BHB under fire from Said

Wafic Said, the leading racehorse owner, last night described the British Horseracing Board as "wheat sown on shallow ground''. The board, he said, ``sprang up vigorously and then withered away, returning to the traditional bureaucracy, so beloved in Whitehall''.

Said called for a reformation of the BHB to direct a marketing drive at major industries and institutions of the country to create and exploit media awareness and sponsorship opportunities. "Look at the income all other sports are receiving from TV. Where are we?"

The speech was delivered by his racing manager Tim Bulwer-Long at the Gimcrack Dinner in York. Said also called for an off-course Tote monopoly.