British racing

The British Horseracing Authority released a summary of its 2019 annual report and consolidated financial statements. BHA's Chief Executive Nick Rust opted for the release of an abbreviated version of 2019 to augment the strategic report featured in the accounts. Audited accounts for last season show an operating loss of £767,000--over the budgeted-for deficit of £478,000--and is due, in part, to increased activity including the formation of the Horse Welfare Board. In the summary, Rust reflects on notable events during the year like the equine influenza outbreak, Brexit, the impact...

Effective Monday, Sept. 7, Phoenix Thoroughbreds cannot have runners in races in Great Britain until further notice, the British Horseracing Authority announced on Thursday. Phoenix had earlier in August made the decision to leave UK racing and was reportedly banned from racing in France a few days later. Any horse currently entered will not be permitted to be declared in its current ownership. All racing administration accounts of all registered ownership entities that involve Phoenix Thoroughbreds have been suspended. The BHA is in regular correspondence with Phoenix Thoroughbreds, and after...

A survey, which aims to create a source of information and inspiration for people in the industry and to showcase the scale and value of racing's contribution to wider society, was launched on Wednesday. Racing Together, The Racing Foundation, and Godolphin-with the help and support of industry leaders--will manage the resulting directory, which will include the work that racing people and organisations across Britain are doing in areas of education and community development. The survey is available for all racing organisations and participants and can be completed here. For more...

If we can view Europe's largest training centre of Newmarket as a microcosm of the wider racing world, then events in the last week give a pretty concerning snapshot of the future of the sport. On the positive front, there was a first winner for the town's newest trainer, Terry Kent, who, at 53, is also one of the longest-serving members of its workforce, having previously been a jockey and worked for trainers Michael Jarvis, Julie Cecil, Saeed Bin Suroor and Roger Varian. Another recent recruit to the training ranks,...

The Diversity in Racing Steering Group's (DiRSG) dedicated LGBT+ sub-group launched a new e-learning module to improve LGBT+ awareness and inclusion within British racing. The module has been included in the mandatory licensing courses at the British Racing School and National Horseracing College. The module, available for free via Racing2Learn, is accessible to anyone involved in the industry. The LGBT+ dedicated sub-group was developed following research which indicated many individuals who identified as a sexual minority did not feel comfortable 'coming out' at work, despite largely positive attitudes towards sexual...

The British government released its timeline for the potential resumption of sporting events on Monday, and in its Our Plan to Rebuild, cultural and sporting events conducted behind closed doors-like racing-are part of the second step of lifting the current coronavirus restrictions and would resume no earlier than June 1. The news was welcomed by British horseracing's executive committee comprised of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), the Racecourse Association, The Racehorse Owners' Association and the National Trainers Federation, who are "committed to plan for resumption on June 1st," according to...

The British Horseracing Authority will next week review the resumption of racing recommendations established by the COVID-19 Racing Industry Group's Resumption of Racing Group. The Resumption of Racing Group was created to forge a government-approved plan which would allow the industry to resume racing on daily basis in controlled phases when government permits. "Everyone's first duty at present is to the health and safety of the public, as the government has made clear," said the Chief Operating Officer of the BHA, Richard Wayman. "That will clearly be the most important...

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has launched Racing2Learn, a new online e-learning platform within the racing and Thoroughbred breeding industries. The platform, developed in collaboration with 1st4Sport Qualifications, provides a range of flexible eLearning courses and is free for a limited period. Areas covered include: Horse care; Racehorse welfare; Safeguarding. Certificates may be achieved which have continuous professional development (CPD) points applied by the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity. "Racing2Learn adds an important new feature to the existing comprehensive programme of training and education in...

British racing will be staged at least until the end of March behind closed doors beginning on Tuesday as a precaution against the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, with limits on numbers of essential personnel. Scottish racecourse Kelso had implemented a closed-door policy on its own accord for its Monday meeting to align with the advice of the Scottish government, and England and Wales will now follow suit. The widely expected announcement from the BHA brings British racing in line with protocols put in place by Ireland and Germany. Italy has cancelled...

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...