Julie Harrington: racing needs to sort out governance issues or risk 'paralysis'

British racing needs to find a resolution to the debate over how it is run or risk "paralysis", BHA chief executive Julie Harrington has warned.

Harrington was speaking in a Racing Post interview in which she described 2022 as being a "pivotal" year for the sport.

One of the many other issues facing the governing body is the government's gambling review, about which Harrington said the BHA had been warning officials of the possible unintended consequences of proposals around affordability checks for punters.

The role of the BHA in leading British racing has been cast in doubt after concerns about the sport's tripartite governance structure between the BHA, racecourses and horsemen came to a head last autumn.

The catalyst was the last-minute breakdown in talks between Arena Racing Company and the Horsemen's Group over prize-money agreements.

A deal to increase prize-money in return for nine-race cards faltered at the 11th hour after two members of the Horsemen's Group – the National Trainers Federation and Professional Jockeys Association – baulked at elements of the agreement, with the BHA unwilling to implement a required change to the rules unless there was unanimous agreement between all parties.

The role of the BHA in leading British racing has been cast in doubt after concerns about the sport's tripartite governance structureCredit: Getty Images

That led to representatives of racecourses and horsemen seeking to gain a more dominant position over decision making while pushing the BHA towards a predominantly regulatory role in the sport.

A proposal was made to the BHA board in November that racecourse representatives and horsemen would hold greater sway in non-regulatory and commercial decisions, such as the fixture list, while the BHA would instead be relegated increasingly to racing's regulator, through the creation of a new sub-body that would be free of input from racecourses and horsemen.

Harrington said progress had been made but the body's own internal strategy and structures review had stalled because of the uncertainty over the BHA's future.

"We absolutely need to resolve our discussions about how we effectively organise ourselves. I think it is imperative we resolve these discussions in 2022 otherwise we will paralyse the sport," she added.

Julie Harrington: 'It's imperative we get organised, otherwise we'll paralyse the sport' (Members' Club)

Harrington also argued that the sport needed the BHA to take an impartial view of the sport's direction.

She said: "Of course there are areas where stakeholders might want more control because it affects them commercially, but my view is the only body that can be empowered to take decisions for the long-term stewardship of the sport is the BHA."

Harrington said British racing supported the government's review of gambling legislation, but had been in discussions with ministers and officials over concerns about aspects of the potential reforms.

There are fears that punters could be put off betting on the sport if affordability checks are too intrusive, with estimates that the most stringent rules could wipe £60 million or more from British racing's revenues per annum.

Harrington said: "Are we saying that casual punter is going to go and seek out the black market? No, if we just make it too much of a faff for them they will just go and do something else instead."

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