BHB unveils sweeping changes.

Details of a new blueprint for the development of racing were unveiled in London yesterday by the British Horseracing Board.

`The Modernisation of British Racing´ will result in the Office Of Fair Trading closing its investigation into whether the BHB and the Jockey Club have breached competition law.

It will also make several key changes to the way racing is structured, including:

The separation of the governance and commercial arms of the BHB.

The introduction of greater competition between racecourses for fixtures.

Wholesale changes to the allocation of the income gained from the sale of the BHB´s racing database.

But there will also be dramatic changes for every punter, including another increase in the number of fixtures, the introduction of more tightly-graded handicaps and the restriction of maximum field sizes in most races to 14.

The proposals are set to take effect from January 1 2006 and the sport´s stakeholders put on a rare show of unity in response yesterday.

Savill described the `Modernisation´ document as ``the start of a revolution´´.

``What we have managed to do is persuade the OFT that a fixture free-for-all would have been detrimental for the sport,´´ he said. ``It would have handed control of the sport to the bookmakers and closed many of our smaller courses.´´

The most dramatic changes will come in the field of fixture allocation. By limiting field sizes in most races, the 2006 fixture list will be expanded to 1500 meetings.