Latest news with #BritishHorseracingAuthority
Powys County Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Powys County Times
BHA announces delay to Lord Allen's tenureship
Lord Charles Allen will not begin a new era as chairman of the British Horseracing Authority early next month as originally planned. A statement from the ruling body confirmed that Lord Allen will delay taking over at the helm as he wished to continue to meet all stakeholders to 'better inform his vision'. The statement read: 'Since Lord Allen was named as the new chair of the BHA last November he has engaged in an extensive round of meetings with stakeholders to develop a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the issues facing the sport. 'The BHA can today confirm that Lord Allen will not now start on June 2 as he wishes to continue meeting stakeholders to better inform his vision for the sport and he looks forward to starting his new role once these have concluded.' Lord Allen, a former chief executive at ITV who was also on the organising committee of the London 2012 Olympics, was announced as the successor to the late Joe Saumarez Smith in November.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
British racing's leadership in disarray after Lord Allen delays arrival at top
Lord Charles Allen, who is set to be the next chair of the British Horseracing Authority. Lord Charles Allen, who is set to be the next chair of the British Horseracing Authority. Photograph: PA Images/Alamy The administration of British racing appeared to be in disarray on Friday following confirmation by the British Horseracing Authority that Lord Charles Allen, who was due to take over as the BHA's new permanent chair in three days' time, will delay his arrival to an unspecified date in order to 'better inform his vision for the sport'. In a brief statement, the BHA said: 'Since Lord Allen was named as the new chair of the BHA last November, he has engaged in an extensive round of meetings with stakeholders to develop a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the issues facing the sport. Advertisement Related: Going gets tricky for tracks on a bank holiday when fans were short-changed 'The BHA can today confirm that Lord Allen will not now start on June 2 as he wishes to continue meeting stakeholders to better inform his vision for the sport and he looks forward to starting his new role once these have concluded.' Lord Allen, whose business career prior to becoming a life peer in 2013 included senior roles with Granada TV, EMI, Virgin Media and Endemol, was also a member of the bid team which secured the 2012 Olympics for London, and chair of the Manchester Commonwealth Games from 2000 to 2003. Lord Allen was described as 'a candidate whose record speaks for itself' by David Jones, the chair of the BHA's Nominations Committee, when his appointment was announced seven months ago. Advertisement Dissenting voices soon emerged among some stakeholders, however, most notably when Ralph Beckett, a former president of the National Trainers' Federation (NTF), told the organisation's annual meeting in March that Lord Allen did not have an obvious background in the sport and that 'anybody going into that role is not going to grasp hold of the role straight away', adding: 'it takes time in the role and we don't have time.' At the heart of concerns among trainers, owners and other racing professionals – whose views are represented by the Thoroughbred Group (TG) – is a long-standing conviction that the balance of power in the industry is tilted heavily towards racecourses. A new governance structure for the sport which was introduced in 2022 aimed to shift ultimate authority in significant decisions towards the BHA, but the TG remains sceptical over the extent to which racecourses are returning a fair amount of their income to participants in prize money. The apparent implication of Friday's announcement is that Lord Allen concurs with Beckett's critique in March and needs more time to get to grips with the industry's overall structure and factional internal politics. The concern for the BHA is that he will ultimately conclude that the role is a poisoned chalice and better left untouched. Volterra can prove an each-way steal Audience, the narrow favourite for the John of Gaunt Stakes at Haydock on Saturday, registered wins at both Group One and Group Two level last year, but he has been well below form over six furlongs on his last two starts and makes little appeal at around 7-2 for what could be a strong renewal of this Group Three contest. Advertisement Owen Burrows's Alyanaabi, successful over course and distance last time, and the evergreen Kinross, the winner of this race four years ago, both have strong claims, but at longer odds, Kevin Ryan's Volterra (3.33) is an interesting each-way alternative at around 16-1. The four-year-old is stepping up from handicaps to take on seasoned Group-race performers, but was a winner first time up last season, has just eight races in the book and stormed clear of a deep field in the style of a fast-improving colt on his final start at three. Haydock 1.48 The lightly raced