BHA

Chester regular Marwan Koukash has been removed as a registered owner by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) due to being declared bankrupt, according to published reports. The 69-year-old Palestinian won the Chester Cup four times with his runners between 2008 and 2018. His record at the track stands at 97 winners. Holding a PhD in electrical engineering, the businessman owned the Salford City Reds rugby team at one time, as well as a string of hotels among his various interests. The bankruptcy petition was filed in June of 2022 and...

The affordability checks on lower-level gambling spend proposed in the Gambling Act Review White Paper will be streamlined as much as possible to minimise the inconvenience to the betting public, according to the British Horseracing Authority, who welcomed the news of the Paper's publication earlier on Thursday. The paper proposes a £125-threshold net loss within a month or £500 within a year and also states that the checks will be 'frictionless for customers and conducted online by credit reference agencies'. BHA Chief Executive Julie Harrington said, "The numbers around the...

The Gambling Act Review White Paper, an important step to ensuring proper gambling regulations fit for the digital age, was published by the UK Government on Thursday. The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) welcomed the news. There will now be a period of consultation between the Government and partners during which the BHA will continue to work to deliver a secure future for the sport. Joe Saumarez Smith, Chair of the British Horseracing Authority and member of the Gambling Strategy Group (which has led on representations around the Gambling Act Review...

British Horseracing Authority [BHA] chief executive Julie Harrington has condemned the actions of protestors who delayed the Grand National and also announced a "painstaking" analysis will take place in a bid to  try and understand what caused three fatalities over the three days of the meeting. The Sandy Thomson-trained Hill Sixteen suffered a fatal fall at the first fence in the race that was delayed by around 15 minutes after animal activists stormed the track. Two more horses were killed at the meeting. In a statement released on Sunday, Harrington...

Following a difficult week for racing which saw four pass away--including Jess Whalley, who collapsed and died on scene at Michael Owen's Manor House Stable Tuesday morning, BHA's Chief Executive Julie Harrington issued the following statement on Saturday: "This has been a tragic week for all of us in the racing community. "Jess Whalley was a shining example of what makes British racing so special. She dedicated herself to providing outstanding care to horses and it was while doing this that her life was suddenly and tragically cut short. On...

Provisional declarations can now be tracked live before 10 a.m. every morning on the BHA fixtures page, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) confirmed on Friday. This development improves transparency for all customers at the 48-hour declaration stage. Declarations are not official until they have been formerly checking and published after 10 a.m. on the day of declarations. Tom Byrne, Head of Racing & Betting at the BHA, said, "The addition of live declaration tracking will hopefully help improve the overall customer experience of British racing. We expect that this data...

Sarah Guest, the yard manager for trainer John O'Shea, was named the Employee of the Year during the 2023 Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards sponsored by Godolphin in ceremonies held Monday evening at York Racecourse. It was the first in-person event since 2020 and was held for the first time in Yorkshire. Guest took home a cash prize of £10,000 and an additional £10,000 to be divided among her colleagues at the John O'Shea yard. Earlier in the evening, Guest was also presented with the Leadership Award, carrying a £5,000 prize...

Following ratification by the European Pattern Committee (EPC), there are several additional changes to the UK 2023 Flat Pattern and listed race programme, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) Flat Pattern Committee (FPC) announced on Wednesday. The following races have been repositioned or relocated within the existing programme to help achieve a better spread of black-type opportunities in the relevant age and distance categories in 2023: Listed Abingdon S. (10f, 3yo, f, early June), previously run at Newbury, will now take place at Goodwood on Sunday, June 11 and be run...

The previously announced new whip regulations will go into force on Monday, but the way penalties are calculated has been "marginally adjusted" according to the British Horseracing Authority (BHA). Following feedback from jockeys, there were further amendments to the rules, and the bedding in period for jumps racing was extended by a week. Under the new regulations, use of the whip in the forehand position will be allowed, with the BHA having reversed a previous decision to ban it after riders' objections. However, use of the whip has been reduced...

The programming of over 60 high-value 2023 developmental races was announced by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) on Wednesday. Consisting of maidens and novices with purses between £30,000-£50,000, the races will be funded by the BHA, Darley, Juddmonte, and the hosting racecourses. The objective of the prize-money boost is two-fold, with the aims of supporting horses at the beginning of their careers combined with supporting the domestic breeding industry and ensuring more quality young horses are retained to race in the UK. This initiative is intended to be the first...

The bedding-in period for the new whip rules in Jumps racing has been extended by one week, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) confirmed on Friday. This follows a meeting between the Professional Jockeys Association (PJA) and a selection of jockeys. The extension, requested by jockeys and the PJA, was granted on account of the number of cancelled fixtures last week due to the frozen ground. The full implementation of the new rules for Jumps racing will begin on Feb. 13. The start of the bedding-in period for Flat racing remains...

The BHA has confirmed the addition of an all-weather fixture at Wolverhampton on Thursday, Jan. 19. Entries for the six-race card, which will carry the option to divide into eight, will close on Tuesday prior to the taking of declarations on Wednesday. Jockey confirmations for Kempton Park's fixture on Thursday will be made on Wednesday in order to line up with this additional Wolverhampton fixture. Levy Board has contributed £5,950 to the prize money costs for this fixture.