British Horseracing Authority

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...

Britain will ease its attendance restrictions slightly beginning on July 28 to allow more owners to go racing. Owners are currently limited to two per horse and they may only attend for their race. Exact numbers going forward will be determined by each racecourse depending on its capacity and limits on gatherings set by the UK and local governments. The restrictions on arrival and departure times will be removed, however owners are advised to arrive 45 minutes prior to their first declared runner to allow time for health screening. From...

The previously announced changes to the apprentice and conditional jockey training agreements will now go into effect on July 15, 2020, the British Horseracing Authority confirmed on Monday. These changes, originally slated for Mar. 28, were temporarily postponed due to COVID-19. The initial decision for the new agreements to be brought in required approval by the BHA Board following considerable period of consultation and discussion between the Professional Jockeys Association (PJA) and National Trainers Federation (NTF) where agreement did not prove possible. The BHA has invited the PJA and NTF...

The Animal Health Trust, which carries out equine disease surveillance and specialist veterinary research for the Thoroughbred racing industry, will wind up after being unable to secure significant enough funds for a viable future. The British Horseracing Authority, Thoroughbred Breeders Association and Racehorse Owners Association met on Friday with the Racing Foundation and the Horserace Betting Levy Board, during which it was agreed upon that the BHA would lead the racing industry's efforts to maintain surveillance and testing capability. Racing provides annual funding of around £700,000 to the AHT, of...

Leicester Racecourse's planned fixture on July 7 will go ahead following consultation with relevant authorities after a COVID-19 spike prompted increased lockdown measures in the area earlier this week. The area lockdown has reinstated restrictions to what they were on June 14, at which point racing was permitted under strict guidelines. Owners will not be permitted at Leicester on July 7. The British Horseracing Authority has liaised with Racetech to ensure stalls handlers will be available for the fixture; Tuesday evening's meeting at Leicester was conducted without starting stalls. A...

For a window on the diversity of the British Turf, you've probably come to the right place. White, male, middle-aged, straight: all boxes checked there, I think. But if that is very much the stereotype, then at least the authorities here have acknowledged as much; and there is a corporate determination to do something about it. Nor is this merely some perfunctory response to the incendiary confluence, around the world, of a looming economic recession and the protests triggered by the killing of George Floyd. Even in 2017, admittedly, action...