Milton Harris's assistant Tony Charlton granted temporary licence with conditions attached

Milton Harris’s assistant Tony Charlton has been granted a temporary licence to train after an interim suspension was placed on Harris by the BHA last month.

Charlton will take over the running of Harris’s yard in Sutton Veny, Wiltshire, with the BHA stating that the licence had been approved “with agreed conditions attached”.

Harris has not been able to have runners since November 9, when Balboa and Giddyupadingdong were blocked from running at Ludlow by the BHA.

Horses who have remained in Harris’s yard since the trainer’s licence was suspended will be able to run from December 14. However, any horse who has been in a licensed yard and moves to Charlton will be able to run immediately, the BHA said.

In a statement, the BHA said: “Following the interim suspension of Mr Milton Harris’s training licence last month, a temporary training licence has been granted to Mr Tony Charlton, with agreed conditions attached, to train from The Beeches, Sutton Veny. 

“This licence was issued on Thursday, November 30, meaning that in accordance with the rules, horses currently in the care of Mr Charlton will be eligible to race from Thursday, December 14, and horses transferred to Mr Charlton who have already been in training with a licensed trainer for 14 days will be immediately eligible to run.”

The reason for Harris’s licence being suspended has not been specified by the BHA, while Harris has not been reached for comment by the Racing Post. A licensing committee hearing is set to take place next month.

Harris, 64, is in his second spell as a trainer, having spent seven years without a licence after declaring bankruptcy in 2011.

Since returning in 2018, Harris has enjoyed a successful time including a breakthrough at Grade 1 level when Knight Salute was awarded the Jewson Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle at Aintree last year, after initially dead-heating with Pied Piper.

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