British Horseracing Authority (BHA) Chair Annamarie Phelps is due to step down from her role at the sporting body at the close of her term in May. The former Olympic rower will be replaced by Independent Non-Executive Director Joe Saumarez Smith, who will hold the responsibility until the end of his term on the BHA board in September 2023. Smith …
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BHA appoints Raj Parker as regulatory director
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has confirmed the inbound appointment of Raj Parker as an independent non-executive director for UK racing’s governing body. A senior partner of London law firm Freshfields, Parker is recognised as one of the UK’s leading barristers and arbitrators of sports and media law. Parker will join the BHA governance on 1 January 2022, replacing Sir …
Read More »British horse racing makes commitment to diversity and inclusion
British horse racing’s leading authorities have made a commitment to improving diversity and inclusion within the sport in order to ensure it continues to ‘grow and thrive in the future’. The new commitment will build on existing initiatives employed by the sector to promote diversity, including community engagement, education activity and charitable work. Stating that British horse racing is ‘proud …
Read More »Racing dealt another ‘hammer blow’ as DCMS refuses levy review
The Daily Mail has reported that the UK racing industry has been dealt another ‘hammer blow’ after the government has refused to review the duties and timetable of the Betting levy. The newspaper cited a letter from DCMS sports minister Nigel Huddleston, who claims that he has ‘made it clear’ that a review of levy terms will not form any …
Read More »BHA’s Nick Rust honoured with OBE
Nick Rust, the British Horseracing Authority’s Chief Executive, will receive an OBE for his services to the sport of horse racing. Having served in his position for nearly six years, Rust will officially step down as chief executive from 1 January. During his tenure, Rust has dealt with various challenges including the changes to the Levy, overseeing the review of …
Read More »BHA welcomes government review into levy reform
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has reacted positively to the recent announcement by Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston that the government will re-evaluate the timetable for reviewing the betting levy. Originally scheduled for 2024, racing’s Levy review has been brought forward to next year. The levy is a significant source of income for the horseracing industry, as it returns 10% of …
Read More »Sunday Times award ushers the ‘Doyle Era’ for racing
Champion jockey Hollie Doyle has won ‘The Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year’ award, having been recognised as a pioneer on course to become the face of global horseracing. In her third year on the pro-racing circuit, Doyle (24) secured a record-breaking 135 wins from 900 races (15% strike rate), ranked as the fifth-best jockey by GB Racing – the …
Read More »UK racing launches first directory to track the progress of community directives
UK racing has launched its first ‘community directory’ to highlight the work of key stakeholders that are leading projects and directives to improve the sport’s health, welfare, education, participation and community involvement. Backed by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), the directory has been developed by sports charity Racing Together in collaboration with The Racing Foundation and thoroughbred news source Godolphin. …
Read More »UK Racing moves forward on joint approach to reform Levy
UK racing leadership has formed a ‘steering group’ which will present a ‘single set of proposals’ to reform horseracing’s Levy to the government at a critical time for all racing stakeholders. The formation of a new steering group tackling Levy reforms was agreed by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), Jockey Club and The Horsemen’s Group – representing all levels of …
Read More »Julie Harrington takes the reins as BHA CEO
Julie Harrington, Chief Executive of British Cycling, has been selected as the new head of the British Racing Authority, effective as of 4 January 2021. In addition to working for British Cycling, Harrington is also a former member of the BHA Board and was a senior executive with Northern Racing for eight years, having also served as the Managing Director …
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