The right man but the wrong process: misgivings over Saumarez Smith's extension

It's always best to clear the decks before a Christmas break and the BHA took the opportunity to do just that with a couple of bits of news in the week leading up to the holidays.

One announcement concerned an eight per cent rise in fees for participants this year and, while the BHA was at pains to point out the increase was below the inflation rate, it is an argument that is unlikely to mollify the people who pay those fees.

The other news item concerned the governing body's chair Joe Saumarez Smith and the decision made by the BHA and its members to extend his term of office.