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Alison Enticknap Named BHA Director of Strategy and Change

Alison Enticknap was appointed the British Horseracing Authority's newly-created Director of Strategy and Change on Thursday. Enticknap will be the BHA's executive lead and help coordinate industry strategy with colleagues across the industry. Her appointment follows the news that the BHA, Racecourse Association (RCA) and Thoroughbred Group (TG) will work together on the development of a new industry strategy. The BHA is currently in the process of creating a new Strategy and Change Department as a result. That department will be responsible for programme management and planning, including oversight of cross-industry projects, and building capability and capacity in areas such as insights and analysis, and project delivery.

She joined the BHA as Head of Stakeholder and Internal Engagement in 2018. Since autumn of 2021, Enticknap was the Interim Director of Communcations and Corporate Affairs. Prior to starting with the BHA, Enticknap held a range of communications, public affairs and programme management roles, in both the commercial and not-for-profit sectors.

Enticknap said, “I see this role as a huge opportunity for racing to work together to address our biggest challenges and to seize important opportunities. The prize is enormous if we can collaborate as an industry and get this right. I look forward to working across racing, with its wealth of knowledge and expertise, and helping to secure the outcome we all want–a thriving and sustainable sport.”

Added BHA Chair Joe Saumarez Smith, “The creation of the new Strategy and Change Department will be crucial for our sport's agreed plans to develop a new industry strategy. I am delighted that we have appointed Alison to lead this department. Her proven leadership ability and capacity to build relationships and drive change will be integral to the success of this work.”

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BHA Race-Reduction Proposal Tabled Following Executive Committee Vote

The British Horseracing Authority's proposal to balance the racing programme and reduce it by 300 races for 2023 did not proceed out of review after the sport's Executive Committee voted on Wednesday evening. Racing Post first reported the news. The Executive Committee consists of BHA Chief Executive Julie Harrington, and high-ranking members of the Racecourse Association and the Thoroughbred Group. Harrington released a statement explaining the decision on Thursday morning. The statement read:

“The BHA retains the view that it is critical we take steps, as a sport, to deliver a racing product which is both competitive and compelling. The use of a data-driven race programme which is suitably tailored to the population of horses in training will be central to this.

“Following ongoing discussions with the sport's member bodies we believe the best way to achieve this will be through collaboration on a unified industry strategy, rather than making tactical tweaks to the race programme, which have the side-effect of causing significant division amongst the sport's various members.

“The sport's leaders have recent announced that work will now begin on a unified strategy, with fixtures and the race programme at its core.

“Meanwhile, the size of the 2023 race programme will remain under review, with the capacity for decisions to be made later in the year, based on ongoing industry discussions and our ongoing monitoring of the horse population.”

The National Trainers Federation released a statement in response to the news which read:

“We are extremely disappointed with the outcome of the Executive Committee vote on reducing race volume for 2023. From the outset we have supported a BHA proposal that sought to prioritise the future health of the sport over immediate financial gain.

“Further to this, we are left questioning a situation where, despite the Thoroughbred Group voting in favour of the BHA proposal, it was not possible to even reach the two to one majority needed to justify a discussion at the BHA Board. Clearly, this raises significant concerns for us.”

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Master Of The Seas To Miss Queen Anne S.

Godolphin's Classic runner-up Master Of The Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who won the G3 Earl Of Sefton S. at Newmarket in April, will miss an intended start in Royal Ascot's G1 Queen Anne S., trainer Charlie Appleby revealed. A winner of the G2 Superlative S. at two, the gelding added the G3 Craven S. last term prior to running a narrow second in the G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas last May. He was third in September's G2 Joel S. and was gelded after finishing unplaced in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. at Ascot on Oct. 16. The Earl Of Sefton was his first start since.

“Master Of The Seas will now bypass the G1 Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot after disappointing in his last piece of work,” Appleby tweeted.

The royal blue colourbearer had been set to face the undefeated Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) among other rivals in that test on June 14.

Also missing a Royal Ascot Tuesday engagement is Group 1 winner A Case Of You (Ire) (Hot Streak {Ire}). Originally set for the G1 King's Stand S. over five furlongs, the Gary Devlin-owned 4-year-old colt will instead resurface in the 1200-metre G1 Platinum Jubilee on June 18, the final day of Royal Ascot. At his best to land the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye in the autumn, the Ado McGuinness trainee bolted up to win the G1 Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan on Mar. 26. He most recently reported home third in the G2 Greenlands S. at the Curragh on May 21.

McGuinness said, “With the ground looking decent and the way they'll come back to him over six I just think that race will suit him more. The weather doesn't look as if it is going to turn the ground soft so the five-furlong race will be very quick.

“I just feel the six will be a better race for him, he's a horse that likes to warm into a race and it will be a nicer race for him, I hope.”

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Arqana Reveals Five-Race Series Worth €1.2 Million

The Arqana Series, a five-race series worth €1.2 million and reserved for colts and fillies offered by the sales company, was launched on Wednesday. The races will be held during the August Meeting at Deauville and the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe weekend at ParisLongchamp, beginning in 2023. Criteria for the races are as follows:

Three 2-year-old races will take place during an evening meeting on the Thursday before the August Yearling Sale at Deauville-La Touques Racecourse including two for unraced juveniles;
A 2-year-old race on the Saturday of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe weekend;
And from 2024, the programme will be further added to with a race for 3-year-olds, that will also be held on the Thursday at Deauville.

Yearlings offered during Arqana's 2022 August, September, October and November sales will be the first crop eligible to participate in the new series.

Eric Hoyeau, President of Arqana, said, “Very much appreciated since its first edition in 2017, the objectives of the Arqana Criterium were to enhance the “owner experience” and to support French breeding. As an auction house, these two subjects are particularly important to us and it is essential for us to continue in this direction, by extending this event with a real programme of richly-endowed races. We are therefore delighted to have succeeded in creating the Arqana Series, after a long period of reflection and discussion with France Galop.

“The four races organised on the Thursday before the August Yearling Sale will create even more synergy between the sales and the meeting and will contribute to the new event dimension of the sale. As both events attract an international audience, this evening meeting on Deauville's floodlit track will also be a unique opportunity to promote our French racing system to many owners. We have also chosen to keep the 2-year-old race on the Saturday of the Arc, meaning that connections could have a runner on one of the most beautiful international race weekends.”

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