four-year-olds Durham Castle and Fine Interview head the betting and both have scope for significant progress through the handicap ranks this term. Hamad Al Jehani's gelding has had a run already, however, and that could tip the balance in his favour here. Chester 2.10 A double-figure draw is never ideal here but Yanifer, in 10, was a winner from stall 12 over this trip last summer, when Never So Brave, the early 3-1 favourite for this race, was behind him in seventh. Never So Brave has since been gelded and switched to Andrew Balding, but he has been off the course for 239 days and 10-1 about Yanifer is too big. Advertisement Haydock 2.23 Jasour ran in four consecutive Group Ones after a successful seasonal debut last year and while his form tailed off after finishing sixth in the July Cup, he returns after a wind operation with an obvious chance dropping in grade. York 2.40 All 13 runners have an each-way chance at least but Kodiac Thriller was a comfortable winner at Thirsk earlier this month and William Pyle's 3lb claim could tip the balance his way. Haydock 1.13 Naqeeb 1.48 Fine Interview (nap) 2.23 Jasour 2.58 Shaha 3.33 Volterra 4.08 Arabian Leopard 4.43 Organ York 1.30 Bona Fortuna 2.05 Tadej 2.40 Kodiac Thriller (nb) 3.15 Term Of Endearment 3.50 Singoura 4.25 Urban Glimpse 5.00 Delicacy Advertisement Chester 1.35 Breckenbrough 2.10 Yanifer 2.45 Tricky Tel 3.20 Surrey Belle 3.55 Spirit Of Acklam 4.30 Nazuki 5.05 Magella Cloud 5.35 Yellow Card Southwell 4.20 Agent Mayfair 4.55 Master Zack 5.25 Imperial Guard 5.55 Young Endless 6.25 Coedana 6.55 Down To The Kid 7.25 Create Stratford-On-Avon 5.30 Old Bridge 6.00 Iskar D'Airy 6.30 Clear Storm 7.00 Fillyfudge 7.30 Up For Parol 8.00 Ashtown Lad 8.30 Nickelforce 9.00 Supreme Yeats Lingfield 5.40 Golden Phase 6.10 Cavalry Call 6.40 Twilight Star 7.10 Assaranca 7.40 Havana Whisper 8.10 Harbour Vision 8.40 Mart Haydock 2.58 Two of the last three winners of this Group Three have gone on to win at Group One level later in the campaign and the impeccably-bred Shaha promises to be a filly to follow after a comfortable success at Goodwood last time. York 3.15 Term Of Endearment, last year's winner of this race, went through the ring for 1.3m gns (£1.37m) in the autumn and remains relatively lightly raced for a six-year-old. This looks an ideal contest to register a first success for her new trainer, William Haggas.
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Jockey banned for 12 years to make dramatic return to horse racing
Greg Fairley was a rising star of horse racing and champion apprentice on the Flat in 2007 but was cast out of the sport in disgrace in 2011 Greg Fairley, the 2007 champion apprentice warned off for 12 years for stopping a horse and passing on information, is to make a controversial return to the saddle. Fairley was once one of the rising stars of Flat racing, riding 381 winners in Britain and enjoying success at the top level when Lady Jane Digby, trained by his former boss Mark Johnston, landed a Group 1 contest in Germany in 2010. But the Scot was cast out of the sport in disgrace in December 2011 after a British Horseracing Authority disciplinary panel found him guilty of not riding The Staffy on his merits at Wolverhampton in March 2009. The panel, which in addition banned jockey Paul Doe for 12 years - Kirsty Milczarek was suspended for two years and Jimmy Quinn for six months - also found Fairley guilty of passing on privileged information for reward. Fairley, now 37, has worked as a tree surgeon during his period of exclusion but began riding work for trainer Sandy Thomson in 2021. And the path has been cleared for a race-riding comeback after Fairley's successful application for the return of his jockey's licence. 'We are satisfied that Mr Fairley is now a person who can be trusted,' concluded the licensing committee, which admitted finding the case 'very difficult to determine'. 'We tend to the view that, given his experience over the last 12-13 years, he is unlikely ever to engage in dishonest or corrupt behaviour again and unlikely to breach any integrity Rules,' it added. Charlie Johnston, who succeeded his father at the helm of the Kingsley Park Stables in Middleham in 2023, backed Fairley to rebuild his career. 'I was at university at the time it happened,' he said, 'but he was a big part of the team. 'The year he was champion apprentice, Joe [Fanning] had a bad fall at Glorious Goodwood and missed the rest of the season. 'Greg got thrust into taking a large proportion of the ride, including at Group level, even though he was still a claimer. 'He was a talented jockey. His misdemeanours were on horses not associated with us and I'm sure he regrets going down that path. 'But he's served a long and tough sentence and fair play to him for having the courage to try and come back. 'He phoned last night and said, 'This is going to be hitting the press, and I wanted you and Mark to know before it came out.' 'I'm sure there will be some owners who are still in the yard who had some success with him in years gone by. 'He's going to have to rebuild those relationships but I'm sure he will work hard at that.'
