The Derby meeting on June 3 and 4 falls within an extended bank holiday weekend which will feature countrywide celebrations to mark the Queen's 70th anniversary on the throne. Epsom Downs Racecourse will further honour the occasion by renaming the Queen's Stand as The Queen Elizabeth II Stand.

The Derby is the only one of the five British Classics which has not been won by The Queen. In 1977, the year of her Silver Jubilee, she won the Oaks and the St Leger with Dunfermline (GB) (Royal Palace {GB}). That filly's jockey Willie Carson, now 79 and himself a Classic-winning breeder, will be among the guard of honour on Derby day. 

He said, “[The Queen] is the patron of racing. Without her we would be a little bit lost, because her patronage is a very valuable thing.

“It's not just the horseracing she enjoys, she enjoys the breeding side of it. She likes to know from trainers how the horse is behaving and its attitude, its temperament. She wants to know those things. That's what she's really interested in. The winning post is the end result and she enjoys that, of course, but she enjoys everything before you get to the winning post. That gives her the most pleasure.”

The Queen last had a runner in the Derby in 2011 when Carlton House finished third to Pour Moi (Ire). She has three homebreds remaining among the entries for this year's race–the G3 Solario S. winner Reach For The Moon (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), last week's Newmarket winner Educator (GB) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), and General Idea (GB) (Galileo {Ire}). A reigning monarch has won the Derby only once, when Minoru (Ire) triumphed in 1909 for King Edward VII.

Phil White, London regional director of The Jockey Club, said, “We are absolutely delighted that this year's Cazoo Derby will be a part of the official Platinum Jubilee celebrations and excited and proud to be able to take the opportunity to thank Her Majesty The Queen for her enormous contribution to horseracing over many, many years.”

He continued, “We know that The Queen intends to be with us on the day and to mark her arrival at the racecourse we will form a guard of honour of around 40 retired and current jockeys all dressed in Her Majesty's silks. We're also inviting members of the local community and some local charities to support the guard of honour as flag-bearers.

“Derby Day always has that spectacular carnival atmosphere and we're looking forward to a display from the Red Devils and a military band's performance of the National Anthem which will all add to a wonderful occasion.”

Included among the guard of honour will be Derby-winning jockeys Ryan Moore, Frankie Dettori and John Reid, as well as Hayley Turner, who has ridden regularly in the Queen's silks.

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“Racing must continue to do all we can to protect the health and livelihoods of our people and maintain business continuity,” said Dr. Jerry Hill, BHA's Chief Medical Adviser. “These measures are considered essential to support this objective at a time where cases of the Omicron variant of the virus are increasing exponentially and other sports are facing COVID-related fixture cancellations.

All attendees at fixtures in England where attendance is likely to exceed 4,000 will require evidence of COVID status certification. This will apply to individuals 18 or over. To enter the racecourse, individuals must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have completed a negative lateral flow or PCR test a maximum 48 hours out, unless medically exempt. Any individuals entering weighing rooms will be subject to the same conditions. Face masks will also be required in all outdoor settings, as well as indoor settings unless food or drink is being consumed.

For more information on the BHA's procedures (updated periodically), click here.

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In an excerpt from a joint statement issued Tuesday by The British Horseracing Authority (BHA), National Trainers Federation (NTF), Professional Jockeys Association (PJA), National Association of Racing Staff (NARS), Racehorse Owners Association (ROA), Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (TBA) and Racecourse Association (RCA):

“It is essential that horseracing remains a progressive, modern industry when it comes to the conduct of our people. We must prioritize the wellbeing and development of our workforce, stand against discrimination of any kind in British racing, and invest in making racing a safe, fulfilling place to work…We must encourage a culture of openness and seek to support anyone who faces problems or has found themselves in difficulty. We must promote a culture of respect in how those involved in racing interact with one another and promote more diversity and inclusion at all levels of the industry.”

All groups will take part in a working party which will report to the industry People Board and will assist in promoting the positive elements of conduct within the industry, education, deterring poor behaviour and discrimination while empowering people to call out conduct which falls short. The group will be chaired by the BHA and include representatives from the BHA, NTF, NARS, PJA, RCA, ROA and TBA.

The working party and resultant action lead the effort to introduce a new industry Code of Conduct, which will introduced in Spring 2022. The Code of Conduct has been developed by the signatories, who are also signatories of British racing's Diversity and Inclusion industry commitment. Among the working party's chief objectives is to ensure that the new Code of Conduct is properly communicated in addition to the introduction of the sport's new Safeguarding policy and regulations, which are also close to being finalized.

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Despite a declaration last month that it would no longer race in Great Britain, Phoenix did still have runners in the country, including Deja and Frankenstella running at York since the announcement. Runners for either Phoenix Thoroughbreds or Phoenix Ladies are not permitted “until further notice.”

The BHA released the following statement about the decision:

“Following Phoenix Thoroughbreds' recent decision to leave UK racing, the BHA can today confirm that effective as of Monday, September 7, Phoenix Thoroughbreds are no longer able to have runners in races in Great Britain until further notice. Any horse currently entered will not be permitted to be declared in its current ownership.

