Refusal to reschedule lost races is an early sign of BHA's changing priorities

It might not be the the most thunderous statement of intent, but the BHA's decision not to reschedule any of the races from last weekend's lost jumps cards at Cheltenham and Doncaster might be an early illustration of the governing body's newly awarded powers.

Agreement was reached last month on a new governance structure for British racing in which the BHA board becomes the ultimate decision-making authority for the sport. The new structure, finally agreed after a year of discussions between the sport's main power brokers, was regarded as a vital foundation for work on a long-term strategy, led by the BHA, to address the issues that have beset the sport in recent years.

Among those has been a perceived lack of competitiveness, especially among Pattern races over jumps on the road to the Cheltenham Festival.