Anne Lambert named as interim chair of the Levy Board until June 2025

Anne Lambert has been named as interim chair of the Levy Board for a nine-month period while the process to find a candidate to fill the role on a permanent basis is run.

The appointment, made by culture secretary Lisa Nandy, comes following the sudden death of the previous chair Paul Darling last month. Her term will run until June 15, 2025.

Lambert has been a government-appointed member of the Levy Board since April 2020 and is also a board member of the Civil Aviation Authority. 

She was previously an inquiry chair and board member of the Competition and Markets Authority and also worked for the UK government for 30 years, focusing on regulation.

A memorial service for Darling will take place in London on Wednesday, October 23. It will be necessary to apply for a ticket in advance with details on the website of the Middle Temple, middletemple.org.uk.

Chelsea Thoroughbreds founder Richard Morecombe dies aged 60

The founder and president of Chelsea Thoroughbreds, Richard Morecombe, has died at the age of 60.

Morecombe was president of the newly merged investment bank Panmure Liberum, whose chief executive and executive director is prominent jumps owner Rich Ricci.

Emma Spencer, managing director and racing manager of Chelsea Thoroughbreds, said: "It was terribly sudden and completely out of the blue. He was a busy man, he had his 60th birthday in July and loved life.

"I'd known him for 25 years and was closely involved with him on Chelsea Thoroughbreds. He was a good, loyal, kind friend who touched so many people. I've had so many calls.

"He was passionate about racing and absolutely loved it. He'll be sadly missed by a lot of people."

A funeral service will be held at St Luke's & Christ Church in Chelsea, London, at 11am on Wednesday, October 23. A celebration of Morecombe's life will take place at Chelsea Town Hall following the service.

Richard Hannon hearing verdict to come later this month

A BHA disciplinary panel will meet on September 23 to deliberate the findings of a two-day hearing into the positive post-race sample of the Richard Hannon-trained Etonian, with a verdict expected later that week.

Closing statements were made on Wednesday into the investigation surrounding the Solario Stakes winner, who tested positive for the painkiller tramadol after the race in August 2020.

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.”

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