The European Pattern Committee met at Newmarket yesterday (on 15 April 2014) to consider a number of matters. One of the items discussed was the situation with regard to prize money in Italy. The Committee noted that while some progress had been made in settling outstanding amounts, regrettably the conditions which had been placed on Italy’s continued participation in the European Pattern had not been met by the deadline of 31 March.

The Committee therefore unanimously decided that with effect from 1 January 2015 Italy would cease to be a member of the European Pattern Committee and that the Committee would be recommending to the International Race Planning Advisory Committee (IRPAC) of the International Federation for Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) that all Italian black-type races should be demoted from Part I to Part II of the International Cataloguing Standards Book at its meeting in October 2014.

EPC Chairman, Brian Kavanagh, said:

“It is extremely regrettable that the Committee has had to take this course of action. We have advised the Italian representatives that the only circumstances in which the Committee could reconsider this decision would be in the event of total compliance with all of the conditions previously set, including those in relation to arrears due to Italian based owners and the implementation of a new system of payment for current and future races. This entirely a matter for the Italian authorities to address.”