Revealed: owners' association spent £90,000 of levy funds on rebranding exercise

At least £90,000 of levy funding earmarked for the creation of an ownership strategy for the sport was spent on a rebranding exercise for the Racehorse Owners Association, prompting consternation from senior racing figures who questioned whether the money was being used as “a means of bolstering the ROA's own profile and activity”.

The rebranding work was carried out as part of the Industry Ownership Strategy (IOS), a cross-industry initiative run by the ROA on behalf of the sport since 2018 and backed with £1.248 million of levy funding. The strategy was also cited as a key pillar in racing’s Covid-19 recovery plan announced by the BHA in August.

The new black and orange livery, which was produced by an external branding agency, has been utilised in ROA publications since last summer and was prominently displayed at the Cheltenham Festival last week, when a huge banner was erected across the upper tier of the main grandstand.