In a recent ruling by the British Horseracing Authority's Licensing Committee, it was determined that Milton Harris, a trainer with a history of Grade One victories, is unfit to hold a training licence.
Harris, a well-known handler based in Warminster, has decided to withdraw his appeal against this decision. The BHA had suspended his licence in November 2023, pending a hearing in January 2024, citing a breach of licence conditions and related matters as the reason.
The Licensing Committee, after thorough consideration, found that Harris had admitted to breaching the existing conditions on his licence, which were imposed back in 2018. Moreover, the committee expressed concerns about his lack of transparency in his dealings with the BHA when they were trying to help him rectify those breaches.
They also raised issues of misconduct in his interactions with fellow licence holder Mr. Simon Earle, and highlighted safeguarding concerns related to Harris's conduct with young individuals employed at his racing yard. Last week, Harris confirmed his intention to appeal, but the BHA announced on Wednesday that he had subsequently withdrawn it.
Harris, who embarked on his training career in 2001, had to take a hiatus from 2011 to 2018 due to financial difficulties. However, since his comeback, he has achieved remarkable success, notably highlighted by Knight Salute's victory in the 2022 Grade One Jewson Anniversary 4-y-o Juvenile Hurdle at Aintree, as well as three Grade Two triumphs in that season.
In a separate development, the BHA issued a statement regarding conditional jockey Dylan Kitts, who has been subjected to a disciplinary officer exclusion order. This order restricts Kitts from accessing BHA-licensed premises or associating with racing participants due to his failure to cooperate with an ongoing investigation into his ride on Hillsin in July of last year. The BHA underlined that this investigation is still in progress and declined to provide further comments at this time.