Following changes to UK Government guidance, raceday workers in England are now able to stay in holiday accommodation, including hotels.

Overnight accommodation in hotels for raceday workers

Raceday workers at behind closed doors meetings in England will now be able to stay overnight in hotels or other holiday accommodation, as a result of changes to UK Government guidance.

This follows representations to the UK Government from the BHA and other sports Governing Bodies about the challenges presented by raceday workers having to travel long distances to support race meetings.

The changes mean that hotels and holiday accommodation providers in England can now offer overnight accommodation to workers that are considered essential to the functioning of major sports events. This includes:

• Elite athletes (including jockeys), their coaches, and parents (if the athlete is aged under 18)
• Horse grooms and trainers
• Operational staff
• Event officials
• Broadcast staff and journalists covering the event
• Medical, logistical, technical and administrative staff

Anyone requesting overnight accommodation at a hotel or holiday site is required to provide written confirmation from their employer to verify that they are an essential worker eligible to be offered overnight accommodation for the purposes of an elite sports event.

Please contact the hotel or holiday provider directly to confirm that they are accepting bookings and to arrange your accommodation.

Racecourse accommodation

At this stage, raceday workers will only be able to stay in hotels and other providers of overnight accommodation that are currently open for essential workers. Where such hotels are located on racecourses, no on-site stabling will be available.

Please note that overnight accommodation for staff and horses will continue to be unavailable at all racecourses until further notice.

We appreciate that this does not resolve the issue of trainers and stable staff travelling long distances with horses; however with updated UK Government guidance, the BHA can now work with the racecourse inspectorate and the RCA to establish how these changes can apply to racecourse accommodation and the potential for providing overnight stabling.

This is an absolute priority and we will continue to keep you updated as the planning progresses.