• Rewritten and reformatted Rules of Racing available for first time
• Two months until new Rules of Racing take effect in September
The British Horseracing Authority unveiled its new Rules of Racing website today – http://newrules.britishhorseracing.com – which includes the full rewritten and reformatted Rule Book which will come into effect in September 2009.
The aim of the rewrite, which was announced at the British Horseracing Conference in February, was to remove duplication, make more use of plain English and avoid jargon where possible and to make the Rules more user friendly by bringing the relevant Rules together under six separate Manuals:
A. General Manual
B. Race Manual
C. Trainer Manual
D. Rider Manual
E. Horse and Owner Manual
F. Racing Administration Manual
The new Rules of Racing are being made available to view online in July in order to give those who work in and follow British Horseracing the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the new format., with a two-month window for everybody to familiarise themselves with the new format before it comes into effect in September 2009
Familiarisation with the new format, rather than with the new Rules, is the easiest way of understanding the rewrite because the actual meaning and application of the individual Rules has not changed.
The new website is easier to navigate, provides a better search engine and will provide more advanced printing options. The website also includes a comprehensive ‘destinations table’, cross-referencing where each of the old Rules can now be found.
Nic Coward, Chief Executive of the British Horseracing Authority, said:
“It has been no easy task to produce a version of the Rule of Racing fit for the twenty-first century and written and formatted in a way that gives clarity and is easily understood by all those who need to refer to them. I believe our team has achieved this and also produced a dedicated Rules website that is very user friendly.”
NOTES FOR EDITORS:
The current online Rule book can be viewed at: http://rules.britishhorseracing.com
