The creation of the Joint Cooperation Committee is to serve as a formal platform for members within the British and Irish horseracing industries to engage with their counterparts in Japan via the JRA. It will consist of agreed representatives from key shareholders in the respective territories including the BHA, HRI, Racecourse Media Group (RMG), and principal courses like The Jockey Club Racecourses, York, Ascot, Goodwood, and Leopardstown.

The group's earliest groundwork includes a variety of schemes, and marketing and media initiatives to promote Japanese horses and connections travelling to Great Britain and Ireland, and vice versa by raising awareness of those markets among domestic participants, media, bettors, and fans. Another goal is to create a direct regulatory partnership which will perform its duties but not cut across pre-existing arrangements. Ultimately, the goal is to further internationalise the sport of horse racing and support the breeding industries.

“I am delighted that the horse racing organisations in Britain and Ireland with their history, tradition, quality and innovation, have now united to form the Joint Cooperation Committee with the Japanese Racing Association,” said JRA CEO, Masayoshi Yoshida. “It is an important and significant step for the JRA, and Japanese horse racing. We will be working together more strongly than ever before to achieve further development in all areas. I look forward to working hand-in-hand to create the future of horse racing together.”

Joe Saumarez Smith, chairman of the new Joint Cooperation Committee as well as the chair of the BHA, said, “We are delighted to be collaborating with the JRA and are hugely grateful for their significant support. The creation of this Committee is the next step in our relationship, as we further pool our knowledge and insight, and combine our considerable marketing and media assets. This can only lead to increased participation in each other's racing, resulting in deeper fan engagement, and increased and new revenues.”

HRI's CEO, Suzanne Eade, shared the enthusiasm of her counterparts for the future of the new committee. “Ireland looks forward to being a full and active partner with Britain and Japan in the Joint Cooperation Committee to share our collective wisdom and progress our shared objectives of increasing participation and engagement.”

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Premier Racedays is part of a two-year series of changes with the aim of growing British racing by 'increasing engagement among new and existing customers, improving revenues across all areas of the industry, promoting investment in the sport through the recruitment and retention of owners, and encouraging the best horses to be bred, trained and raced in Britain.'

Premier Racedays will be supported by marketing and promotional suppoer, racecourse marketing spend and plans for a national promotional campaign, pending the submission of an application to the Horserace Betting Levy Board in line with the body's funding criteria.

Premier Racedays through 2024 will also see the introduction of innovation in the fan experience on an ongoing basis, for those attending on racecourses, betting, and watching on broadcast. Over 90% of Premier Racedays are to be broadcast across ITV and encompass the majority of racing's best and most popular racedays.

The key areas of innovation include customer promotion, broadcast innovation, customer experience, a digital content strategy, promotion of horse racing's equine and human athletes and betting, to offer a variety of incentives around Premier Racedays. Significant work is also in development to improve the ownership experience both on and off-course, with initiatives to be rolled out in 2024.

“British racing's stakeholders unanimously agreed the way to grow our sport is to better showcase and sell our best racing. The pilot of Premier Racedays is the start of this process,” said Joe Saumarez Smith, chair of the British Horseracing Authority. “Due to the way that our sport is structured, the first priority for the sport was to put the building blocks in place in the form of the changes to the fixture list and race programme and secure the improved funding of prize money. There is little point trying to sell Premier Racedays if the product is not, in fact, Premier. “I am grateful to everyone who has been involved in the ongoing development of these plans, including those directly involved in the sport and our partners in broadcast, the media and betting”.

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Kyrsten Halley will serve a three-year term, which began on May 1. She fills the vacancy created by Joe Saumarez Smith, whose term as BHA Chair was extended through May 31, 2025. Tara Warren will begin her initial three-year term on Dec. 1 and replaces current Independent Non-Executive Director Laura Whyte, following the completion of her maximum nine-year term.

Halley currently serves as Marketing Director for the British-based food manufacturer, Samworth Brothers, owns a retired racehorse, and competes in Retraining of Racehorses events.

Warren is Executive Director and Board member at West Ham United Football Club and leads the delivery of the club's strategic and commercial priorities. A regular racegoer, she is also the responsible for the club's equality, diversity, and inclusion strategy.

“We are very pleased to welcome Kyrsten and Tara to the BHA Board. Alongside a passion for racing, both have strong commercial backgrounds, with extensive experience in digital marketing, customer engagement and transformational change, all of which will be essential as British racing continues to progress our long-term strategy,” Saumarez said.

