72-hour declarations: Hannon hopes BHA move will raise excitement for punters

Former champion trainer Richard Hannon believes the potential inconveniences caused by having to declare horses three days before racing could be offset by whetting the appetites of action-starved fans and providing additional interest in the sport.

As part of its latest update to stakeholders on Tuesday, the BHA revealed all races would require final fields to be declared three days before meetings take place "until further notice".

The addition of an extra 24 hours to the declarations process, which will mean the runners for the planned first day of racing at Newcastle on June 1 will be published a week on Friday, has been brought in due to the added logistical and administrative requirements on trainers as a result of the strict health and safety protocols put in place to mitigate against infection.

'They'll have three days to study the form'

Hannon, who operates two yards and has more than 100 horses in his care, is likely to be among the trainers heavily represented in the opening week of racing's resumption, and is prepared for whatever measures are necessary to restart the sport for the first time since March 17.

He said: "We've dealt with 24 and 48-hour decs in the past and right now all we're thinking about is getting back racing by whatever form or function.

"Obviously, the longer there is between declarations and the race the greater the potential to affect things more substantially, so that's something we'll have to consider [when declaring horses] but it's a price we'll have to pay to begin with to get things back going.

"By the same token, maybe it'll be a positive thing in that it might spark more interest from people as they'll have three days to study the form and go through the races and get excited about it all."

He added: "It feels like the first month of the season in many ways but obviously it's a lot later than that and there are a lot more horses to run now and people are keen to get going."

'Return to usual declaration cycle possible'

Hannon's acceptance of the amended procedure was echoed by the National Trainers Federation (NTF), with everyone needing time to get used to the new protocols for going racing.

Rupert Arnold, NTF chief executive, said: "The NTF understands the need for some additional time between declarations and raceday to implement the new protocols that are essential to ensure racing resumes safely.

"As we all gain experience of these protocols, a return to the usual declaration cycle should be possible."

The BHA was not able to provide any specific timetable for the use of 72-hour declarations, but insisted the change had been agreed by all parties and would be in place no longer than necessary.

A spokesman said: "We're hoping that 72-hour decs will be a very temporary measure to assist with the logistics in the early days of resuming racing. It is a short-term insurance policy and might not be required for long once everything is up and running."

Read more:

BHA widens pool for Royal Ascot two-year-old runners after trainer backlash

Racing set to resume on June 1 with all-weather fixture at Newcastle

International runners given green light to compete in Guineas and Coronation Cup

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