The BHB has outlined that race values for next year will increase by £18million ($28.1m/EUR28.5m), some £5m ($7.8m/EUR7.9m) more than the rise in Basic Daily Rates by the Horsrace Betting Levy Board for the same period.
The RCA has filed the complaint against the BHB as it believes that in making this decision, the latter body ignored the view of the RCA representatives on the Board, its own executive and its expert committee, the Race Planning Committee.
The move is likely to be backed by the OFT who had raised concerns about the central setting of minimum values in May of this year - a fact that the RCA states the BHB were aware of.
Keith Brown, RCA Chairman, stated: "Racecourses have already demonstrated their commitment to prize money increases. The BHB cannot therefore disregard the interests of racecourses who set their racing programmes to be attractive to all their customers - owners, punters and the public.
"The RCA members of the BHB Board, Norman Gundill and I, opposed this arbitrary action on minimum values at the BHB Board and counselled then that its stance was anti-competitive. It is disappointing that our views were rejected."
The UK Racecourse Association has lodged a complaint with the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) regarding the decision of the British Horseracing Board to significantly raise minimum race values for 2003.
