Milton Harris to appeal against decision to remove training licence indefinitely

Milton Harris has appealed against a decision by the licensing committee not to grant him a licence after he was deemed not to be a fit and proper person to train in Britain.

Last Wednesday, the licensing committee said that Harris was “ungovernable” when publishing its decision and reasons for not allowing him to return to training following the suspension of his licence by the BHA in November.

In response to a question by the Racing Post on whether he would appeal the decision, Harris said via text message on Wednesday: “I am appealing.”

The BHA confirmed on Wednesday that Harris had lodged an appeal and would provide further detail on the hearing "in due course".

The Grade 1-winning trainer said he had received death threats since the licensing committee decision last week and that members of staff working at his yard, which is being overseen by his assistant, Tony Charlton, had also received abusive messages in the days since the hearing.

Harris was found to be in multiple breaches of his licence by the licensing committee following a week-long hearing last month. 

As well as acting as a company director and trading in bloodstock on behalf of the company he was employed by when not permitted to, Harris was also deemed to have bullied and harassed fellow trainer Simon Earle and engaged in “inappropriate” behaviour with two female workers at his yard.

Harris had been in his second stint as a trainer having initially had his licence removed in 2011 after being made bankrupt. He was relicensed in 2018 and has enjoyed considerable success, most notably when winning his first Grade 1 with Knight Salute at Aintree in 2022.

The BHA said last week that no decision would be made on the temporary licence granted to Charlton in December until at least the seven-day window for Harris to appeal had passed. Charlton has saddled six winners since taking over and had representatives at the White Turf meeting in St Moritz, Switzerland at the weekend.

Charlton also has one entry for the Cheltenham Festival, with Westerninthepark among 63 horses remaining in the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle.

Read these next:

'Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to stick a few into him' - the shocking behaviour that brought down Milton Harris 

Milton Harris has training licence removed indefinitely as committee rules he is 'not a fit and proper person' 

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