Time of the essence in Harman's dealings with government

It has been a tumultuous last seven days for British horseracing, what with the government's decision to cut FOBT stakes to £2 and the compromise deal at the BHA, which means chairman Steve Harman will leave the position early but still retain a role in the sport until at least the end of 2019.

The two events are now linked, with Harman heading an industry-wide effort to work with government to find a way of mitigating the multi-million pound loss of income the sport could suffer from large-scale betting shop closures.

The sport has estimated that £40 million to £60m a year could be slashed from British racing's finances if the bookmaker predictions regarding shop closures are correct.