Sir Philip Davies replaces Wilf Walsh on BHA board

The Racecourse Association (RCA) has appointed former British MP Sir Philip Davies to the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) board.

Davies joins as one of the RCA’s two Member Nominated Directors on an interim basis. He replaces Wilf Walsh, who has held one of those seats since October 2021.

Under the BHA’s Articles of Association, the racecourse member “shall appoint two such persons with appropriate practical experience in the horseracing industry as it thinks fit to take office as Member’s Nominated Directors”.

The Racing Post reported that it understood the RCA board had put forward Martin Cruddace, chief executive of Arena Racing Company, and Bridget Guerin, chair of York racecourse, for its two BHA board positions.

Davies brings a political background rather than a racecourse executive one. He was MP for Shipley from 2005 to 2024. During that time he was joint chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Betting and Gaming and vice chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Racing and Bloodstock.

The RCA announced in December 2025 that he would join its board as a non-executive director, providing counsel to its board and executive. He took up that role earlier this year.

Davies also chairs the Greyhound Board of Great Britain and the National Horseracing College in Doncaster, and is a former board member of the Racehorse Owners Association.