MUSSELBURGH faces the latest deadline regarding its racing licence and, as yet, there is no confirmation that it will be extended.
In July the track came within hours of losing a fixture, when their temporary licence had expired, until an agreement was brokered between the Musselburgh Joint Racing Committee (MJRC) and the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) for a renewal until December 31.
The sticking point was acceptance by the MJRC of an independent review of the committee’s governance, something the Lothian Racing Syndicate (LRS), which holds three seats on the committee, had long pressed for, despite opposition from East Lothian Council which holds the other four seats on the committee.
Pinsent Masons, a law firm, was appointed in October to conduct the review but the licence is due to expire ahead of one of the track’s biggest fixtures on New Year’s Day. There is scope for the licence to be further extended, provided the BHA saw demonstrable progress.
A 71-page draft report has been completed and a spokesperson for East Lothian Council said: “Whilst the contents remain confidential at this stage the council remains fully committed as owner of the Musselburgh racecourse to ensuring the continuance of racing at this venue.”
A private paper was presented to the Council this week while Musselburgh’s application for another extension is, Herald Sport understands, still only under consideration by the BHA. It would seem unlikely that the BHA would deny a continuance at this point since the fixture is being televised by ITV.
The MJRC met yesterday and John Prideaux, one of the LRS representatives, said: “We still don’t have any paperwork telling us the licence has been extended which we need to race on January 1. I expect Pinsent Masons to have completed their report by mid to late March.”
The nature of the draft suggests that it may well need some degree of clarification from both sides of the MJRC. “We, at the LRS, will be seeking a meeting with Pinsent Masons to go through the report because there are a number of factual inaccuracies which we would like to correct,” Prideaux said.”
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