Horserace Betting Levy Board

The Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) will be investing £2.3m in its disease surveillance, veterinary science and education programme starting in 2024. The Board is very appreciative of the continued support of The Racing Foundation which has added £200,000 bringing the total to £2.5m for the year.  The commitment underlines the importance of this key area for the sport and for the benefit of the Thoroughbred. 

• 6 Major Research Projects       
• 4 Small Research Projects
• 1 Research Scholarship

HBLB is also pleased to recognise the valued contributions being made to ongoing work by our partners, the British European Breeders’ Fund (BEBF), the Gerald Leigh Charitable Trust, The Racing Foundation and the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association (TBA).

In addition, both the TBA and Racehorse Owners Association (ROA) contribute towards the essential Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance work.

HBLB’s Veterinary Advisory Committee (VAC) will continue to manage all ongoing work.

Alan Delmonte, Chief Executive of the Levy Board, said:

“One of the statutory objectives of the HBLB is the advancement or encouragement of veterinary science or veterinary education. The Board appreciates the diligence and rigour that the Veterinary Advisory Committee, led by Matthew Allen, applies to judging which applications to put forward for funding.

“The Board is grateful also to the Industry partner funders whose participation enables world-leading research to be carried out in this country.”  

Professor Matthew Allen, Chair of the HBLB’s VAC, said:       

“Deciding which proposals to recommend for funding in the new grant year, was, as always, challenging.  At the heart of a robust assessment process are two main principles:  excellent science and relevance to the Thoroughbred.  The programme for 2024/25 includes a number of exciting initiatives focussed on the prevention and management of infectious disease, which is of key importance to the racing and breeding industry.  Other supported work will be looking at the hows and whys of age-related disease, catastrophic injury and poor performance. 

“Effective explanation of the outcomes of funded research is, of course, essential.  We will be working hard this year on improving the way that real-world impact is reported.  We are also looking to enhance the level of collaboration with overseas grant awarding bodies so that we can all be confident that we are working productively together for the good of the Thoroughbred.

“In the last year we have welcomed five new members of the VAC – Dr Emma Adam, Professor Lutz Goehring, Pat Sells, Dr Ellen Singer and Dr Katherine Staines.  All have immense knowledge and experience, and will be invaluable to the work of the Committee.

“The 2024 application round for awards to start in 2025/26 will open around the start of May.  Major project applications will as usual be handled via the HBLB Equine Grants System.  Applications for all other grant types will be made using a new HBLB Funding Gateway.”

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Tansy Challis, Chief Executive of The Racing Foundation, said:

“The Racing Foundation’s purpose is to work in partnership with the racing and breeding industries to develop understanding and action around the key charitable issues. Our ultimate aim is to help build a sustainable future for the sport and, as part of this, we feel that horse welfare is a key area of focus. Included within our support of horse welfare projects is our annual commitment to fund equine science research in collaboration with the Levy Board.

“To date we have invested nearly £1.8m in a range of equine research projects whose findings will have a positive impact on Thoroughbred health and welfare. Following the 2023 funding round we are delighted to be co-supporting two projects due to commence this year.

“The first, being delivered by the University of Liverpool, will attempt to develop an equine protein atlas to understand age-related disease, which will ultimately aim to reduce musculoskeletal injuries.  The other, being delivered by the University of Glasgow, will look to identify outbreak-associated traits in equine influenza viruses, including their response to vaccines, in an attempt to mitigate future risk.

“We feel that both are high quality projects with strong relevance to the racing Thoroughbred and very much look forward to following how they progress.

“We are delighted to be working alongside the Levy Board, the TBA, the Gerald Leigh Charitable Trust and the British European Breeders’ Fund, helping to demonstrate the Racing Industry’s  commitment to Thoroughbred health and wellbeing.”

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Claire Sheppard, Chief Executive of the TBA, said:

“The TBA is hugely appreciative of the framework in place at the HBLB to evaluate and support a broad portfolio of equine veterinary research projects, which are of enormous value to the thoroughbred industry as well as the broader equestrian community.

