'Behind the times' - stable staff boss calls for cultural change in British racing in wake of Milton Harris verdict

British racing needs to use the findings against Milton Harris by a licensing committee as a wake-up call for the culture within the sport, the boss of the stable staff union said on Thursday.

George McGrath, chief executive of the National Association of Racing Staff, said the case highlighted how the sport was “behind the times” in Britain and that a wider appreciation of how staff and employers interact across different parts of racing was essential in learning lessons for the future.

On Wednesday, Harris was deemed to be “ungovernable” by a licensing committee, who decided he was not a fit and proper person to train. Among the findings against the former trainer were that he conducted a campaign of “bullying and harassment” against trainer Simon Earle and that he engaged in “inappropriate” behaviour with two female members of staff.

McGrath praised the BHA for its handling of the case, but stressed the sport needed to take a broader view of the outcome if it were to move forward in the correct manner.

He said: “It’s important that we recognise how seriously the BHA took this case and how they handled the case. They also handled this case in a timely fashion, which is not something that you can always say of them. 

George McGrath: "Anyone who employs someone in racing needs to think about how they talk to people"Credit: Edward Whitaker

“The big picture here is the culture is something that we need to move the dial on in British racing. This is an extremely bad case, and not everyone in racing treats their employees like this, but we need to move away from the thought of trainers just training and to start viewing them as employers as well. As such, the detailed findings of the BHA and the committee are a step forward in realising that. 

“Anyone who employs someone in racing — be they a trainer, a racecourse, a stud, or a newspaper — needs to think about how they talk to people and we all need to think about how we speak with each other as well. That’s where we would like to see this taken. Racing is behind the times on this and that cannot be the case.”

In a statement after the findings were published, Harris said he was “disappointed” with the conclusion and that he was prioritising his horses, staff and owners while reviewing the licensing committee’s report. 

Harris’s assistant Tony Charlton has been running the yard since being granted a temporary licence in December, with the BHA reiterating on Thursday that no decision would be made regarding the yard’s operation until at least the seven-day window for appealing against the findings had closed.

Since the licensing committee published its report, the Racing Post has seen abusive social media messages directed at stable staff working for, or speaking in support of, Harris. In one, a stable staff employee is called "a c***" and told that they will have no future working in the sport.

McGrath said: “You would like to think we live in a society where someone might reach out to ask how someone is and how they are feeling rather than criticising them and being abusive because of who they are working for.”

Read more:

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

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

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