British Horse Racing

Britain’s winningest trainer spoke out this week on limitations of whip use, telling Racing Post’s Andrew Dietz he believes a whip ban would threaten the existence of racing. Unlike American riders, who have resisted whip bans or limitations on the grounds that crops help them control a horse’s direction in an emergency, Mark Johnston believes […]

A British study finds the week-to-week workload for jockeys, grooms, and trainers in racing there “potentially seems unsustainable individually or organisationally” based on long working hours, lack of overtime pay, and a normalization of a lack of work/life balance. The majority of those surveyed reported they were currently experiencing stress, anxiety or depression related to […]

The strain of equine influenza involved in the outbreak in the UK has been identified as the “Florida Clade 1” strain, which the British Horseracing Authority explains is endemic to North and South America and different from the “Clade 2” strain which is endemic to Europe. British horses are reported to be vaccinated against both […]

Britain’s Professional Jockeys Association is calling for additional research and awareness to sexual diversity in racing after a study indicates riders feel uncomfortable with publicly identifying as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. Research from the University of Liverpool was presented to racing insiders earlier this week at the Horseracing Industry Conference, demonstrating the number of gay, […]

A project out of Britain’s Liverpool John Moores University is entering the final phase in its quest to understand the status of mental/emotional health for those working in Thoroughbred racing. Funded in part by a grant from The Racing Foundation, postgraduate researcher Will McConn told HorseTalk New Zealand he hopes the research will provide a […]

British racecourses are pushing for authorities to keep drones out of the sky during races because the tracks say the drones’ video feeds give bettors an unfair advantage, reports the Daily Mail. Video can be transmitted from drones seconds faster than a traditional TV broadcast, and racing officials say bettors are buying those feeds for […]

Just because retired steeplechase jockey AP McCoy isn’t chasing win records anymore doesn’t mean he’s stepped away from the jumps racing scene. An inconspicuous point-to-point winner in England marked a new phase in McCoy’s new career, according to The Racing Post. Hudson Yard, who won at the Chaddesley Corbett point-to-point at Worcestershire for trainer Ciaran […]

Top British jockey Lester Piggott is said to be improving after being hospitalized last weekend. Piggott, who has a history of cardiac problems, is undergoing a series of routine tests but is in good spirits, according to his family. Piggott, 83, rode the winners of nine Epsom Derbys and 5,300 races during his career. Stateside, […]

A project that hopes to take horse racing to the streets next year in major metro areas got a boost Wednesday with a trial run at a British racecourse. According to the Racing Post, both trainers and jockeys gave a thumbs up to the exhibition, which took place at Aintree, where a temporary three-furlong artificial […]

The British Horseracing Authority is looking into an incident at Nottingham Wednesday that has left a sour taste in the mouth of one owner. Craig Buckingham tells the Racing Post he’s considering quitting the sport after what happened in the Sprint Final of the Grassroot Series. As the horses were being loaded into the gates, […]