Jockey Club rocks British horse racing by quitting Racecourse Association

The Jockey Club, which owns 15 British racecourses including Cheltenham, Aintree, Epsom and Newmarket, said on Monday it will join Ascot in resigning from the Racecourse Association (RCA), the trade body that represents all but one of the country’s 59 tracks, at the end of the year.

The Jockey Club’s announcement comes two days after the RCA revealed the results of a review of its governance structure, which was launched in an attempt to prevent further resignations after Ascot announced its decision to quit the organisation in May.

Jim Mullen, the Jockey Club’s chief executive, said that the review’s proposal to replace a one-track, one-vote voting structure with four groups of racecourses holding a vote apiece “fails to address our fundamental concern that the RCA can continue to act to stifle the necessary changes needed in the industry”.

Mullen continued: “Nothing proposed would displace the RCA as the political representative of British racecourses and in our view, confirmed by recent discussions, the RCA would continue to vote against necessary changes such as the introduction of an independent [British Horseracing Authority] board and substantive changes to the fixture list.

“It is our intention to work with Ascot Racecourse and other like-minded industry partners to pursue a vision based on the long-term sustainability of the sport and we are in the early stages of establishing a new organisation to do this.”

The effective counterparty to the breakaway group of major racecourses is Arena Racing Company (ARC), which operates 16 courses with a business model largely based on quantity rather than quality to service the off-course betting market.

The growing fissure in the RCA will effectively split the organisation in two if some or all of York, Goodwood, Newbury and Chester, the remaining “large independent” tracks inside the organisation, decide to join the exodus.

The Jockey Club’s move is also triggers a constitutional crisis for the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and its recently appointed chair, Simon Cox.

The RCA nominates two BHA board members, dependent on the organisation being “the person most representative in Great Britain of the interests of owners of racecourses”. Without Ascot, Cheltenham, Aintree, Newmarket, Epsom and Sandown – and, quite possibly, other major tracks too – the RCA cannot realistically claim that status.

A spokesperson for the BHA said in a statement on Monday that the sport’s ruling body “will continue to liaise with the racecourses and other constituent bodies regarding the sport’s governance structure, and consider all proposals made.” The statement added: “This engagement will include the incoming BHA Chair, who formally takes up the role from 1 October. Our priority will always be to ensure that British racing is in the best position to support ongoing efforts to strengthen and grow our industry.”