Paul Bittar, Chief Executive of British Horseracing Authority, (BHA) said today:

“We can confirm that BHA has been in discussions for a period of time with both ARC, in relation to Newcastle, and Catterick about their respective plans to develop an All Weather Track.

“There is an existing timeframe for applications to be made to the BHA Board for new, or as in this case, existing racecourses with plans to convert a turf track into an All Weather Track, to enter the next fixture allocation process. Applications should be submitted by the end of January in order to even be considered for participation in the 2015 Fixture List.

“Separately, BHA has commissioned Deloitte to produce an independent report for the Board looking at a range of factors relating to the market demand, benefits and potential downsides regarding an expansion of All Weather racing in Britain. The report, which will reflect consultation with stakeholders, is due to be presented to the Board in the spring of 2014, prior to the compilation of the 2015 Fixture List.”