The Jockey Club announced it will resign from the Racecourse Association at the end of the year, following Ascot’s decision to depart the organization in May. The move represents a substantial challenge to the industry’s trade body, which represents all but one of the country’s 59 tracks.
The Jockey Club’s departure comes after the RCA released findings from a governance review intended to address concerns that had prompted earlier resignations. The review proposed replacing the existing one-track, one-vote structure with a system featuring four voting groups representing different categories of racecourses. According to Jim Mullen, chief executive of the Jockey Club, this revised structure fails to resolve fundamental issues the organization has with the RCA’s approach to industry reform.
Mullen stated the Jockey Club remains concerned that the RCA would continue to obstruct necessary changes, including establishing an independent British Horseracing Authority board and making substantial modifications to the fixture list. The Jockey Club, which operates 15 racecourses including Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom, and Newmarket, indicated plans to collaborate with Ascot and other aligned industry partners to establish an alternative organization focused on long-term sustainability.
The split threatens to substantially alter the RCA’s composition and influence. Arena Racing Company, which operates 16 racecourses with a business model focused on high volume, serves as the primary counterweight to the breakaway group. Additional uncertainty surrounds whether other major independent tracks, including York, Goodwood, Newbury, and Chester, may choose to join the exodus.
The departures create complications for the British Horseracing Authority and its newly appointed chair Simon Cox. Since the RCA nominates two BHA board members based on representing racecourse owners’ interests, the loss of major tracks may undermine the organization’s ability to claim that status and effectively function in its governance role.
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