Jockey Club to set up breakaway group as it quits Racecourse Association with demands for a greater say in British racing

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The Jockey Club has started work on creating a breakaway group to give it a greater say in the running of British racing following its dramatic decision to quit the Racecourse Association.

It will join Ascot in giving up its membership of the racecourses' trade body at the end of the year and has already begun work on establishing a new organisation "to pursue a vision based on the long-term sustainability of the sport". The new organisation is needed, Jockey Club chief executive Jim Mullen said, because of fears the Racecourse Association (RCA) would continue to "stifle" changes the Jockey Club believes are vital to the success of the sport.

On Saturday, the RCA revealed two key recommendations following its review, which began in March, following a demand for change from some of Britain's most powerful racecourses.

However, those changes did not do enough to ease Jockey Club concerns and Mullen told the Racing Post: "We just want to be heard and we don't want to be stifled and covered up in opinions of minority or majority groups. We just want to say let the BHA hear our opinion about what we think is for the good of quality and sustainable racing. That's all we wanted.

• How months of infighting has spilled out into a racecourse civil war  

"We couldn't get it, so we decided we will go alone. Ascot is aligned with us and hopefully there are other racecourse groups who feel the same way. If not, we completely respect that."

However, Mullen said other racecourse stakeholders needed to answer questions on whether they supported an independent BHA board and optimisation of the fixture list.

He added: "If you don't have a political voice then you can't affect that affirmative action, that's all I would say." 

'The RCA’s proposals fail to address our fundamental concern'

The move raises major questions over the governance of British racing.

The RCA said it would be moving from its one member, one vote structure to one based on a 25 per cent share for each of its four main constituent groups – the Jockey Club, Arena Racing Company, the Large Independent group – which includes Ascot, Chester, Newbury, Goodwood and York – and the small independent tracks.

It also said it would no longer be responsible for appointing two members of the BHA board, which would instead be given to representatives independent of the RCA's board and executive.

The Jockey Club has announced it will be leaving the RCACredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

In a statement released on Monday morning, Mullen said the Jockey Club had set out that the review needed to address the RCA's role in representing racecourses politically through its 50 per cent share in the BHA.

He added: “This review has addressed the RCA's internal arrangements, but not the constitutional arrangements through which racecourses collectively exercise their influence over the governance of British racing. The RCA’s proposals fail to address our fundamental concern that the RCA can continue to act to stifle the necessary changes needed in the industry."

Chief among concerns cited by Mullen were that the RCA would vote against “substantive changes” to the fixture list and the introduction of an independent BHA board, both of which he claimed were essential for the long-term benefit of the sport.

He said: “Nothing proposed would displace the RCA as the political representative of British racecourses and in our view, confirmed by recent discussions, the RCA would continue to vote against necessary changes such as the introduction of an independent BHA board and substantive changes to the fixture list."

The 15 influential tracks for which the Jockey Club is responsible 

• Aintree
• Carlisle
• Cheltenham
• Epsom
• Exeter
• Haydock
• Huntingdon
• Kempton
• Market Rasen
• Newmarket (July Course)
• Newmarket (Rowley Mile)
• Nottingham
• Sandown
• Warwick
• Wincanton

Plans for new racecourse organisation under way

Mullen said the Jockey Club planned to work with Ascot and “other like-minded industry partners" on a new organisation to pursue its aims.

He told the Racing Post that the group was at an "embryonic" stage, adding: "Clearly we've been thinking about what that looks like. 

"As chief executive, the stewards of the Jockey Club asked me 'in the event of this happening what is the plan?'. Those plans have started and we'll hopefully be speaking to like-minded groups who share the same view, so we can represent them, and which we think is for the long-term good of British racing.

"We've started. Teams have been working on it and we continue to do so and that plan is now live."

With the Jockey Club joining Ascot in leaving the RCA at the end of the year – Plumpton left in 2024 – this schism is likely to increase scrutiny on the organisation’s position as a representative group for racecourses within the BHA.

Mullen said in the Jockey Club's statement: "We accept that other racecourses may wish to pursue different avenues to reform the RCA and we respect their choice, but we believe that at the heart of this debate is the core principle that racing must be able to tackle the challenges it faces, free from self-interest and short-term priorities and this is best achieved by an independent BHA which is able to take input from all stakeholders but ultimately empowered to make timely and effective decisions in the best interests of the sport overall.”

Responding to the news, a BHA spokesperson said: “The BHA will continue to liaise with the racecourses and other constituent bodies regarding the sport’s governance structure, and consider all proposals made. 

"This engagement will include the incoming BHA chair [Simon Cox], who formally takes up the role from October 1. Our priority will always be to ensure that British racing is in the best position to support ongoing efforts to strengthen and grow our industry."

The RCA, Ascot, Chester, Goodwood, Newbury and York all declined to comment when approached by the Racing Post.

Read these next:

'It goes a long way to meeting the required outcomes' - Newbury supports RCA review 

Jockey Club brands timing of RCA's governance review 'tone deaf' amid speculation it will leave 

'This is what we've been after' - RCA review quells Goodwood and York concerns

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