'I think we're running out of time' - how division, distrust and secret plans brought British racing to crisis point

Simon Cox becomes BHA chair on October 1; the organisation he will lead is half-owned by the Racecourse Association. How long that remains the case is far from clear.

Like the sport's participants, who collectively own the other 50 per cent of the governing body, Britain's racecourses are united in their enthusiasm for Cox. Where they are not united is in how they should be represented, both collectively and at the very highest level of the BHA. Indeed, the unrest among courses is so serious it looks set to present Cox with an immediate crisis.

Central to it all is the Jockey Club. Ascot revealed its intention to leave the RCA before the Jockey Club and Taunton announced its resignation after the Jockey Club, yet due to the fact it operates 15 tracks, the Jockey Club's planned exit at the end of this year has triggered by far the most concern and uncertainty.