BHA PULL PLUG ON LUG
Rhodes may quit sport in name row
AN OWNER has threatened to quit the sport after racing chiefs rejected his appeal to get the name of his horse reinstated.
Nick Rhodes asked the British Horseracing Authority to reconsider after they
deemed Buggerlugs to be “inappropriate.”
He chose the name for the juvenile as it was an affectionate term his late father
Les used in his childhood. The day before the horse’s debut in May, Rhodes was told Buggerlugs would have to be renamed and he called him Sling Yer Hook before taking it to appeal.
Nick suggested a compromise to change the spelling of the horse’s name to Buggalugs but the ruling body rejected it.
Rhodes said: “I was not surprised by the decision but I am disappointed. The spelling was the issue first of all. I think the BHA are out of touch, they operate in the dark ages.
“All of our horses have fun names and that’s one way of getting people talking about them.
“Once our current horses have finished racing I don’t think I’ll have the incentive to get involved with any more, because this has taken the edge off it.”
In an email to Nick explaining their decision, a BHA representative said: “Buggerlugs is one of those names that will split opinion – some people will think it is absolutely fine whilst others will think it is offensive.
“The sport is working hard to attract family audiences and I believe this is a name that some parents would find inappropriate and offensive.”