“The racing administration accounts of all registered ownership entities that involve Phoenix Thoroughbreds have been suspended.

“Whilst the BHA can confirm that they are in regular correspondence with Phoenix Thoroughbreds, having reviewed the information available to date, the BHA has taken the decision to suspend the relevant accounts meaning Phoenix Thoroughbreds are unable to make entries until further notice.”

Read more at The Racing Post

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Bushell fired back with a letter published in Racing Post calling the review process of the allegations “flawed and biased.”

The Jockey Club indicated it had brought in an independent employment attorney to interview 19 witnesses, including Bushell. The attorney provided a report to a subcommittee which determined Bushell's position was “untenable.”

Britain's Jockey Club is responsible for the operation of 15 racecourses, including the internationally-recognized venues at Aintree, Cheltenham, Newmarket, and Epsom.

Read more at the BBC

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She will take over the post at the beginning of 2021 after nearly 4 years leading British Cycling, which has more than 160,000 grassroots members and is responsible for the elite team preparing for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.

Julie Harrington is a former member of the BHA Board and was a senior executive with Northern Racing for 8 years, including a spell as Managing Director of Uttoxeter. She is one of the most experienced leaders in sport, with a strong background in consumer, operational and regulatory roles, and a clear understanding of the financial challenges facing participants.

As Chief Executive of British Cycling, she has dealt with some significant regulatory challenges. The role has also involved engagement with UK Sport and Sport England over elite funding and growing participation, achieving its target for more than two million cyclists by 2020. It works closely with the Department for Digital, Media, Culture and Sport and the devolved governments in Scotland and Wales through their national cycling bodies.

BHA Chair, Annamarie Phelps, commented:

“I am delighted that Julie is coming back to the BHA and to racing and the Board and I are looking forward to working closely with her. This is a vital leadership role for the organisation and British racing. Julie's hands-on knowledge of horseracing, coupled with her governance and business experience, make her the ideal person to carry on with the task of restoring sustainable prosperity after the COVID crisis. We've got the right person, for the right job, at the right time.”

Julie Harrington said:

“I'm so excited to be coming home to racing and playing my part helping this great sport to achieve a prosperity from which everyone benefits. I know how important collaboration across racing has been over the past few months and I look forward to working with colleagues from all parts of the sport.

“The BHA and its team of dedicated officials do a great job in keeping racing safe, clean and fair. I am proud to take on this leadership role in such a well-regulated sport, which enriches the lives of horses and people, and has a special place at the centre of national life and our rural communities.”

Julie Harrington will join the BHA on January 4th after completing her notice period at British Cycling. Nick Rust continues to lead the BHA as it works with industry bodies on resumption and recovery. A revised industry plan is due to be published shortly.

Annamarie Phelps added:

“Nick and his team are working closely with the RCA and The Horsemen's Group to get racing through the next phase of COVID-19, to bring back the public, and support our owners and investors in the sport. There'll be no let-up over the coming months and the sport will see a seamless transition to our new CEO. I want to thank all those at the BHA and the industry bodies who are working so hard and I'm confident that racing will continue to lead the way towards a full resumption of sport.”

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These changes follow a comprehensive review of the sport's anti-doping Rules announced in 2018, following a number of Disciplinary Panel cases which called into question the assumptions that had been made regarding the Rules and how they should be applied.

It was also felt that a review of these Rules would lead to them being made simpler to understand and follow, whilst ensuring they still protect those who work in, follow or bet on British Racing sufficiently from the threat of doping.

The BHA have consulted on both the Rules and associated penalties with directly with trainers and via the National Trainers Federation, with additional input from both the UK and World Anti-Doping Agencies and sports bodies such as the FEI.

The main changes to the Rules, which were last updated in 2015, relate to the circumstances in which the Responsible Person may be found in breach of the Rules but not be penalized when a case is heard in front of the independent Disciplinary Panel.

The new Rules do not require any changes to the processes or safeguards put in place by Trainers in their yards.

In summary the changes are:

• If a horse tests positive for a prohibited substance, in order to avoid a penalty the responsible person must establish the precise source of the positive finding and that they had taken all reasonable precautions
• Cautions are available for lower level breaches
• Suspended sanctions are available for breaches

More information and the reasoning behind the changes can be read here. The new Rules and penalties can also be read in full by clicking “(Forthcoming)” on the BHA Rules website.

Tim Naylor, Director of Integrity and Regulation at the BHA, said:

“The culmination of this project has followed consultation with the appropriate parties as well as legal advice in relation to the Rule changes, and it is our hope that we now have a set of equine anti-doping Rules which are clear both for those who enforce them and those who are bound by them.

“We have to ensure that our Rules in relation to anti-doping are sufficiently robust, but also that as much as is possible in such a technical area everyone bound by the Rules understands what is required of them.

“Whilst in places the requirements upon the Responsible Person have been strengthened, there have also been changes to allow more appropriate penalties for lower and mid-level breaches of the Rules.

“We have communicated these changes now ahead of their implementation date next month to allow sufficient time for participants to ask any questions they may have prior to the Rules taking effect.”

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