Stewarding in Britain and the Appeals Process

At every meeting in Britain, racing takes place before a team of Stewards tasked with ensuring what unfolds on the track does so within the Rules of Racing.

As was set out in a previous blog looking at the processes the Stewards go through when faced with various situations, each meeting is overseen by:

– BHA Chief Steward
– Stewards’ Panel Chair
– BHA Steward
– BHA Assistant Stewards

Aside from the Stewards’ Panel Chair, which is a voluntary position, those listed above are full-time BHA employees. All stewards, whether voluntary or BHA-employed, receive extensive training and are highly professional in their role, which is to discuss and reach a conclusion when faced with decisions around the sport’s Rules.

The BHA’s Stewards, who include among their number former professional jockeys and assistant trainers, have a comprehensive knowledge and care deeply about the sport, the safety of the humans and horses taking part in it and the integrity of what those of us up and down the country are watching and enjoying every day.

As in other sports, the decisions that the Stewards make are often subjective and not necessarily straightforward. This is inevitable when highly skilled athletes are operating in fast-paced and competitive environments.

Racing is also like other sports in that it has passionate and knowledgeable participants and fans, among whom debate often takes place on all manner of topics, not least whether decisions made by those officiating the action were correct.

There is nothing inherently wrong with this. Healthy, respectful debate about whatever has just transpired enhances enjoyment of a sporting spectacle and is a perfectly normal part of any sporting occasion.

The Appeals Process

Not everybody will agree with every decision our Stewards make and this is why the Rules of Racing, like in other major sports, provide participants a route to appeal against penalties imposed by Stewards on the raceday. It is entirely correct that an avenue of appeal against relevant infringements is open to participants, as it plays an important role in ensuring our sport is clean, safe and fair.

When a decision is appealed against, the sport’s independent Disciplinary Panel convenes a hearing, at which it will hear submissions from the BHA and the participant(s) involved, as well as review footage as required. This footage is exactly the same as was available to the Stewards on the day of the original decision.

So how often is the appeals route utilised by participants?

Around 1,500 fixtures, comprising some 10,000 races, take place every year in Britain with Stewards making decisions of varying degrees of significance in almost every one.

It may surprise critics of the appeals process to learn that in 2023, from all the decisions relating to a total of 10,019 races comprising 87,614 runners, just 32 were appealed against and subsequently heard by the sport’s independent Disciplinary Panel (three further appeals were withdrawn prior to that stage). This equates to an appeals to races ratio of 0.32%.

Of those that went to a hearing before the Panel, 14 were either upheld fully, or the penalty imposed was varied, and 18 – more than half –  were dismissed.

In 2020, 24 appeals went to the Disciplinary Panel, with 14 either upheld fully or the penalty varied, and ten were dismissed, while in 2021, of the 20 appeals heard, 12 were dismissed. In 2022, the Panel heard 39 appeals, upholding fully or varying the penalty in 16 of them.

The number of appeals lodged represents a tiny fraction of the overall number of decisions the BHA’s Stewarding Team takes on an annual basis, strongly suggesting that more often than not, their decisions are accepted by participants.

There is no complacency within the BHA’s regulatory functions and we are always looking to continually improve what we do and how we do it. Our Stewards must all complete competency based training and receive ongoing assessment, feedback and practical training to ensure that standards remain consistently high.

However, BHA Stewards – as with all our raceday officials – are required to make definitive and consistent calls on decisions that are often highly subjective. This is their job, but the high standards they demonstrate on a regular basis should not be underestimated.

We are proud of their contribution and immensely fortunate that they are diligent in their efforts to ensure Britain continues to be seen as a global leader in the field.