UK racecourse in administration chaos as it’s stripped of licence | UK | News

Racing at the City of Chelmsford Racecourse has been stopped abruptly after the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) confirmed on Wednesday that it had refused to grant a racecourse license to the new operator. The venue hosts horse races throughout the year, as well as a number of other events, including restaurant dinners, weddings, and major live music shows like the Justin Timberlake-headlined festival in July. All matches at the Essex circuit have been canceled with immediate effect after the BHA rejected an application from new operator Golden Mile Racing Limited (GMRL).

The decision comes after previous licensee Great Leighs Estates Limited (GLEL) went into administration in March. BHA announced that the fixture, held at the racecourse on 26 March, was going ahead under previous license holder GLEL and with the agreement of the manager. However, the license held by GLEL expired on March 31 and therefore a new license holder must be found for future fixtures to be available.

As a result, fixtures scheduled for early April, including those scheduled for 2, 3 and 9 April, were all cancelled, with racing not permitted at the venue unless the situation was resolved or a successful appeal was made.

The following statements were made in the statement: “GMRL representatives presented their case to the Board on March 31. Having carefully considered the issue and taking full account of the issues raised, the Board’s position was that it was not appropriate to grant GMRL a racetrack license for CCR. The reasons for this decision are confidential.

“The board’s decision means that GMRL do not have the power to organize any fixtures pending the outcome of any appeal. This unfortunately means that no further fixtures will be held at CCR until any appeal process is concluded. This includes fixtures on 2 April, 3 April and 9 April.”

Golden Mile Racing Limited now has 21 days to appeal the decision through the independent licensing process. Fixtures on 2 April and 3 April will not be rescheduled. The BHA said plans for future fixtures, including April 9, will be announced in due course.

The regulator added: “The BHA has worked tirelessly with stakeholders to deliver this week’s fixtures. It is regrettable that they have to be canceled at such short notice. We know this will impact participants – particularly trainers, staff and jockeys – and those attending the race. Further updates on this situation will be provided as appropriate.”

In a statement to owners and trainers, Chelmsford City said they had met all the conditions set out by the BHA to transfer the racing license to new operator Golden Mile Racing Limited, including securing finance, management changes and the successful staging of a recent fixture without any problems. The racetrack claimed that the BHA had initially agreed to these regulations, but then unexpectedly reversed its position just a few days before the scheduled races.

Chelmsford City added: “Our fight is not over. Chelmsford City Racecourse is formally appealing this decision using every avenue at our disposal, including the BHA’s own appeal process.

“We believe the decision was procedurally unfair, contrary to the BHA’s own published rules, and caused entirely avoidable harm to the sport and everyone connected to it.”

Opened in 2008, Great Leighs Racecourse went into administration a year later and reopened under new ownership in 2015.