Richard Wayman

The restriction on runners from overseas in certain, low-grade Flat handicaps has been removed, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) announced on Wednesday. Only horses trained by BHA-licensed trainers had been able to compete in Class 5 and 6 handicaps between September 1 and December 31, since the restriction was introduced at the beginning of 2023, at the conclusion of the broader COVID-related restrictions. The BHA reported that it was put in place "in order to maximise opportunities for the horse population". The topic has since been reviewed by the Racing...

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has published its fixture list for 2025, which, with 1,460 fixtures throughout the year, sees a reduction of eight meetings from those scheduled for 2024. Premier Racedays will receive an extra 10% in prize-money for next year, which is the second of a two-year trial launched in January 2024 in a bid to to "enhance the quality and competitiveness of [British] racing, increase customer engagement and improve the financial returns to those who own, train and run their horses here in Britain" as part of the...

Sunday evening racing in Britain will not continue in the short term after a six-week pilot during the winter months failed to yield any significant benefit to the sport via an increase in betting turnover. The controversial trial was introduced by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) as part of a wider range of changes to the fixture list for 2024, which included the launch of 'Premier' and 'Core' meetings.  During a meeting of the BHA Board last week it was agreed that the Sunday evening meetings, which took place between...

Tom Byrne has been appointed head of racing and betting for the British Horseracing Authority, a revised role that replaces head of racing and racecourses. That position was previously held by Paul Johnson, who commences his role as chief executive of the National Trainers Federation in January. Byrne joins the BHA after four years with the Horserace Betting Levy Board as operations manager. He previously held roles with GBI Racing and Racing Post. He will begin in the role in February and oversee the management and development of the BHA's...

The 2022 UK fixture list was published by the British Horseracing Authority on behalf of the sport's tripartite governance structure of the BHA, racecourses and horsemen and women, on Monday. Comprised of 1,482 fixtures, the 2022 fixture list was developed by the industry's Fixtures and Funding Group, which contains cross-industry representation and was approved by all members of the group and the sport's tripartite executive committee. The list was presented to the BHA Board for approval on Sept. 9. The total fixtures for 2021 was 1,486. There were several significant...

British racing resumed behind closed doors on June 1, and now, with these first weeks back going well and in accordance with the UK government's safety protocols, the British Horseracing Authority is working on a template to allow owners to observe their horses race on location. In a letter sent to racehorse owners on Monday by the BHA, the BHA's Chief Operating Officer Richard Wayman thanked the owners for their support in these challenging times due to the coronavirus situation and outlined plans for their return in the near future....

The 2020 fixture list was published by the British Horseracing Authority on Tuesday. Policies governing the compilation of the list were announced here last month. There are a number of new measures introduced after agreement was reached by the cross-industry Fixtures and Funding Group including: no race starting later than 9 p.m. at summer evening fixtures no race starting later than 8:30 p.m. the rest of the year extending the Christmas and summer Jump racing breaks to four and 12 days, respectively ensuring that the days's first race starts by...