JOCKEY CLUB QUITS RACECOURSE ASSOCIATION AT END OF 2026

The Jockey Club announced on Monday that it will resign from the Racecourse Association (RCA) at the end of 2026, joining Ascot in leaving the trade body. The Jockey Club owns 15 British racecourses including Cheltenham, Aintree, Epsom and Newmarket. The decision follows the RCA's unveiling of a governance review on Saturday, which proposed replacing a one-track, one-vote voting structure with four groups of racecourses each holding a 25 per cent allocation of votes. Jim Mullen, the Jockey Club's chief executive, said the proposal "fails to address our fundamental concern that the RCA can continue to act to stifle the necessary changes needed in the industry".

Mullen stated that the review addressed the RCA's internal voting arrangements but did not resolve what he described as the organisation's constitutional role in representing racecourses politically, particularly through its 50 per cent holding of member shares in the British Horseracing Authority (BHA). He said the Jockey Club sought substantive changes including an independent BHA board and changes to the fixture list, which he contended the RCA would continue to vote against. The Jockey Club intends to work with Ascot and other partners to establish a new organisation based on long-term sustainability of the sport. Arena Racing Company operates 16 courses within the RCA and represents a counterparty with a business model focused on quantity rather than quality to service the off-course betting market.

The Jockey Club's departure could trigger a constitutional crisis for the BHA and its recently appointed chair, Simon Cox, as the RCA currently nominates two BHA board members. The governance structure may further fracture if other major independent tracks—York, Goodwood, Newbury and Chester—decide to join the exodus. The RCA's review also proposed that the responsibility for appointing BHA board members would transfer from the RCA to independent representatives. The growing divisions within the RCA could effectively split the organisation in two.