“The TBA is proud to partner with the HBLB, BEBF and GLCT in co-funding a number of ongoing veterinary studies of particular interest to breeders, which will aid our membership with new insight and potentially enhanced veterinary techniques, medicines and technologies, which is absolutely fundamental to ensuring a thriving bloodstock industry.  The TBA has committed over £250,000 to veterinary research over the next three years, including a large project and scholarship exploring foetal and neonatal foal health.

“The TBA has always taken a very proactive role in supporting breeders to maintain and exceed the highest possible standards of equine health and wellbeing on stud farms across Britain, including the provision of written guidance materials, educational events and resources; industry representation at Government level and important updates and notifications on veterinary matters. 

“The HBLB’s continued commitment and leadership in this area is greatly appreciated.”

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From Simon Sweeting, Chairman, British EBF:

“The British EBF, on behalf of British stallion owners, continues to support the valuable work of veterinary research projects beneficial to the health of the Thoroughbred. Our contributions total £1.5million and have covered a diverse range of subjects, most recently much needed research into Equine Herpes Virus (EHV).  We look forward to continuing our partnership with the HBLB and TBA in supporting future projects.”

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HBLB Equine Scientific and Education Awards 2024

(first two projects below are part funded by The Racing Foundation)

For further information please contact:

Notes for editors:

The Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) is a statutory body operating in accordance with the provisions of the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Act 1963 (as amended). Its purpose is to assess and collect monetary contributions from bookmakers via a levy, which it distributes for the improvement of horseracing and breeds of horses, and for the advancement of veterinary science and education.

The outcomes of HBLB-funded veterinary science and education projects are published in peer reviewed scientific journals.  Following a system redesign, lay summaries of funded work will again be published on the HBLB website from 1 May 2024.

In 2012 The Racing Foundation was established to oversee the distribution of funds to charitable causes within the racing and thoroughbred industries following the sale of the Tote. Since inception it has awarded more than £37 million in grants. People, equine welfare, community engagement and environment are the key areas of focus in our latest strategy. The Trustees of the Racing Foundation are Julia Budd (Chair), Linda Bowles, Jim Boyle, Louise Kemble, Alice Page, Rishi Persad and Algy Smith-Maxwell. The British Horseracing Authority, the Thoroughbred Group and Racecourse Association are the three joint Members of the Racing Foundation, which is registered with the Charity Commission as a charity under the law of England and Wales (no. 1145297).  www.racingfoundation.co.uk           @RacingGrants

The Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association was established in 1917 and remains committed to the long-term future of the British Thoroughbred and the interests of the British breeder. The charity strives to safeguard the health and welfare of the Thoroughbred for the overall improvement of the breed. This includes delivering training and education opportunities to ensure best practice on stud farms, veterinary research to maintain the highest health standards, and the encouragement of diversity within the breed for a stronger, more resilient Thoroughbred. The Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (registered as a charitable company in England; company number 07073259, charity number 1134293). 

The Gerald Leigh Charitable Trust was established in 1974 and, since its inception, has made regular donations to a range of worthy causes which focused on bloodstock, medical research and education.   For many years, the Trust has been pleased to support various veterinary research projects which still remain one of its key charitable objectives moving forward.  Gerald Leigh was a prominent owner breeder of racehorses based at Eydon Hall Farm in Northamptonshire.  He established himself as a leading international breeder by developing strong families with a small but select band of broodmares.  On the racecourse he achieved Classic and Group 1 winners throughout the world.  In 1994, his homebred, Barathea won the Breeders’ Cup Mile in a course record and in 1990, Markofdistinction delivered a first Group 1 success for jockey Frankie Dettori in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.  Among Mr Leigh’s commercial successes in the sales ring, his broodmare Korveya sold for a world-record $7 million in 1998.

The British European Breeders’ Fund has contributed over £31.5million to the sport since 1983 and has a current investment level of around £1.7million per year over both flat and National Hunt racing making the BEBF the third largest sponsor of horseracing in the country.