British, Irish and Japanese racing bodies form Joint Cooperation Committee

The BHA and Horse Racing Ireland will collaborate with the Japan Racing Association.

UK.- A Joint Cooperation Committee has been created to forge collaboration between the British, Irish and Japanese horse racing regulators. The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) will work with Horse Racing Ireland and Japan Racing Association (JRA) to promote Japanese horses and ease travel connections. The committee also aims to raise awareness of each country’s industry and promote “further internationalising” of horse racing.

BHA chairman Joe Saumarez Smith, who chairs the new commission, said: “The British and Irish horse racing industries have enjoyed a close and fruitful relationship with the JRA – and the wider Japanese racing industry – for many years now. We are delighted to be collaborating with the JRA and are hugely grateful for their significant support. This can only lead to increased participation in each other’s racing, resulting in deeper fan engagement and increased and new revenues.”

In November, the BHA’s board approved a number of changes to start rules in the sport. They follow a 12-month review of stalls and starting procedures.

One of the changes is that trainers’ Late Load Requests will be restricted to horses that have shown behavioural issues in the starting stalls in a previous British race. Horses making their debut run will not be eligible unless a pre-race assessment has specifically identified a concern about behaviour in the stalls.