BHA will not pursue further action against five riders who missed breath tests

The BHA has said it will take no further action against the five jockeys, including Oisin Murphy and Jim Crowley, who failed to provide a breath sample last month.

Murphy said his absence from Kempton on August 12 was due to haemorrhoids, while less than a week later, Crowley, Taylor Fisher, Harry Burns and Andrew Elliott missed tests at Wolverhampton. 

Crowley and Fisher told the stewards they were forced to turn around before reaching the racecourse with congestion on the roads meaning they would not make it to the track in time. 

In all five instances, the matter was passed on by stewards to the head office at the BHA, which has said it was satisfied with the reasons provided by the jockeys. 

Fontwell launches new chase series with £40,000 final

Fontwell has launched a new 11-race series of chases which will conclude with a £40,000 final on Friday, March 28.

The middle-distance chase series will feature races from 2m1½f to 2m5½f, with the ten qualifiers starting from next month and run as Class 4 and 5 races. All horses who finish in the first eight in any qualifying race will be eligible to enter the final.

Clerk of the course Philip Hide said: "We are delighted to announce this new chase series aimed at the grassroots of the sport, with a final pot worth £40,000. This series will provide a decent target for trainers to aim at with horses that we hope to see regularly throughout the season and underlines our commitment to our much-valued participants.”

Death of racing broadcaster and presenter Chris Barnett at age of 64

Racing broadcaster and presenter Chris Barnett, who called horse and greyhound races for SIS for many years on its betting shop broadcasts, has died at the age of 64.

Errol Blyth from SIS said: "Chris started with us on the German-speaking commentary service but soon branched out to work in retail services. Chris was professional, dependable and flexible and worked at our three sites in London, Salford and Milton Keynes. During his time at SIS he also became part of a syndicate owning greyhounds trained by Bernie Doyle."

Barnett was also a regular presenter and roving racecourse reporter for Betfair/Timeform Radio, including outside broadcasts at the Cheltenham Festival. David Stewart, senior producer for the former channel, said: "Chris was a regular and popular member of the team who was consistently reliable and over the years refined his presenting and interviewing skills alongside his commentary talent. He will be sadly missed by us all." 

Chris Barnett interviewing Frankie Dettori

Barnett also worked for TRP and presented all 277 episodes of The Punter Podcast for CITY AM alongside pundit Bill Esdaile, who said: "I had the honour of working with Chris over the last four years. I've never encountered anyone braver. He struggled with his health throughout that period but never once moaned about his plight. He was a true gentleman and I shall miss him enormously." 

Away from racing, Barnett was a passionate Chelsea fan who loved both music and spending time with his family. including dog Bowie. He leaves his wife Sam, a daughter, and four stepchildren.

Jim Old's 34th charity golf day raises over £21,000 for Injured Jockeys Fund

Champion Hurdle-winning former trainer Jim Old believes more than £21,000 was raised for the Injured Jockeys Fund at the recent 34th staging of his annual golf day.

A team made up of Sir Anthony McCoy, Mick Fitzgerald, Richard Hughes and Jim Faulkner won the overall price at an event supported by the Sir Peter O'Sullevan CharitableTrust.

Forty-four teams took part in the competition held at the Marlborough Golf Club.

Arc signs US deal for Doncaster St Leger meeting winners

A deal to facilitate St Leger Festival winners competing in big North American races through a ‘win and you’re in’ system has been completed.

The partnership between Arena Racing Company and 1/ST, North America’s leading thoroughbred racing and pari-mutuel wagering company will give successful horses an invitation and free entry to some of the top contests in the US.

A victory in the May Hill Stakes will grant the winner an opportunity to run in the $500,000 Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational at Gulfstream Park on January 25, while the same will apply to the winner of the Flying Childers Stakes for the $750,000 California Crown Eddie D Turf Sprint at Santa Anita Park on September 28.

The deal will not just mean horses travelling westwards across the Atlantic as the All-Weather Championships are also set to receive a boost.

For the first time, qualification for the £1,000,000 finals day at Newcastle on Friday, April 18, will open up to horses who have run three times that season on an artificial surface in the US, and the winner of the Carousel Club Handicap at Gulfstream Park in January will receive free entry to the All-Weather Championships Mile Final.

Brendan Parnell, director of media and international at Arc, said: “In extending the qualification criteria for the All-Weather Championships, and the link with Gulfstream Park, we hope we might look to add some further international interest in the £1,000,000 Good Friday fixture, alongside the long standing Irish and French participation.”

Sign up to receive On The Nose, our essential daily newsletter, from the Racing Post. Your unmissable morning feed, direct to your email inbox every morning.