The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has provided an update for racehorse trainers and veterinary surgeons, with reminders about:
- Updating whereabouts and permanent import information
- The latest pre-race examination schedule
- Signing horses out of the food chain.
For any questions, please contact: [email protected].
WHEREABOUTS AND PERMANENT IMPORT REQUIREMENTS
Keeping a horse’s whereabouts information up to date is a requirement of the Rules of Racing and the responsibility of the Responsible Person.
It is also an essential part of British racing’s wider traceability efforts to ensure that we know where horses bred for racing are at every stage of their lives.
We have provided a summary below of some of the key information, which we hope is helpful, but please see the Whereabouts Requirements Code for full details. Whereabouts information forms can be found on the BHA website.
For any questions about updating whereabouts or permanent import information, please email: [email protected].
Whereabouts information
Whereabouts information includes the full address of where a horse is staying overnight each night and the name and contact details of a designated person. This should always be up to date on Racing Admin.
The requirement also includes changes in training status – whether the horse is in training, temporarily out of training (e.g. pretraining or resting) or retired from racing. This must be recorded on Racing Admin within three days of the change in status.
It’s vital that this information is accurate and up to date and made available to the BHA. If it isn’t, then the responsible person risks being in breach of the Rules.
Permanent import requirements
When permanently importing a horse into Britain to be trained, please remember that the Responsible Person must lodge the export certificate with the General Stud Book within 90 days of arrival. This is covered in the Whereabouts Requirement Code.
The BHA must also be provided with whereabouts information within seven working days of arrival so that arrangements can be made for a sample to be collected. The horse will remain ineligible to be trained or raced in Britain until this process has been completed and a negative sample returned.
The Whereabouts Information Forms are available here on the BHA website.
If the horse has spent at least 12 consecutive months in a country the BHA is satisfied has an equivalent testing policy in place, then it may be exempt from this sampling requirement. These countries include Ireland, France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Hong Kong and Japan.
If you are unsure about which country a horse has previously resided in, please contact the BHA’s Anti-Doping team who will be able to advise on the next steps.
Horses purchased in sales outside Britain will not be identified by the sales house as potentially ineligible to race in Britain. As such you should not make an entry for any horse unless you are satisfied that it does not require permanent import testing.
PRE-RACE EXAMINATION DATE 2025
The full list of dates and locations where all-card pre-race examinations are scheduled to take place is available here.
We encourage trainers to get in touch with us in advance of raceday to let us know about any horses that have mild lameness. Please email [email protected].
The sooner we know about these horses the better, as we can then work with you and your teams to discuss the specific circumstances around their suitability to race.
SIGNING HORSES OUT OF THE FOOD CHAIN
A reminder that all horses trained in Britain must be signed out of the human food chain. No race entry will be accepted unless the horse has been declared as not intended for human consumption via the Vaccination App and Section IX (or equivalent) of the horse’s passport.
This will also ensure that horses are excluded from entering the animal food chain, which is regulated to the same standards as the human food chain in Britain.
The Rules have been adjusted to provide additional clarity around this requirement, with D(6) – Horse Passports – amended accordingly.
An addition to Rule D(3) – Veterinary Treatment and Medication – also makes it clear that the Responsible Person must ensure that no horse in their care is euthanised at an abattoir or slaughterhouse.
