The turbulent career of Milton Harris appeared to reach an abject conclusion on Wednesday when the Grade One-winning trainer’s licence was removed indefinitely by the British Horseracing Authority’s Licensing Committee, due to multiple breaches of its conditions including significant financial mismanagement, initiating a campaign of bullying and intimidation against fellow trainer Simon Earle, who shared some of his facilities, and serious concerns around safeguarding issues at his yard.
The panel’s decision that Harris is “not a fit and proper person” to hold a licence marks the end of his second spell as a trainer. The first, between 2000 and 2011, ended when he was made bankrupt over an unpaid tax bill, and he spent seven years out of the sport until the BHA, which had turned down two applications in the intervening period, finally agreed to reissue his licence in 2018, subject to a number of conditions.
