BHA

Trainer Ed Dunlop has been handed a one-year disqualification-suspended for a year-after his Lucidity tested positive for a metabolite of cocaine at Brighton last year.  The source of the positive test remains unknown and the BHA attaches no blame to the trainer.  Given the disqualification period has been suspended, Dunlop, who has held a training licence in Britain for 30 years, can continue to send out runners.  Lucidity will also be disqualified from the Brighton race, in which she finished second.  The panel heard that one of Dunlop's employees admitted...

On Nov. 9 last year, veteran trainer Steve Klesaris shipped his mare She's Awesome from Delaware Park to Aqueduct to compete in the second race. When she arrived, the receiving barns were full, and so, She's Awesome (Flatter) was sent instead to the track's auxiliary stabling, used as an overflow. The auxiliary barn is adjacent to staff bathrooms, with a lot of foot traffic through it, said Klesaris. It's also used to stable ponies, he added. She's Awesome won that day. But a post-race test came up positive for the...

Tim Naylor, the British Horseracing Authority's director of integrity and regulation, will step down from his post after serving in the role for 7 1/2 years to spend more time with his family, the BHA announced on Thursday. Naylor was the first head of regulation, and oversaw the successful completion of the Rules of Racing re-write in 2019. In addition, he led the integrity, regulatory and safeguarding teams in his current role since 2018. He will continue as a voluntary non-executive director of the Commonwealth Games Wales, and as a...

Friday's meeting at Newton Abbot will go ahead as scheduled after the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) completed a "thorough assessment" following four equine fatalities at the track last week. A statement read, "Following four fatalities at its most recent fixture, the BHA's racecourse and veterinary teams have worked closely with colleagues at Newton Abbot to understand as best as possible the circumstances behind each incident. "The BHA's racecourse and facilities manager is satisfied that there was no issue with the racing surface or any other facility at the track that...

Since the launch of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act's (HISA) drug testing program over a year ago, metformin has sucked up an awful lot of oxygen. Under HISA, there have been seven resolved cases and four pending cases involving metformin—perhaps not an especially large number on its own, until framed against the number of metformin cases adjudicated before the program went into effect. An Association of Racing Commissioners International's (ARCI) review of their database "going back decades" found five metformin cases for Thoroughbreds. All were from 2017 onwards. The...

Royal Ascot is a week for stepping up, but there's a lot of stepping down going on in British racing. A power vacuum is heading the industry's way as leaders depart - voluntarily, or with a shove from within. Some are making delayed withdrawals (look out for a hell of a joint-leaving do this winter). The situations vacant columns however already feature the following appointments. British Horseracing Authority - Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jockey Club - CEO Great British Racing - CEO Racehorse Owners' Association - CEO Joe...

A new licence for racehorse syndicators and racing club managers, which aims to further strengthen the regulation of shared ownership, was introduced on Thursday by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA). The licence will apply to anyone wishing to manage a syndicate or racing club that advertises publicly or that they are paid to administer. This includes licensed trainers who run their own syndicate or racing club. Its introduction follows a period of engagement with stakeholders, including an industry-wide consultation, to ensure that the regulation keeps pace with the increasing appeal...

Julie Harrington is to leave her role as chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) at the end of this year. In a statement issued by the BHA on Tuesday, Harrington, who has been in the role for three and a half years, said, "With so much now in place to develop and grow the Industry Strategy, which will secure a brighter future for British horseracing, it felt like the right time to move on and let someone else steer the sport through its next exciting phase. "It has...

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...

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) announced a new policy on Tuesday which will permit an on-the-day switch between Flat turf and all-weather tracks where the original racing surface is deemed unraceable and the fixture would otherwise need to be abandoned. The policy will apply where a change of surface may be possible on the day of the fixture due to a deterioration in the ground conditions, when horses, participants and paying customers will have already arrived at or be travelling to the racecourse. It will only be relevant for racecourses...

A new communications campaign, HorsePWR, has been launched by British racing, designed to share and promote the facts around welfare in horseracing. HorsePWR will have its own dedicated website to provide information about the sport and the thoroughbred, the lives they lead and the high welfare and safety standards within racing. The website also explores the areas that racing has committed to improve, from reducing risk on and off the racecourse to better supporting horses when they leave the sport. The campaign has been led by the British Horseracing Authority...

Ashley Barnes, a Norwich City striker, was banned for failing to cooperate in an ongoing investigation by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) this month, Sky Sports reported on Friday. Barnes, 34, was put on the exclusion list maintained by the racing body, alongside his father-in-law John Higgins. The duo are not allowed on an property licensed by the BHA. Previously a registered owner in Britain, Barnes celebrated a winner with Manor Park (GB) (Medicean {GB}) at Newton Abbot in 2021. "The BHA can confirm that the Ashley Barnes listed as...