Betting all-clear for board

The British Horseracing Authority is pressing ahead with its plans to create an independent handicap appeals board despite potential conflicts of interest.

The panel, which was set up after a review into handicapping last year, will rule on appeals by trainers unhappy with a rating assigned to their horse by official handicappers, who are forbidden to bet.

However, those given the task of amending those ratings will be told at a BHA induction on Thursday that they can continue to bet on races involving horses they have assessed. They will not be allowed to back or lay the individual horse at the centre of the case.

The BHA insists transparent processes are in place but says regular betting records of the panel members would be “of no practical use”. The statement said “they are required to provide betting records on request – given how infrequently we expect panel members to be called upon, to request betting regular records as a matter of course would be disproportionate and of no practical use”.

In dismissing complaints of conflicts of interest, the BHA also claims that the panel, which includes at least one professional gambler, broadcasters and journalists, was as a result of not enough non-gamblers being willing.

Its statement said: “We need people with the right experience. We are still of the view that it is highly questionable whether we could have found people who were prepared not to bet for the sake of sitting on four handicapping appeals each year – but that point only comes into play if we had wider concerns about potential conflict of interest, which we do not.”