more updates expected later in the week. As of now, the changes are: Beginning in August, field sizes for Jump races can revert to the maximum limit imposed by the racecourse. Chester's Aug. 9 fixture will move to Aug. 10 Windsor's Aug. 10 fixture will move to Aug. 9 Chester's Aug. 14 fixture is unchanged...