British Horseracing Authority | Horse Racing Free Tips

BHA Announces Fixture Tweaks

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
Salisbury has added a race to its Aug. 9 card
Redcar’s £100,000 Two Year Old Trophy has been confirmed, with entries closing on July 28.
Finally, foreign-trained runners are only permitted in Class 1 races and Heritage Handicaps, but this ruling will be reviewed in early September.

For more information on these changes, please go to www.britishorseracing.com.

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Owner Restrictions To Be Eased Further

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 July 28 racecourses will be permitted to offer hospitality for owners in line with the guidance for restaurants, pubs and bars.

The easing of attendance and time restrictions on course will not apply to Welsh racecourses at this stage, as Welsh government regulations allow for a maximum of 30 people in the ‘owners’ zone’ at any one time.

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Changes to Apprentice Agreements to Start July 15

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 to create a working group to discuss the subject at length as new tweaks are needed.

“This has always been a subject which has created strong feelings both from jockeys and trainers and their representatives,” said BHA Director of Integrity and Regulation Tim Naylor. “Our job has been to mediate to try and arrive at the best compromise possible, whereby there is not the potential for an uneven balance of power and also that trainer’s contribution to the early stages of an apprentice’s career is suitably recognised.

“We also felt that it was not appropriate to bring in the new agreements in the initial stages of resumption, particularly as there were restrictions on apprentices riding. We fully accept that both from the point of view of apprentices and trainers there is more discussion to be had on this topic, and as such have re-instated the cross-industry working group to ensure there is a suitable forum to work together on any further concerns that arise.”

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Animal Health Trust To Close Down

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 which the HBLB provides some £400,000. The current HBLB research investment is around £2.8-million. An additional £700,000 was allocated by the HBLB in 2020 after financial difficulties at the AHT became apparent. This was a conditional grant which has not yet been paid but is available if a solution for providing the essential disease control and veterinary research services can be agreed.

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