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Going gets tricky for tracks on a bank holiday when fans were short-changed
Bank holiday cards in May are perennially among the best-attended meetings of the season at Windsor, but a bumper gate at the track on Monday was not matched by a similar turnout on the other side of the running rail. Two dozen non-runners from an original total of 90 declared runners, almost all of which were due to the good-to-firm going, left the card as a whole looking distinctly threadbare. The biggest hit was to the initial 15-runner field for a 10-furlong handicap, with a £10k prize to the winner, which ended up with just six starters are eight ground-related scratchings and another due to a bad scope. Advertisement Bank holiday crowds are a lifeline for plenty of the country's smaller tracks. It is – and there is no shame in it – a case of never mind the quality, feel the width. The paying punters do not expect to see next year's Derby winner running in the novice but they do expect excitement and a spectacle. On that basis, the depleted fields at Windsor on Monday were not a good look. It is a look, though, that promises to become increasingly familiar, at least if Charlie Rees, Windsor's clerk of the course, is correct. 'I think it's just a sign of the times, really,' Rees told the Racing Post. 'Trainers are obviously desperate for a bit of cut in the ground for certain horses and unfortunately the promised rain we were once forecast hasn't delivered.' Rees had watered the track in the run-up to Monday's card and it was officially good when the course raced on Saturday evening – and reported as good, good-to-soft in places at 7am on Saturday morning – but no rainfall and strong winds combined to dry it out to good-to-firm in 48 hours. The British Horseracing Authority's general instructions to racecourses state that Flat tracks 'should aim to provide good-to-firm ground', but that description has become an increasing rarity in British Flat racing over the last 20 years, as clerks of the course have turned on the taps with increasing regularity and persistence. While 46% of Flat races in the 2005 season were run on good-to-firm going or faster, by 2024 the figure was down to just 29%. Advertisement Over jumps, meanwhile, the BHA instruction is that tracks 'should aim to provide good ground, and no firmer than good-to-firm.' The extent to which officials have taken this to heart is evident from the fact that just 31 National Hunt races were run on good-to-firm ground in 2024 (and eight of those were at meetings staged in mid-November). The primary welfare issue around the speed of the ground has always been seen as the rate of fatal and serious injuries to runners, and the statistics leave no doubt that racing on good-to-firm ground, over jumps in particular, has a higher fatality rate than competing on an easier surface. On the Flat, meanwhile, while the fatality rate is much lower overall – just 0.09% in 2024, representing 55 fatal injuries from 59,194 starts – but the chance of a minor injury or issue – getting 'jarred-up', for instance – is also higher on faster ground. So good-to-firm ground will remain a sticking point for many owners and trainers, despite being the BHA's official 'target' for racecourses, and while Windsor's depleted card on Monday is still a relative rarity, in the medium-to-long term, as global temperatures are predicted to creep ever higher and water becomes an increasingly precious – and therefore expensive – resource, the clerks can expect to be fighting a losing battle. Advertisement Leicester: 2.00 Rock On Thunder 2.30 Bust A Moon 3.00 Pina Sonata 3.30 Me Tarzan 4.00 Sixteen One 4.35 Antelope (nb) 5.10 Dashing Donkey. Redcar: 2.20 Bleep Test 2.50 Captain Brett 3.20 Mafting 3.50 Jet Black 4.20 Poet's Dawn 4.55 Bantz 5.25 Four Adaay. Brighton: 2.40 Danehill Star 3.10 Senorita Vega 3.40 Twilight Guest 4.10 Oj Lifestyle 4.45 Callout (nap) 5.15 Pop Dancer. Wolverhampton: 6.12 Bone Marra 6.42 Cajole 7.12 The Feminine Urge 7.42 Wyvern 8.12 Latin 8.42 Tralee Girl. Smaller tracks in particular could start to find that maintaining an acceptable racing surface – or acceptable to the majority of trainers and owners, at any rate – is no longer economically viable. The sport is currently spending £3.62m on a marketing campaign to attract a fresh new generation of fans, the results of which remain to be seen. Future-proofing the sport to ensure the racegoers of 2035 and beyond have something to watch, however, promises to be an even sterner challenge.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
