Racing’s crisis intensifies with tracks on verge of civil war after Allen quits BHA
A grouping that includes most of Britain’s major racecourses on Tuesday fired the opening shot in what could prove to be a civil war involving the country’s tracks, following confirmation by the British Horseracing Authority earlier in the day that Charles Allen had resigned from his position as chair of the sport’s ruling body after just six months in the role.Jockey Club Racecourses, which controls a significant number of high‑profile tracks including Cheltenham, Aintree, Epsom and Newmarket, issued a joint statement with four of the biggest “independent” courses: Ascot, Newbury, York and Goodwood shortly after Lord Allen had issued a statement of his own, confirming his departure.The racecourses’ statement made it plain that the major tracks were supportive of Allen’s plans for a fully independent BHA board, the first step in what he saw as a plan to turn the sport into “a modern, commercial and cultural powerhouse”.This, in effect, directed the blame for his departure directly at the sport’s smaller tracks, and in particular those owned by Arena Racing Company, which run mainly lower-grade meetings to serve the off-course betting market.“Ascot, Goodwood, the Jockey Club, Newbury and York racecourses have today written to the chairman of the Racecourse Association,” the statement said, “calling for a formal governance review of the RCA [and] requesting a proposal for reform by the end of April 2026.
”The objective of the review, the statement added, should be to ensure that “board and voting representation is balanced and credible”, that “significant views from key racecourses can influence outcomes” and that “the organisation can act decisively on matters affecting the wider industry”.The statement makes it clear that Britain’s major racecourses feel their interests do not carry sufficient weight in RCA deliberations, with an unspoken but implicit threat that they could quit the association and operate independently if their concerns are not addressed.Allen’s departure became inevitable following a dispute over an obscure but potentially crucial aspect of the BHA’s relationship with racecourses.The authority supplies its raceday data, on information such as non‑runners and off-times, for a nominal fee to racecourses, for bundling with live pictures and other significant data which is owned by the tracks for sale to off-course betting operators.Representatives of the Racecourse Association initially refused to provide a final sign-off on Allen’s plans for an independent BHA board until they had received cast‑iron assurances that the price of the raceday data would not increase significantly after the current contract expires in 2028.
When Allen eventually agreed to provide such assurances, it quickly became clear that he no longer enjoyed the support of the sport’s stakeholders from participants, including owners, trainers, jockeys and stable staff.What the major tracks’ statement makes plain is that the RCA’s refusal to sign off on an independent board was driven by Arena Racing Company and its allied tracks, which can command a majority under the RCA’s traditional one-track, one-vote governance system.“In calling for reform,” the statement said, “the signatories are making it clear that they remain committed to working collaboratively across the sport [and] support strong central leadership for British racing by the BHA, enabled by the establishment of an independent board.”Catterick 2.10 Mermaids Cave 2.
40 Four Decades 3.10 Shadowfax Of Rohan 3.40 Junior Des Mottes 4.10 Gaboriot 4.40 Luna LuxKempton Park 5.
00 Magna 5.30 Conclave 6.00 I’m Workin On It 6.30 Supreme King 7.00 Merrimack 7.
30 The Lost Sock 8.00 Take The Boat 8.30 VitallineSouthwell 1.32 Roaring Ralph 2.02 No Knee Never 2.
32 Yorkstone 3,02 Homer Stokes 3,32 Crimson Rambler (nb) 4,02 Fivethousandtoone (nap) 4,32 That’s Amore 5.
07 Caramay 5.40 AppierAllen had hinted earlier at frustration that his time at the BHA had come to a premature conclusion.“Horse racing is an amazing sport with great potential and over the last year I have met some incredibly passionate people who love the sport,” he said, “who believe to survive and prosper that change is needed.I also want to pay tribute to the hardworking and dedicated BHA team.I wish the sport well for the future.
”The search now begins for a successor to Allen willing to take on the challenge of heading up a sport that has struggled for unity for decades,Several bookmakers issued lists of possible runners and prices, with Star Sports suggesting that Ben Wallace, a defence minister in the last Conservative government, was the 4-1 favourite, with the BHA’s interim chair, Julia Tyson, next in the list,
UK firms in Middle East face heightened threat from Iran hackers, agency warns
UK businesses with a presence in the Middle East have been urged to step up vigilance against cyber threats from Iran after US-Israeli attacks.The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said there was “almost certainly” a heightened risk of an indirect cyber threat for organisations that had offices, or supply chains, in the Middle East.The UK’s cybersecurity agency said Iran remained a threat despite an extensive bombing campaign that has devastated the country’s political and military leadership, including the death of its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.“Iranian state and Iran-linked cyber actors almost certainly currently maintain at least some capability to conduct cyber activity,” said the NCSC.The agency said in an alert published on Monday that there was “likely” no significant change in the direct cyber threat from Iran to the UK, but organisations should prepare for the risk of collateral damage from Iran-linked hacktivists
US military reportedly used Claude in Iran strikes despite Trump’s ban
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Datacentre developers face calls to disclose effect on UK’s net emissions
Datacentre developers are facing pressure to reveal whether their projects will increase the UK’s net greenhouse gas emissions, amid concerns the sites could double national electricity demand.Campaign groups have written to the UK technology secretary, Liz Kendall, warning that the energy required by new AI infrastructure poses a “serious threat to efforts to decarbonise the electricity grid”.Developers should demonstrate that their projects will not cause an increase in the UK’s overall CO2 emissions or local water scarcity, as part of a forthcoming national policy statement (NPS) on datacentres, the letter says.“Without these commitments, such vast electricity use will inevitably generate vast climate emissions,” the campaigners write.The letter is signed by Foxglove, a group that campaigns against big tech dominance, and five other non-governmental organisations including the environmental campaign group Friends of the Earth
OpenAI to work with Pentagon after Anthropic dropped by Trump over company’s ethics concerns
OpenAI said it had struck a deal with the Pentagon to supply AI to classified US military networks, hours after Donald Trump ordered the government to stop using the services of one of the company’s main competitors.Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, announced the move on Friday night. It came after an agreement between Anthropic, a rival AI company that runs the Claude system, and the Trump administration broke down after Anthropic sought assurances its technology would not be used for mass surveillance – nor for autonomous weapons systems that can kill people without human input.Announcing the deal, Altman insisted that OpenAI’s agreement with the government included assurances that it would not be used to those ends.“Two of our most important safety principles are prohibitions on domestic mass surveillance and human responsibility for the use of force, including for autonomous weapon systems,” Altman wrote on X
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On 7 August, Kate Fox received a phone call that upended her life. A medical examiner said that her husband, Joe Ceccanti – who had been missing for several hours – had jumped from a railway overpass and died. He was 48.Fox couldn’t believe it. Ceccanti had no history of depression, she said, nor was he suicidal – he was the “most hopeful person” she had ever known
Suicide forum found to be in breach of Online Safety Act after failing to block UK users
A suicide forum linked to deaths in Britain has been ruled provisionally in breach of the Online Safety Act after it failed to properly block access to UK users when ordered to do so last year.Ofcom, the online regulator, said it could now apply to the courts to demand internet service providers block access to the site in the UK. This will depend on how the site, which also faces fines, responds over the next 10 days.Coroners had been raising concerns about the links between the forum and suicides in the UK since at least 2019, campaigners said. The family of 17-year-old Vlad Nikolin-Caisley, from Southampton, said he took his own life in 2024 after using the site, which Ofcom is not naming
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