All bets are off! British horseracing holds historic strike over proposed tax hikes

Racecourses, owners, trainers and jockeys have all refused to race today for the first time in modern history.

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) announced the protest amid suggestions the existing three-tax structure of online gambling duties could be condensed into a single tax.

Meets scheduled for Carlisle, Uttoxeter, Lingfield and Kempton will no longer take place on September 10 and will be rescheduled.

Instead, those within the sport will head to Westminster to highlight the threat Chancellor Rachel Reeves' proposals pose to the £4 billion industry, which employs 85,000 people.

There are fears the current 15 per cent duty on racing could be increased to the 21 per cent levied on games of chance, which would seriously impact racing’s finances.

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BHA estimates these changes could cost the sport £330million over the first five years and puts 2,572 jobs at risk.

This is because betting operators are likely to seek to offset any tax rises through increasing prices, cutting bonuses, reducing advertising and marketing budgets.

The authority’s acting chief executive Brant Dunshea feels it is important for the sport to make a united stand.

"We’re trying to create a space when leaders from across the sport, stakeholders and participants can come together at the heart of government, in Westminster, and sound out our clear message to government around the proposal to harmonise the betting duties," he said.

"And that is that we don’t support that and we believe British racing should be treated differently to other betting products because of all the wonderful things we bring to Britain’s social fabric – 85,000 jobs across the country.

"We support communities right across the nation and we are global leaders and an important soft power lever for government."