Joe Saumarez-Smith | Horse Racing Free Tips

Joint Cooperation Committee Formed by Japanese, British and Irish Racing Industries

A partnership to encourage international initiatives and working practices between the Japanese and British and Irish horseracing industries was announced by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) and Japan Racing Association (JRA) on Friday.

The creation of the Joint Cooperation Committee is to serve as a formal platform for members within the British and Irish horseracing industries to engage with their counterparts in Japan via the JRA. It will consist of agreed representatives from key shareholders in the respective territories including the BHA, HRI, Racecourse Media Group (RMG), and principal courses like The Jockey Club Racecourses, York, Ascot, Goodwood, and Leopardstown.

The group's earliest groundwork includes a variety of schemes, and marketing and media initiatives to promote Japanese horses and connections travelling to Great Britain and Ireland, and vice versa by raising awareness of those markets among domestic participants, media, bettors, and fans. Another goal is to create a direct regulatory partnership which will perform its duties but not cut across pre-existing arrangements. Ultimately, the goal is to further internationalise the sport of horse racing and support the breeding industries.

“I am delighted that the horse racing organisations in Britain and Ireland with their history, tradition, quality and innovation, have now united to form the Joint Cooperation Committee with the Japanese Racing Association,” said JRA CEO, Masayoshi Yoshida. “It is an important and significant step for the JRA, and Japanese horse racing. We will be working together more strongly than ever before to achieve further development in all areas. I look forward to working hand-in-hand to create the future of horse racing together.”

Joe Saumarez Smith, chairman of the new Joint Cooperation Committee as well as the chair of the BHA, said, “We are delighted to be collaborating with the JRA and are hugely grateful for their significant support. The creation of this Committee is the next step in our relationship, as we further pool our knowledge and insight, and combine our considerable marketing and media assets. This can only lead to increased participation in each other's racing, resulting in deeper fan engagement, and increased and new revenues.”

HRI's CEO, Suzanne Eade, shared the enthusiasm of her counterparts for the future of the new committee. “Ireland looks forward to being a full and active partner with Britain and Japan in the Joint Cooperation Committee to share our collective wisdom and progress our shared objectives of increasing participation and engagement.”

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Premier Racedays To Kick Off at Cheltenham Jan. 1

Premier Racedays, an undertaking by British Racing to market and promote racing's best racedays, will launch with the New Year's Day fixture at Cheltenham, the first of some 170 such programs to be staged in 2024.

Premier Racedays is part of a two-year series of changes with the aim of growing British racing by 'increasing engagement among new and existing customers, improving revenues across all areas of the industry, promoting investment in the sport through the recruitment and retention of owners, and encouraging the best horses to be bred, trained and raced in Britain.'

Premier Racedays will be supported by marketing and promotional suppoer, racecourse marketing spend and plans for a national promotional campaign, pending the submission of an application to the Horserace Betting Levy Board in line with the body's funding criteria.

Premier Racedays through 2024 will also see the introduction of innovation in the fan experience on an ongoing basis, for those attending on racecourses, betting, and watching on broadcast. Over 90% of Premier Racedays are to be broadcast across ITV and encompass the majority of racing's best and most popular racedays.

The key areas of innovation include customer promotion, broadcast innovation, customer experience, a digital content strategy, promotion of horse racing's equine and human athletes and betting, to offer a variety of incentives around Premier Racedays. Significant work is also in development to improve the ownership experience both on and off-course, with initiatives to be rolled out in 2024.

“British racing's stakeholders unanimously agreed the way to grow our sport is to better showcase and sell our best racing. The pilot of Premier Racedays is the start of this process,” said Joe Saumarez Smith, chair of the British Horseracing Authority. “Due to the way that our sport is structured, the first priority for the sport was to put the building blocks in place in the form of the changes to the fixture list and race programme and secure the improved funding of prize money. There is little point trying to sell Premier Racedays if the product is not, in fact, Premier. “I am grateful to everyone who has been involved in the ongoing development of these plans, including those directly involved in the sport and our partners in broadcast, the media and betting”.

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Halley and Warren Appointed to BHA Board

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) on Friday confirmed the appointment of two new Independent Non-Executive Directors to the BHA Board.

Kyrsten Halley will serve a three-year term, which began on May 1. She fills the vacancy created by Joe Saumarez Smith, whose term as BHA Chair was extended through May 31, 2025. Tara Warren will begin her initial three-year term on Dec. 1 and replaces current Independent Non-Executive Director Laura Whyte, following the completion of her maximum nine-year term.

Halley currently serves as Marketing Director for the British-based food manufacturer, Samworth Brothers, owns a retired racehorse, and competes in Retraining of Racehorses events.

Warren is Executive Director and Board member at West Ham United Football Club and leads the delivery of the club's strategic and commercial priorities. A regular racegoer, she is also the responsible for the club's equality, diversity, and inclusion strategy.

“We are very pleased to welcome Kyrsten and Tara to the BHA Board. Alongside a passion for racing, both have strong commercial backgrounds, with extensive experience in digital marketing, customer engagement and transformational change, all of which will be essential as British racing continues to progress our long-term strategy,” Saumarez said.

Current membership of the BHA Board can be viewed here.

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Saumarez Smith’s Term Extended As BHA Chair

British Horseracing Authority Chair Joe Saumarez Smith's term will be extended until May 31, 2025, the BHA announced on Tuesday. The news follows the recommendation to extend his tenure by the Nominations Committee of the BHA, which was supported unanimously by the BHA Board. Saumarez Smith will hold the role for a full three-year term, which began on June 1, 2022. His original term would have expired in November of 2023. As part of this process, the BHA's Members approved an amendment to the BHA's Articles, to allow for the extended term to be offered.

Joe Saumarez Smith said, “I'm delighted and honoured to be asked by our shareholders to extend my term. I look forward to working with all of racing's stakeholders on the many issues facing the industry, especially relating to our long-term strategic direction. I am sure that together we can achieve many positive results.”

Julie Harrington, Chief Executive of the BHA, said, “I am delighted that Joe's term as Chair has been extended. We have made great progress together in resolving the sport's governance structure and initiating work on an industry strategy. Now is the time for stability as we look to develop and implement the strategy, drawing on the advantages of the new governance structure to bring about radical change for the sport.”

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