Rachael Hood calls for Levy to be scrapped in Gimcrack speech Speaking at the 242nd Gimcrack Dinner in York on Tuesday evening, Hood made her controversial demands against a backdrop of what she described as inadequate funding of the sport. She also had an indirect swipe at Nic Coward, who left his position as chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority last year, claiming racing's controlling body had become "directionless" under his leadership. British racing's poor funding has become a regular theme at this historic gathering over the decades, but Hood reverted to a well-worn solution when she called for the Levy to be replaced. She said the Levy was incapable of the reform that would see it capture all forms of betting activity on British racing by British consumers. "Under the existing Levy structure, racing will continue to suffer from a system rooted in one-year deals and in which it has no formal negotiating platform nor appropriate control of its income and distribution," she said. "These issues can only be adressed by government stepping up to the plate and replacing the Levy with a sustainable alternative implemented by primary legislation," she added. Hood also called for contractual prizemoney agreements, which provided for a "fair and reasonable return to Horsemen of all income streams received into racing, underpinned by the Rules of Racing. She said: " (This) would transform British racing from its traditional state of acrimony and dispute to one of partnership and joined-up thinking. Instead of fighting over the crumbs, prizemoney agreements, based on horsemen receiving a guaranteed percentage of all revenue streams could, and should, at long last, bring together racing's stakeholders to maximise the value of our combined assets. She said that racecourses' allocation to priemoney was currently "totally discretionary, and is, quite simply, wrong." Hood assured the audience that the Horsemen's Group, who featured recently in headliness after a spat over its leadership and finances, was well on the way to settling its problems. But, her most curious comment came regarding the BHA, and without naming him, former chief executive Coward. "The BHA (had been) beset by capability issues, and as a result, the sport's governing authority had become directionless and lacking credibility," Hood said. But she expressed confidence in Paul Bittar, the current boss of the BHA, and she hoped he could play a role in talks on how racing could be better funded and the model required to achieve it.