Could Newcastle's AW plans be coming off the rails ?

[Ardross]

Apparently Newcastle only plan a floodlit AW straight track and the Horsemen's Group have objected to the BHA as this would mean no races over further than a mile at twilight meetings which is against the rules .

I also note that ARC have to get a proposal to build some " family homes " on the site past the council before this can go ahead and I cannot see from a quick internet search that this has yet been approved .

 

[MrFrisk]

Fingers crossed the Northern AW track goes to Catterick

Arc chief blasts BHA timing on Newcastle
By Andrew Dietz 9:14AM 3 SEP 2014

TONY KELLY, managing director of Newcastle’s owner Arena Racing Company, has branded the timing of the BHA’s decision to halt the track’s all-weather plans as “ridiculous”.

Newcastle’s controversial scheme to rip up its turf Flat track and replace it with an all-weather surface has been put on ice for at least a year after the BHA announced it would not grant an exemption from the rules governing the races it could stage at floodlit meetings.

“We were very surprised [by the BHA decision] because we needed this exemption and we’ve been working with the BHA for 18 months,” said Kelly on At The Races.

“For it to come up at the last minute was quite ridiculous , but it is a timing setback that is all.”

The exemption Newcastle sought was to rule (F)26.1, which requires Flat cards to include two races over a mile or further that aggregate two and a half miles, as only its straight mile would be floodlit.

Kelly added: “We were going to balance out the race programme by having additional races of over a mile at the course and that was always going to be enough for the BHA but at the last minute they have had a change of heart.”

Although Catterick is in the process of going ahead with its planning application for an all-weather track, Kelly does not view the rival bid as direct competition.

He added: “They are not talking about racing there until 2017 and they have awful lots of issues to resolve. They can do what they want but we will be ready by the time they get ready.”

BHA director of public affairs and policy Will Lambe said: "As Tony says, BHA has been working with Arc for some time in relation to their Newcastle proposals, and this has included discussion around rule (F)26.1 in the context of there not being plans to have a fully floodlit track.

"The rule itself has clearly been in place for a considerable amount of time. The timing of the board's decision related to and coincided with the need to establish the overall allocation process for BHA Fixtures, including floodlit fixtures and those courses eligible to stage them. Our dialogue with Arc and other interested parties will continue in the coming months."

 

[birdsnest]

No fan of ARC, but seems BHA have been stringing them along not knowing what to do. Seems BHA are more than willing to have AW floodlit sprint races at Newcastle, but the latest fuss has got in the way. At some point they will be willing to dump the rules and the impact on the race program. RP comment today on BHA leadership looks bizarre.

 

[Ardross]

In reality the recent pressure meant the BHA finally found some backbone after having shown none since its inception -it having allowed racecourses and bookmakers to do what they like without any regard for racing's other stakeholders .

ARC may have a point as to timing in that the BHA should never have approved the original application to transfer fixtures before the JUly consultation which showed them that nobody barring ARC wants more AW racing . The most likely thing appears to be that ARC had been led to believe it would not be a problem until the Horsemen's Group objected .