Arc chairman slams BHA in furious fallout from aborted prize-money deal

A series of seemingly furious communications has laid bare in extraordinary fashion the extent to which relations have deteriorated between Arena Racing Company (Arc), the BHA and other powerful figures in racing.

The emails and letters from early this month, which have been seen by the Racing Post, followed the failure of a deal proposed by Arc, which the racecourse group believed would generate an extra £5 million in prize-money for the sport.

Arc chairman David Thorpe went as far as to say the BHA's conduct had been "a significant factor in the deal failing" in a letter dated November 9 to his opposite number at the ruling body, Annamarie Phelps, which was copied to the entire BHA board as well as Emma Lavelle, president of the National Trainers Federation. "Racing's leadership is guilty of self-harm," he concluded.