British Racing tomorrow reaches the next stage in its response to the Office of Fair Tradin?_x0019_s (OFT) Rule 14 Notice at an oral hearing with OFT officials at which BHB will press home the key points of its submission made last month.

Chief Executive Greg Nichols and Racing Director Ruth Quinn will make presentations at the hearing, which will extend to a second day on Friday 17th October.

Also giving evidence to augment their statements in support of BHB’s key arguments, which were made as part of BHB’s 5th September response, will be Rupert Arnold, Chief Executive of the National Trainers Federation, Michael Harris, Chief Executive of the Racehorse Owners Association and Philip Freedman, Chairman of the Thoroughbred Breeders Association.

BHB will also call on other expert witnesses whose testimonies formed part of the September document. These include leading trainer John Gosden, Horse Racing Ireland Chief Executive Brian Kavanagh, France Galop Director-General Louis Romanet and Jockey Club of Southern Africa Chief Executive Tony Barnes.

David Vaughan QC will lead the legal team for BHB. Other contributions will be made by BHB’s legal advisers Addleshaw Goddard including its competition law specialist Guy Leigh, while leading economic experts David Elliott of PricewaterhouseCoopers, Professor Bruce Lyons of the University of East Anglia and Dr Peter Davis of the London School of Economics will also speak on BHB’s behalf.

Greg Nichols said: “I am confident that the oral hearing will allow us to convince the OFT further that its initial views were mistaken. We must dispel the thinking that British Racing can be encapsulated simply as a racecourse providing a racing opportunity for an owner.

“The many individuals who will participate on BHB’s behalf at the oral hearing represent a spectrum of great expertise and knowledge. I am very pleased that we will be able to call on leaders from international racing authorities who regard Britain as already having a highly deregulated racing system.”