Rod Street to Leave GBR Next Month

Rod Street has announced his intention to step down from his role as CEO of Great British Racing (GBR) at the end of April.

Street has led British horseracing's marketing body since 2010 but has plans to launch his own mentoring venture. He will continue in his role as CEO of British Champions Series Limited until later in the year.

“It is my privilege to work in horseracing. I enter my 31st year in the sport in May this year and that time has been split evenly between senior leadership roles – both at racecourses and at the centre of the sport,” he said. “The time feels right to do something new and it is my intention to launch a new venture in coaching and mentoring leaders of the future, which many people know is a passion of mine.

“I am very proud of the achievements of the team at GBR. Racing is significantly better promoted now than it was 15 years ago. Jockeys are developing into superb ambassadors for the sport, we produce content on an almost daily basis and it is rare for a news opportunity or milestone to be missed. GBR has delivered large national campaigns on themes as diverse as equine welfare, under 18s race free and Sports Personality of the Year. Such is the extent of GBR's work that our name goes largely unnoticed, as it should do, because our job is to tell the stories – not be the story.”

He continued, “Reflecting on my time at GBR, there have been so many positive moments. Often it is the hard-earned wins that provide the most satisfaction – such as the team landing coverage of a sporting achievement on the national six o'clock or ten o'clock news programmes, or securing a big feature in the tabloids and broadsheets. But, in terms of major impact, I would cite QIPCO British Champions Series and Day and National Racehorse Week as huge innovations. And we also now have a Flat Racing Hall of Fame, which has been an honour to work on.

“Looking to racing's future, this is a time of both challenge and opportunity. It is encouraging that the sport has come together to address declines in revenue and engagement. Racing is not alone – most sports outside football face precisely the same challenge – and we are competing for customers' attention in a fiercely competitive environment. The principle of leading with our best quality products through Premier Racing is the right one. I remain optimistic for the sport, because we have history, heritage and a level of coverage that other sports would die for.”

The BHA's chief executive Julie Harrington paid tribute to Street's “trademark optimism and vivacity”.

She said, “Rod is an experienced, respected and much-loved individual in racing. Working in a multi-stakeholder environment is not easy and it is testament to Rod's qualities that he has thrived in the role of CEO at Great British Racing for nearly 15 years.

“More recently he has been an integral part of the Industry Strategy, working across multiple areas, and has made a huge contribution to that.

“We are sincerely sorry to lose him, but respect his decision and on behalf of racing's stakeholders thank him for all he has done, including the energy and passion he has brought to every task. Rod has made a big difference to how racing is promoted, compared to when he joined GBR in 2010. I'm sure we will continue to see lots of him in the future.”

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QIPCO British Champions Series Launches Club 26

Club 26, a free-to-join club for young people between the ages of 18-26, was launched by the QIPCO British Champions Series on Tuesday.

Designed to encourage younger fans to attend Great Britains Flat racing during the summer, members will receive special perks in the form of reduced general admission prices at 10 different racecourses, as well as behind-the-scenes tours and raceday previews.

Club 26 will feature at all 26 QIPCO British Champions Series racedays this year, including the G1 Betfred Derby Festival at Epsom Downs, all five days at Royal Ascot in June, the Qatar Goodwood Festival at Goodwood, the Skybet Ebor Festival at York in August and the St Leger Festival at Doncaster in September.

“We are passionate about attracting young people to horseracing as future fans and participants and are very proud to launch Club 26 ahead of the QIPCO Guineas Festival,” HH Sheikh Fahad bin Abdullah Al Thani, Director of QIPCO, said. “We have lots of exciting plans for the Club and hope it educates and encourages more 18 to 26-year-olds, who are key to the future of this sport, to come racing.”

Rod Street, Chief Executive of QIPCO British Champions Series, said, “Our objective is to get a younger audience closer to horseracing, by involving them in some of the best Flat racing occasions in the calendar. Horseracing takes a bit of understanding, but by involving people more closely in the racing experience, we know the magic can rub off and create lifetime aficionados.”

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Win And You’re In: Baaeed Faces Off With Palace Pier In Queen Elizabeth II

Rising one-mile star Baaeed will face by far the toughest test of his career to date when he bids to stretch his unbeaten run to six in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (sponsored by QIPCO), which on the tenth anniversary of Frankel's memorable QIPCO British Champions Day debut in the same race has attracted a line-up worthy of the occasion. The QEII is a “Win and You're In” race for the Breeders' Cup Mile on Nov. 6 at Del Mar.

