City Racing Stages Private HQ Trial

[Wandering Eyes]

City Racing staged a private trial in Newmarket on Thursday which was witnessed by officials from the British Horseracing Authority. Senior members of the weighing room took part in the trials near the Rowley Mile and organisers are now awaiting feedback from the ruling body. London, Melbourne and Paris have been among the cities mentioned as potential host sites for the unique concept, which has the aim of staging meetings on the streets of iconic locations around the world.

The venture is led by the Queen’s grandson, Peter Phillips, with backing from various stakeholders, including the Jockey Club. A dummy run open to the public and media at Aintree in November last year was seen as positive, but a timetable has yet to be announced for the first event.

“Feedback was positive. We had Hayley Turner, Rab Havlin, Liam Jones, Josephine Gordon, Liam Keniry–a really good spread of jockeys–and their feedback was incredibly useful from the BHA’s perspective,” said Johnno Spence, spokesman for City Racing. “We had 30 horses that took part, going up in groups of fours and threes, and it was all part of the process of us working with the BHA to get it across the line, so we can start planning the first event next year.

“There were plenty there from the BHA which is understandable–today was a big day for them and us and we are doing everything we can to work with them and move forward. We put down a five-furlong track and they went racing pace for about three furlongs. It was about the BHA inspecting the surface before, during and after.

“It rained heavily in the morning, but stopped before we started. Kickback was mentioned along with a couple of things, but they were all constructive comments which are easily manageable, which was important for us that there was nothing that looked like a deal-stopper. We haven’t had feedback from the BHA yet and we haven’t been given a time-frame.”

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