I’ve been training racehorses long enough to know how fine the margins are in this sport. Every horse in my yard represents years of breeding, months of preparation and hours of care from a team of people who live and breathe their work. Behind each runner is a small army – stable staff, riders, vets, farriers, feed merchants.
When the Government announced plans to “harmonise” online betting taxes, those of us in the sport were told instantly how damaging it could be. What they call harmonisation is, in truth, a tax hike. If it goes ahead, it will strip vital money from racing, cost jobs, and weaken the sport from top to bottom.
