Peter Savill Five-Point BHA Plan Uncovered; Support Growing For Return

Peter Savill has a concrete plan in place if he lands the top job in horse racing once again. The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has been left with a leadership vacuum following Lord Charles Allen’s resignation in March as Chair, just six months after accepting the role, after failing to secure enough support for a fully independent board.

As things stand, Savill appears to be the frontrunner for the position, and he has received a groundswell of support. So far, over 200 formal written pledges have been submitted endorsing Savill, who previously served as the British Horseracing Board (BHB) Chair, the forerunner to the BHA.

Campaigning for change

Whoever is appointed as the BHA Chair will have a lot to deal with in their in-tray. Last month, the BHA detailed the progress of Project Beacon, underlining the steps taken to improve engagement levels within the sport. Within this, the BHA noted in its 16-page report that Q1 racing attendances rose 4.5% year-on-year.

As far as Savill is concerned, he is campaigning for serious change within the sport. Moreover, he has identified the following five key areas he would address if he were named Chair:

• Helping racecourses and participants strike commercial agreements.
• Working more closely with the betting industry to lobby for greater government support for horseracing.
• Reviewing the fixture list and levy allocation.
• Tackling affordability checks.
• Implementing a proper succession process for future chairs.

Affordability checks dominating the agenda

Although horse racing was spared from the hike in gambling taxes announced in the November budget, the affordability checks policy has dominated the recent debate. The United Kingdom Commission (UKGC) has been hoping to roll out the scheme, but it has received significant backlash.

There has been plenty of anguish expressed by MPs over a policy that would see operators demand financial documentation, such as payslips, from 480,000 players to prove they can afford to place wagers. The BHA, meanwhile, has also been very vocal on the matter, suggesting their concerns raised over the controversial policy have been “brushed off”.

More pertinently, the existential threat of the black market is driving the BHA’s desire to see the affordability checks paused. Figures bandied about suggest racing could have as much as £250 million wiped from their revenues, while stakes placed at rogue sites could more than double over the next couple of years.

Age is no barrier to BHA role

Despite turning 79 in July, Savill still appears to be highly motivated. This was highlighted by one of the UK’s most prolific racing trainers, Mark Johnston, who has advocated for Savill’s return.

He said: “I know from the number of emails I have had from him [Savill] that he has huge reserves of energy for this. People who have clashed with him in the past might think that he is a combative person too, but the reality is that he does want input and listens.

“When people have raised points at the meetings, he’s been prepared to listen and modify his outlook, and he says he would have a board that included the racecourses and the horsemen.”

State of play

The need to onboard a new BHA Chair has become a pressing matter. David Jones is currently holding down the position on an interim basis, but as Johnston pointed out, the BHA needs an experienced pair of hands behind the wheel. Whether Savill ascends to the position once again remains to be seen, but his desire to affect real change is undimmed.