BHA

Brant Dunshea, acting CEO of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), has been elected vice-chair of the European and Mediterranean Horseracing Authority (EMHF). Dunshea becomes one of three EMHF vice-chairs and will represent its member countries which are European and outside the European Union, with the others being the Channel Islands, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey. He fills the vacancy created when former BHA CEO, Julie Harrington, left that organisation at the end of last year. Dunshea said, "I'm honoured to take on this role and look forward to working with new...

A contingent of U.S. racing investigators will take part in an intensive two-week tour of France and England beginning June 21 where they will visit their counterparts and exchange ideas about integrity issues. The inaugural trip last year included stops at Ballydoyle in Ireland and during Royal Ascot. The participants are members of the Organization of Racing Investigators and the schedule was put together by board member Jason Klouser of the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission, who will lead the group. Local hosts Samuel Fargeat in France and John Burgess...

LONDON, UK -- On the eve of Royal Ascot, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Racing and Bloodstock (APPG) has delivered a stark warning regarding the sport's future in Britain, which it fears "risks being tipped into terminal decline". At a launch in Westminster in the shadow of the British government's seat of power, MPs Dan Carden and Nick Timothy, co-chairs of the APPG, delivered a report demanding urgent action to stave off the threat from a "triple whammy of challenges that represent no less than an existential threat to the...

Karl Burke, who has sent out more Royal Ascot-winning two-year-olds in the last decade than every other trainer bar Aidan O'Brien, has emerged as a fierce opponent to planned changes to the Windsor Castle Stakes, describing the new race conditions announced by the British Horseracing Authority's Flat Pattern Committee (FPC) as a "ridiculous idea". In a press release issued by the FPC on Tuesday, it was revealed that the distance of the Windsor Castle will be increased to six furlongs from 2026. In addition, the Listed contest will be restricted...

Baroness Minette Batters will become the new independent chair of the Horse Welfare Board (HWB), replacing Barry Johnson on July 1, 2025. Formerly the president of the National Farmers Union from 2018-2024, Batters was appointed as a crossbench House of Lords peer in 2024. A director of Salisbury Racecourse, Batters also enjoyed a successful career as an amateur jockey with over 30 point-to-point wins to her name. Batters said, "I'm absolutely delighted to be appointed as the new chair of the HWB. Horse welfare will always be fundamental to racing's...

The Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot will be run over six furlongs from 2026, as well as being restricted to two-year-olds whose sire won a race over at least seven furlongs (1400m) at the age of two, or at least a mile (1600m) at the age of three and upwards. The changes were announced on Tuesday by the British Horseracing Authority's Flat Pattern Committee (FPC) and follow the Group 1 upgrades announced in February by the European Pattern Committee (EPC), with the aim of safeguarding the production, retention and...

Spend a morning on the gallops with Ralph Beckett and you could end up with more than just the natural shot in the arm that comes with observing racehorses at close quarters in the English springtime. Barns full of bluebloods. Well, that's a given now, particularly on the back of a pretty spectacular 2024. Sunshine is not always a given, but on this fine morning it has been turned to full beam, lighting up the rolling turf which envelopes this haven on the edge of Salisbury Plain. Bluestocking, last year's...

Dr Jerry Hill MBE will retire later this year from his role as Chief Medical Adviser to the BHA. Dr Hill has served in the role since 2014 and has played a central role in advancing medical and healthcare standards across British racing. He will remain with the BHA over the coming months to support a smooth transition, including assisting with the recruitment and induction of his successor. Dr Hill joined the BHA in 2014, having been Senior Racecourse Medical Officer at Lingfield Park racecourse, a Squad Doctor for the...

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) is expanding its equine anti-doping programme to include testing for evidence of gene doping, following extensive research into detection methods. In a significant move to protect the integrity of British racing and the welfare of thoroughbred racehorses, the testing will be incorporated immediately into the BHA's routine raceday and out of competition sampling processes. Gene doping includes the use of genetic or cellular manipulation of the horse's DNA, either directly via gene editing techniques or by the addition of genetic material into the cell by...

Neil Callan has been given an eight-month ban following remarks made on social media, but the jockey will be able to continue riding after the sentence was suspended for two years. Callan was charged with three offences and breaches of the rules of racing. The first under rule J19a being that on December 15, 2023 he sent out a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, in relation to British Horseracing Authority (BHA) steward Anthony McGlone that was abusive, insulting and did not treat him with respect. The second charge...

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) is launching a brand new podcast on Thursday, March 6, featuring interviews with senior leaders within the organisation. It will be hosted by broadcaster Nick Lightfoot, who is reported to have total editorial independence. Each episode is designed to take listeners inside the BHA, providing in-depth discussion around the key issues facing the sport and leaving listeners better informed about the organisation's work and the people behind it. To ensure editorial integrity and credibility, Lightfoot's questions will not be shared with anybody at the BHA...

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and Great British Racing (GBR) have today announced the launch of a new campaign to promote HorsePWR, the industry-led initiative aimed at increasing public engagement with British racing and reinforcing confidence in the sport's high welfare standards. This latest phase of the campaign represents British racing's most significant public-facing, welfare-themed promotional campaign to date. It has been made possible by funding from the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) and will run from February 24 through to April 6, featuring targeted advertising across print, online and...