MUSSELBURGH Racecourse could be left without a racing licence after Saturday, amid claims that the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has described the current management arrangements at the course as “extremely concerning”.

A temporary licence which was previously granted by the BHA last July to give East Lothian Council and Lothians Racing Syndicate – which jointly run the course – time to come up with a solution to governance problems runs out this weekend. The licence was extended at the end of last year but runs out on Saturday.

And the Courier understands that, while discussions are ongoing between all three parties, it is unlikely problems will be resolved in time.

The next fixture booked for the course is on May 3 and further discussions are expected to take place between the BHA, the council and the syndicate.

The council voted in February to replace Musselburgh Joint Racing Committee, which ran the course and was made up of three councillors and two syndicate members, with a new Musselburgh Racecourse Associated Committee with four councillors and two racing industry representatives.

However, in a report to members, it was revealed that while the council hoped syndicate members would take up the two places for industry representatives, no nominations had come forward and the council was now advertising for the two racing members.

It is understood that the lack of appointed racing experts on the new committee is one of the BHA board’s main concerns.

One source in the industry said: “The concerns simply are not going to be resolved in time for the current licence to be automatically renewed.

“The racecourse will be in limbo while discussions continue. There are real concerns that the governance issues of the past will not be resolved by the new set-up.”

A spokesperson for the BHA said: "Discussions are on-going between the BHA, East Lothian Council and the Lothians Racing Syndicate regarding Musselburgh’s racecourse licence.

"Upon conclusion of these discussions a decision will be made regarding the status of Musselburgh’s licence. The discussions are being conducted on an expedited basis, with the intention of reaching a decision in advance of Musselburgh’s next fixture on 3 May.”

East Lothian Council said discussions with the BHA were ongoing.