Current membership of the BHA Board can be viewed here.

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Joe Saumarez Smith said, “I'm delighted and honoured to be asked by our shareholders to extend my term. I look forward to working with all of racing's stakeholders on the many issues facing the industry, especially relating to our long-term strategic direction. I am sure that together we can achieve many positive results.”

Julie Harrington, Chief Executive of the BHA, said, “I am delighted that Joe's term as Chair has been extended. We have made great progress together in resolving the sport's governance structure and initiating work on an industry strategy. Now is the time for stability as we look to develop and implement the strategy, drawing on the advantages of the new governance structure to bring about radical change for the sport.”

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Annamarie Phelps said, “Following discussions with the Board of the BHA I have decided not to extend my time as BHA Chair beyond the end of the current term.

“This is a very important time for racing, with the recovery from the pandemic and the imminent publication of the Gambling Act Review White Paper both still very much on the sport's agenda. A significant review of the BHA is also underway, which will ensure that the BHA is future-proofed, efficient and has sufficient resource to serve racing's needs.

“We are at a key stage of discussions around a new governance structure that will provide clarity on the BHA's role as governing body and regulator.

“I am therefore delighted that I have been able to develop the following core principles with the BHA shareholders prior to my departure:

“Firstly, recognition that the BHA Board will maintain responsibility for both regulation and governance matters with an additional responsibility for leading the strategy for industry growth on behalf of our shareholders. That it will retain the same level of independent representation as at present, in line with governance best practice. Alongside this, we have agreed that the tripartite decision-making structure will be reviewed.

“There is much to do over the next three months to ensure these measures are fully and firmly in place for my successor before I step down, which I hope will provide a more appropriate, democratic and effective decision-making structure for the future.

“It has been a great privilege to lead the BHA during this challenging period for the sports sector, and to have recruited a fantastic CEO in Julie Harrington. I am immensely proud of what racing has achieved collectively in this time.

“I want to thank the amazing BHA team for navigating the pandemic and for keeping the show on the road behind the scenes, a role that is rarely acknowledged. It is a remarkable achievement that no fixtures were lost to Covid once British racing had become the first major sport to resume following the initial 2020 lockdown.

“We have also dealt successfully with some serious and complicated ethical and integrity matters that have set important precedents for the future, laid the foundations for greater diversity and inclusion across the sport, enhanced the industry's educational resources and safeguarding provisions and further increased our focus on the welfare of our horses and our people; all of which are essential to the sustainable health and prosperity of racing.

“I want to thank all those who have welcomed and supported me over the last three years, in particular those racecourses, trainers, owners, jockeys, stable staff and breeders who have shared their insight, aspirations and opinion, both here and overseas. I have loved the people, the racing and especially the horses.”

Joe Saumarez Smith said, “On behalf of the BHA Board, I would like to express my thanks to Annamarie, who has brought a broad perspective from other sports to the BHA Board table. During her time as Chair, she has laid the groundwork for significant change across the industry in a number of areas, and helped us navigate a series of challenging issues, not least the coronavirus pandemic and the BHA's own governance. The agreement of a number of core governance principles is potentially a defining moment for the industry. I look forward to continuing to work with Annamarie until the conclusion of her term.”

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“I am pleased that industry leaders have agreed on a united approach to government and the support this has had from trainers, breeders and racecourse groups,” said BHA Chairwoman Annamarie Phelps. “Now more than ever, racing needs to talk with one voice to government.

“Both I and other BHA Board colleagues have been having constructive conversations with industry colleagues over the past few weeks. As a governing body, it is vital we listen to the views of those whose livelihoods are dependent on a prosperous and sustainable industry.

“The Prime Minister promised that the Chancellor would prepare a package of support for sport. We have sent government at their request a new assessment of the impact of COVID on the finances of racing, including the potential mitigating impact of reform to the Levy, and making clear that the return of the public to racecourses is essential. Further proposals on the Levy are now being developed, supported by Nick Rust and his team.

“It is vital that we work through the appropriate channels, recognising racing’s close relationship with the betting industry. Pursuing alternative routes risks dividing racing into competing factions.”

Added Joe Saumarez-Smith, “There have already been extensive discussions recently about the various options for reforming the Levy. The Levy Steering Group has the full support of the representative bodies in racing and will now draw on the expertise of stakeholders across the industry, who will work with me and the BHA executive team to try and reach a united view of the industry on this crucial area of funding of the sport.”

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