By Victoria Morgan, Head of Policy and Advocacy at the BHA The early General Election in July took everyone by surprise. British racing’s leaders had worked tirelessly to secure vital reform to the Levy, only for a deal to be scuppered at…
The disqualification of Alphonse Le Grande from the Cesarewitch Handicap at Newmarket has understandably ignited a renewed debate about the use of the whip in horseracing. The rider used his whip four times above the permitted level of six…
From early 2025, the BHA’s Racing Administration site will start to be replaced by a brand-new platform called the Racing Digital (RD) Hub. Racing Digital’s Managing Director, Steve Gibson, explains what this change means for Racing Admin…
British racing is proud to be a world leader in sport when it comes to transparency around raceday and regulatory decision-making. For instance, every enquiry held by the stewards is accompanied by a written enquiry notice which is…
In this blog, Richard Wayman, BHA Director of Racing, analyses some of the key trends within our latest monthly data pack Our latest racing data report is available, covering the first nine months of 2024. Now that we have reached the end…
This update is intended to inform participants of the key changes that will be delivered across Programme Book 4. Premier Racedays Premier Racedays will be run for at least £250k on the Flat (£225k Sunday) and £200K over Jumps (£180k…
Since the beginning of the year, we have been publishing monthly reports on various measures of how our sport is performing and the data pack covering all races up to the end of August is now available [link]. Now that we are two-thirds of…
At every meeting in Britain, racing takes place before a team of Stewards tasked with ensuring what unfolds on the track does so within the Rules of Racing. As was set out in a previous blog looking at the processes the Stewards go through…
On Saturday 24 August, a feature appeared in the Daily Telegraph’s print edition, having previously been published online on Thursday 22 August, entitled ‘Why It Might Be Time To Stop Riding Horses’. The piece looked at the use of horses…
By Richard Wayman, BHA Director of Racing At the beginning of 2024, we started a two-year trial of various fixture list initiatives with the overarching aim of increasing racing’s appeal to customers, both existing and new. The changes can…
The British Horseracing Authority, supported by the Racecourse Association, has today launched a Code of Conduct for British racing covering sponsorship agreements with gambling companies. The Code fulfils a policy proposal for all sports…
Earlier this year, the BHA, in partnership with sponsors Juddmonte, Darley, Tattersalls and British Stallion Studs (EBF), confirmed the return for 2024 of more than 80 High Value Developmental Races worth over £3 million in total prize…
In this blog, Richard Wayman, Director of Racing and Betting at the BHA, analyses some of the key areas within our monthly data pack for June. Having reached the halfway point of the year, a clearer view is beginning to emerge of the…
Upon publication of the 2024 fixture list, the BHA introduced a two-year trial of a number of initiatives designed to maximise opportunities around our biggest fixtures and increase the public’s engagement with horseracing. To measure the…
By Richard Wayman, BHA Director of Racing and Betting As the first element of an industry strategy that aims to promote and support the sport’s future, premierisation is a key part of the fixture list initiatives introduced on a two-year…
Jane Green has had a fascinating and varied career. She’s been a secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, a senior officer aboard cruise ships and remains a prominent lecturer and broadcaster in astronomy. But horses have always…
By Richard Wayman, BHA Director of Racing and Betting We’re now four months into the two-year trial of various fixture list initiatives that were introduced with the aim of increasing the appeal of the sport to both existing and future…
In this blog, Richard Wayman, BHA Director of Racing and Betting, analyses some of the key areas within our monthly data pack for March. With the first quarter of the year behind us, we will shortly be publishing our first more detailed…
Comprehensive pre-race veterinary protocols will again be in place at the 2024 Aintree Grand National Festival, as part of ongoing efforts to continually improve safety and ensure horses are lining up in the best possible condition. As in…
This update is intended to inform participants about the key changes that will be delivered across Programme Book 2 (23 March – 23 June). Premier Racedays We continue to see the roll-out of Premier Racedays, which are fixtures that are run…
In the final edition of the 2024 Cheltenham Festival Handicapper’s Blog, BHA’s Andrew Mealor summarises the Grade 1 races from each division and highlights all the key ratings. Chasers The star turn of the week among the chasers was…
The Irish, and in particular Willie Mullins, continued their domination of the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup as Galopin des Champs retained his crown, writes BHA Handicapper Martin Greenwood. Mullins notched up his fourth win in the last six…
BHA Handicappers give their initial take on the Ryanair Chase, Stayers Hurdle and Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. Ryanair Chase A competitive looking renewal of the Ryanair Chase with only two pounds between the top four horses’…
State Man is a worthy Champion Hurdle winner given his overall achievements this season but the form of the race has an underwhelming feel, writes BHA Handicapper Andrew Mealor. State Man (169) looked head and shoulders above the…
THE SAFETY AND WELFARE OF ALL THOROUGHBREDS IS PRIORITY Over £47 million has been invested in the last 20 years into veterinary research and education, benefiting all breeds of horse in Britain including the Thoroughbred 14,000 horses in…
In this blog, Richard Wayman, Chief Operating Officer at the BHA, analyses some of the key areas within our refreshed monthly data pack for February. Two months into 2024 and it would be fair to say that our latest analysis of racing data,…
Following a significant period of adverse weather conditions over recent months which has led to disruption of the race programme, this blog, by the BHA’s Head of Racing and Betting, Tom Byrne, explains the process behind scheduling…
By Dominic Gardiner-Hill, BHA Head of Handicapping As part of our commitment to being open and transparent, and following some of the media coverage regarding the handicapping of the ex-French, now Irish-trained Ocastle Des Mottes in the…
By Jack Barton, Policy and Advocacy Manager at the BHA In an election year, and with key long-term issues for the sport at stake such as affordability checks and Levy reform alongside demonstrating our commitment to improving and investing…
In this blog, Richard Wayman, Chief Operating Officer at the BHA, introduces our refreshed monthly data pack and analyses some of the key areas within it. For many years, we have published a monthly racing data pack on the BHA website…