The William Haggas-trained 3-year-old made his racecourse debut only four months ago but he is already a Group 1 winner in the Prix Du Moulin at ParisLongchamp and is disputing favoritism with last year's champion miler Palace Pier in a line-up which also includes last year's winner The Revenant, this year's QIPCO 2000 Guineas runner-up Master Of The Seas, and top-class fillies Alcohol Free, Lady Bowthorpe, and Mother Earth.

Haggas has been delighted with Baaeed and said: “With the likes of Palace Pier and Alcohol Free in the field it could be the race of the day, but Baaeed's preparation has gone well and he's in good shape. He's a nice horse and he's come a long way in a short space of time.”

John Gosden sounds just as pleased with Palace Pier, who is already a five-time Group 1 winner, including twice at Ascot, but met his only defeat in a ten-race career when third here 12 months ago.

He said: “It was frustrating when Palace Pier had to miss the Sussex Stakes with that blood disorder but he has since won the Prix Jacques Le Marois and it was always the intention after that to wait for this race.

“He's been training well and he'll appreciate what will hopefully be nicer ground than last year. A little over a week ago it was bottomless, and while we don't expect it to dry out to good to firm, it won't be like that.”

The Revenant is peaking at the right time once again judging from his fast-finishing short neck second behind Real World in the Prix Daniel Wildenstein at ParisLongchamp last weekend, when having his first race since May. However, drying ground could be a concern.

In an interview for QIPCO British Champions Series last week, trainer Francis-Henri Graffard said: “Two years ago on his first attempt he ran a fantastic race to finish second to a good horse (King Of Change), and when we went back last year we were very confident because he had come on a lot for his run at Longchamp. He had his ground and he was spot on, and he delivered, which was very good. If he has his ground again he will be ready to defend his title.”

The Coronation Stakes and Qatar Sussex Stakes winner Alcohol Free missed last weekend's Kingdom Of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes to wait for this, and if successful again here the prize money would provide a massive boost to Andrew Balding's hopes of winning a first trainers' title after he lost the lead to Charlie Appleby at Newmarket last weekend during the Dubai Future Champions Festival.

Balding said: “The QEII has always been the aim for Alcohol Free. We sidestepped the Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket as we felt that it might be a bit tight going to Ascot oly two weeks later, and she seems in great form.”

Benbatl will also merit respect. Saeed Bin Suroor's globe-trotting seven-year-old has been a Group 1 winner at racecourses as far afield as Caulfield in Australia, Meydan in the UAE, and a little closer to home in Munich, Germany. His recent Newmarket Group 2 defeat of Pogo suggests his enthusiasm is undimmed.

The ten confirmations for the race are completed by Njord, who has been Group-placed on several occasions since winning the Balmoral Handicap (Sponsored By QIPCO) for Jessica Harrington on last year's card and 2019 Queen Anne Stakes winner Lord Glitters.

Full entries:

  • Benbatl (GB)
  • Lord Glitters (FR)
  • Njord (IRE)
  • Palace Pier (GB)
  • The Revenant (GB)
  • Baaeed (GB)
  • Lady Bowthorpe (GB)
  • Master of The Seas (IRE)
  • Alcohol Free (IRE)
  • Mother Earth (IRE)

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Late Pat Eddery Inducted Into British Champions Series Hall Of Fame

Pat Eddery is the second jockey to be inducted into the Qipco British Champions Series Hall of Fame.

The legendary rider, who joins Lester Piggott, was champion jockey 11 times between 1974 and 1996 and he is the second-most winning rider in Britain with a tally of 4,633 winners.

He won the Derby with Grundy, Golden Fleece and Quest For Fame and added a further 11 British Classics to his haul. Eddery also played a leading role in the 1975 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, often described as the race of the century, when riding Grundy to beat Bustino.

Outside Britain he rode the great Dancing Brave to victory in the Arc in 1986 while partnering Breeders' Cup Turf winner Pebbles and Jupiter Island to victory in the Japan Cup.

Eddery died in November 2015 and his family will be presented with a medal to commemorate his inclusion to the Hall of Fame. The medal will also be on display at Ascot on Champions day in an exhibition on October 16.

His daughter, showjumper Natasha Eddery-Dunsdon, said: “He was, and always will be, one of the all-time greats. When I think about what he was like as a jockey, I think about his quiet concentration, his focus, the determination to win. That's what set him apart, his desire to win and to beat his comrades.

“Entering the Hall of Fame would have made him so proud. I only wish he were still here to experience this special moment. It's one myself and my family will cherish.”

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