British Horseracing Authority

Neil Callan has been given an eight-month ban following remarks made on social media, but the jockey will be able to continue riding after the sentence was suspended for two years. Callan was charged with three offences and breaches of the rules of racing. The first under rule J19a being that on December 15, 2023 he sent out a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, in relation to British Horseracing Authority (BHA) steward Anthony McGlone that was abusive, insulting and did not treat him with respect. The second charge...

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) is launching a brand new podcast on Thursday, March 6, featuring interviews with senior leaders within the organisation. It will be hosted by broadcaster Nick Lightfoot, who is reported to have total editorial independence. Each episode is designed to take listeners inside the BHA, providing in-depth discussion around the key issues facing the sport and leaving listeners better informed about the organisation's work and the people behind it. To ensure editorial integrity and credibility, Lightfoot's questions will not be shared with anybody at the BHA...

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and Great British Racing (GBR) have today announced the launch of a new campaign to promote HorsePWR, the industry-led initiative aimed at increasing public engagement with British racing and reinforcing confidence in the sport's high welfare standards. This latest phase of the campaign represents British racing's most significant public-facing, welfare-themed promotional campaign to date. It has been made possible by funding from the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) and will run from February 24 through to April 6, featuring targeted advertising across print, online and...

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has announced the death of its former chair, Joe Saumarez Smith, surrounded by his family at home on Tuesday. He was 53 and had last month stepped down from his role at the head of the organisation after his health worsened, having first been diagnosed with cancer in June 2023. "Our thoughts and prayers--and we are sure those of everyone involved in our sport--are with Joe's family and friends," read a statement from the BHA. "He will be hugely missed by us all. "His wife...

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) announced on Thursday that its chair, Joe Saumarez Smith, has made the decision to step down from his role with immediate effect, having been advised by his oncologist that he has leptomeningeal metastases. Senior independent director David Jones, who has previously deputised for Saumarez Smith, has assumed the role as interim chair of the BHA ahead of the formal handover to incoming chair Lord Charles Allen on June 1. Saumarez Smith, who became chair of the BHA in June 2022, having previously been on the...

Through an international exchange program, Cody Watkins, a steward of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), will serve as The Jockey Club-appointed steward at the New York Racing Association (NYRA) racetracks beginning in early January 2025, according to a Wednesday press release from The Jockey Club of America. "This is an exciting opportunity for Thoroughbred racing in the U.S. and abroad," said Stuart S. Janney III, chairman of The Jockey Club. "Racing is an international sport, and sharing ideas and information through programs such as this can only make the sport...

The British racing industry, in partnership with the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), is using data spanning 14 years to identify and help reduce risk in the sport, via the Racing Risk Models (RRM), the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and Horse Welfare Board (HWB) announced on Wednesday. Work on the RRM began in 2018 and its development and implementation has been one of the core recommendations of the HWB's 2020 strategy, A Life Well Lived. Academic researchers from the RVC have since been analysing data collected for each race start in...

Alphonse Le Grande (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) has been reinstated as the winner of last month's Cesarewitch Handicap at Newmarket after his connections were successful in their appeal against his disqualification, with successful rider Jamie Powell also having his suspension reduced to 20 days. Apprentice jockey Powell was ruled to have used his whip 10 times in the closing stages, four more than the permitted allowance, and due to the value of the race the Whip Review Committee awarded the historic prize to the original runner-up, Manxman (Ire) (Cracksman...

The restriction on runners from overseas in certain, low-grade Flat handicaps has been removed, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) announced on Wednesday. Only horses trained by BHA-licensed trainers had been able to compete in Class 5 and 6 handicaps between September 1 and December 31, since the restriction was introduced at the beginning of 2023, at the conclusion of the broader COVID-related restrictions. The BHA reported that it was put in place "in order to maximise opportunities for the horse population". The topic has since been reviewed by the Racing...

It was confirmed on Tuesday by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) that Alphonse Le Grande (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), first past the post in Saturday's Cesarewitch Handicap at Newmarket, has been disqualified after apprentice jockey Jamie Powell was found to have used his whip above the permitted level. The race has been awarded to the original runner-up, Manxman (Ire) (Cracksman {GB}). In a statement, the BHA said, "Following his ride on Alphonse Le Grande in the Club Godolphin Cesarewitch Handicap on Saturday 12 October, apprentice jockey Jamie Powell was...

Several changes have been made to the 2024/2025 UK mares' Jump Pattern and Listed programme by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA)'s Jump Pattern Committee. These changes were made to build on the continued success of the mares' programme over the previous 10 years. Since 2015 the following has occurred in the mares' programme: Horses in training (increased from 19.7% of the horse population to 23.9%) Individual runners (increased from 19.5% to 23.5%) Individual runners rated 140+ (increased from 3.9% to 9.1%) To further optimise and bolster the mares' NH programme, ...

The nation's racetracks appear primed for compliance with the first set of uniform receiving barn cleanliness, maintenance and security regulations. Just how stringent these rules will be remains up in the air. Back in August, the TDN took a dive into the issues that stakeholders frequently raise about the nation's fleet of receiving barns. This included the potential for unclean stalls, or receiving barns in poor overall physical condition, to cause environmental contamination through left behind trace drug residues. Last month, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) issued for...