Body pledges to fight corner for racing and betting public

Chairman Simon Rowlands marked the first anniversary of the Horseracing Bettors Forum's creation by warning the BHA it would "call them out if they do not do the right thing by the racing and betting public".

The HBF, an unpaid body, was set up to give the betting public a voice and is an advisory organisation with no statutory powers.

"We would love to be able to wave a magic wand and solve the ills of racing and of the people who bet on it, who are very important to the funding of the sport, but we have concentrated upon elevating awareness of issues, lobbying important bodies and putting out our own research on important matters," Rowlands said.