Casey Named Group CFO Of HRI

Roger Casey, a chartered accountant who has been with Tattersalls Ireland for 14 years, will join Horse Racing Ireland as Group Chief Financial Officer, succeeding Suzanne Eade, who has moved into the role of chief executive officer.

Casey is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland, a member of the Institute of Directors in Ireland, and brings international commercial experience to the role having worked with Marsh McClennan; KPMG in Toronto and Dublin; and Deloitte in Dublin.

Eade said, “I look forward to working with Roger, who brings significant financial expertise and leadership to Horse Racing Ireland, coupled with a strong understanding and appreciation for the racing and breeding industry. Roger will have the full backing of a dedicated team in HRI across a diverse portfolio who I have enjoyed working directly with for over six years.”

Casey said, “Racing and breeding are part of the fabric of life in Ireland and I am very aware of the significant impact and footprint of this industry having spent 14 years with a great team at Tattersalls Ireland. I am looking forward to starting this new and exciting role in Horse Racing Ireland, and working alongside CEO Suzanne Eade, the Board and the wider team at HRI.”

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New Chairman and 2022 European Flat Black-Type Programme Changes Announced by EPC

All Pattern and listed races staged in Europe in 2021 were reviewed by the European Pattern Committee (EPC) at their annual meeting, which was held virtually on Friday, Jan. 21. The EPC sanctioned 851 black-type races (854 in 2021) to be held in Europe in 2022, of which, 425 were group races (427 in 2021) and 426 listed races (427 in 2021), a reduction of three on 2021.

Besides upgrading and downgraded races, the EPC also appointed Jason Morris, the Director of Racing at Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) to replace outgoing EPC Chairman Brian Kavanagh, whose term ended on Jan. 31,2022. Morris will serve for a five-year term.

Kavanagh said, “It has been a privilege to serve as Chairman of the EPC and to work with a group of dedicated and passionate individuals. The strength of the European Pattern is reflected annually in the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings and while its work is regulatory in nature, the Committee has overseen many positive initiatives in European racing, for example in relation to opportunities for top-class fillies and mares, the development of Longines Irish Champions Weekend, Qatar Prix de l'Arc weekend and QIPCO British Champions Day, the three-year-old sprint programme and opportunities for stayers.

“The authority of the Committee comes from the participation and buy-in of all of the major racing nations in Europe and is one of the best examples I know of international racing authorities working together towards a common objective.”

Kavanagh added, “The Committee has chosen wisely in selecting Jason Morris to take over the role as Chairman. He has great expertise in this area and a lifetime interest in the development of quality racing throughout Europe. I wish him and the entire Committee all the best in the future.”

Dominic Gardiner-Hill, Head of Handicapping for the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), Garry O'Gorman and Eric Le Guen, Senior Handicappers in Ireland and France respectively, are the EPC European nominees to the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings Committee.

The EPC is also undertaking a full review of the progress made on developing and enhancing the black-type programme for the staying horse at its next meeting, which is scheduled for the summer of 2022. In addition, the EPC also agreed to new measures to aid the emerging racing nations in the European and Mediterranean Horseracing Federation to have the chance to stage a listed race, providing the race in question meets an agreed set of criteria.

The following changes were made to the Irish Pattern and listed races:

  • Listed Silken Glider S. upgraded to Group 3 status
  • Listed Savel Beg upgraded to Group 3 status
  • G3 Vintage Crop S. downgraded to listed status
  • G3 Diamond S. downgraded to listed status
  • New six-furlong listed race for filles (3yo/up)

Across Europe, other countries' races were downgraded as follows:

  • Germany:
    • G2 Diana Trial downgraded to Group 3
    • G3 Silberne Pietsche downgraded to listed
  • Italy:
    • Listed Citta di Napoli loses listed status
    • Listed Archidamia loses listed status
    • Listed Chiusura loses listed status
  • Norway:
    • G3 Oslo Cup downgraded to listed
  • Sweden:
    • Listed Stockholm Fillies' S. loses listed status
  • Turkey:
    • G2 Topkapi Trophy downgraded to Group 3

There are also a total of 41 Pattern and listed races that are at risk of potential downgrades in 2023 depending on their performance in 2022. These races are broken down by country as follows: GB (1), France (10), Germany (12), Ireland (3), Italy (14), and Turkey (1).

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Rachael Blackmore Wins 2021 Irish Racing Hero Award

Jockey Rachael Blackmore will be awarded the 2021 Irish Racing Hero Award at the annual Horse Racing Ireland Awards in December.

Blackmore became the first woman to claim the Cheltenham Festival Leading Jockey title with six winners. She found Champion Hurdle success with Honeysuckle (GB) (Sulamani {Ire}) on Tuesday, a Triumph Hurdle score with Quilixios (GB) (Maxios {GB}) on Friday and also won races in the middle of the meeting with Bob Olinger (Ire) (Sholokhov {Ire}) and Sir Gerhard (Ire) (Jeremy) on Wednesday and Allaho (Fr) (No Risk At All {Fr}) and Telmesomethinggirl (Ire) (Stowaway {GB}) on Thursday.

She became the first woman to ride the winner of the iconic G3 Grand National with her success on Minella Times (Ire) (Oscar {Ire}) described as “historic” by President Michael D Higgins, “a truly amazing achievement” by An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue T.D, saying, “You are once again a history maker and have done Ireland proud.”

Suzanne Eade, interim CEO of Horse Racing Ireland, said, “Rachael's achievements on two of jump racing's biggest stages are truly historic. Not only was she the first woman to ride the winner of a championship race at Cheltenham, but Rachael also became the first woman to win the Leading Jockey Award at the festival. It is remarkable that her six winners included five at Grade 1 level.

“Her Aintree Grand National victory made headlines all over the world and that accomplishment alone will resonate with so many within the racing industry and beyond.

“Rachael has become more than a role model; she is a true icon of our wonderful sport and a most fitting winner of the 2021 Irish Racing Hero Award.”

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Claiming Process Streamlined By Horse Racing Ireland

A streamlining of the claiming process for Irish claiming races, to speed up post-race procedures, has been instituted by Horse Racing Ireland and the new regulations will go into effect on Nov. 2. Pre-authorisation on the day of the race will be required for all potential claimants. The claimant's contact details, the name of the designated trainer for the horse they wish to claim, the name of the person responsible for collecting and transporting the claimed horse and the value of the horse they wish to claim should be submitted to Horse Racing Ireland up to one hour before the scheduled race time. Pre-authorisation can be done in two ways: by completing the online pre-authorisation form or by telephoning the client accounts department of HRI. For more information on the new procedures, please visit the Horse Racing Ireland website.

Jason Morris, HRI's Director of Racing, said, “The popularity of claiming races continues to grow as a medium for purchasing horses and we have seen a huge increase in the volume of activity, with upwards of 30 claims being submitted in races on occasions. This can lead to considerable delays in the post-race processing and the announcement of the successful claims.

“The changes to the regulations announced today will streamline the process for everyone involved and will also ensure the welfare of claimed horses as they transfer between trainers. The time between the race being run and the announcement of successful claims will be reduced, removing any ambiguity of who is responsible for the welfare of the horse in the period after the race.

“It is important to note that pre-authorisation must be sought each time a person intends to make a claim and that those wishing to proceed with their claim must contact the client accounts department of HRI after the race is run. No claim will be accepted after the race without pre-authorisation.”

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