I asked Chat GPT how to save horse racing – this is what it told me
I hate memorial services. The idea that one can celebrate something wonderful that has gone is anathema to me. But I felt privileged to be in St Bride's Church in Fleet Street last week to hear about the extraordinary life of Joe Saumarez Smith, the former chairman of the British Horseracing Authority. Trainer John Gosden's rigorously edited rendition of An Equestrian's Prayer hit the spot: 'Dear God in heaven,Give me strength to guide my horse,Make my hands soft and my head clear...' Joe's head was clear right up to the end. Only days before he died he was texting executives at the BHA to highlight how Artificial Intelligence can help horse racing. So when Great British Racing announced a new £3.62 million advertising campaign the next day, I followed Joe's prompting and asked ChatGPT how it would spend that money. The GBR campaign will be aimed at 'people who have never had a relationship with racing but are open to it' and 'casual fans who have either lapsed or are attending only once a year'. I would imagine readers of this column are more likely to fall into the latter category. So with the same guiding principles, I set the brains at ChatGPT to work. And in approximately three seconds I had a very impressive-looking campaign mapped out. Worth a hundred thousand pounds of any client's money in the old days, although it didn't include a boozy lunch in Langan's Brasserie on expenses. But is it genius or is it all fur coat and no knickers? There are 10 main categories of action, which is a slightly suspicious round number, if you ask me. 'Create engaging content' such as 'educational resources', which I think is another way of saying make an idiot's guide, is its first suggestion. That sounds like old hat but 'behind-the-scenes' video content feels as if it could be a YouTube hit as long as it does not just trot out the usual suspects. The best stories in racing are the lives of the people who look after the horses. The second suggestion is that racing should create challenges and contests for participants, who may be fans one day, to play on Instagram and TikTok. And that for me is the knockout idea, as long as it incorporates data creation and interpretation. I have been involved in an idea to create a Virtual horse racing game that could have garnered millions of online horse racing fans. But like so many of these projects, it has fallen by the wayside. And more's the shame. There have been other attempts to recreate what it is like to own and train racehorses, and make decisions that carry real jeopardy, but nothing of any substance. A rather less original suggestion is that racing should enter into 'influencer partnerships', but its lack of originality is not to say that it is a bad idea. If it works for big retail brands it can work for racing. However, imagine the Jockey Club, for example, trying to justify paying hundreds of thousands of pounds to someone like Bella Poarch or Addison Rae? The chances are you have never even heard of them. Nor had I, but according to ChatGPT they are the most popular influencers of 21-year-olds in the UK. Although that can change rapidly! As can your job as CEO of the Jockey Club after you have handed them the money. There are other smart suggestions such as collaborating with other sports and brands. Ascot has shown how well that works with international insurance group Howden when it comes to getting bums on seats at Christmas. But the only other idea that did not sound as if it had come out of a second-rate marketing agency was to 'leverage technology', particularly 'augmented reality experiences'. Racing needs to invest heavily in augmented reality. So few people are lucky enough to ride a horse in a race, so the sport needs to spend big on technology that allows fans to understand what it feels like. Golf has done that, Formula 1 likewise. Of course the question you should now be asking yourself is who actually wrote this column? Charlie Brooks or ChatGPT? And if it is the former, for how much longer? Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
