Shaun Hinds Appointed New CEO Of Newbury

Shaun Hinds has been appointed as the new chief executive officer of Newbury Racecourse, succeeding Julian Thick who announced his resignation in August, the racecourse announced on Wednesday. Thick served in the role for 10 years.

Hinds will begin his tenure as CEO and join the company's board in the summer of 2024 once he has served out his notice period with his current employer, Manchester Central Convention Centre. He has held that role for the past 6 1/2 years.

Dominic Burke, the chairman of Newbury Racecourse PLC, said, “Julian has made an enormous contribution to Newbury over the past ten years. We wish him the very best for the future.

“The board is delighted to be announcing Shaun's appointment following a wide-ranging and competitive search. Shaun has a longstanding interest in racing stemming from his childhood in Newmarket and will work closely with clerk of the course, George Hill. Shaun's proven success in running a business with multiple physical assets combined with his wealth of commercial experience made him the outstanding candidate.”

Hinds added, “It's a great privilege to be joining a racecourse with the prestige and heritage of Newbury, and I'd like to thank Dominic and the board for the opportunity. I'm tremendously excited to be joining such a fantastic team.”

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Guillaume de Saint-Seine Elected President of France Galop

The 56 new France Galop committee members met on Tuesday, December 12 at ParisLongchamp racecourse and elected Guillaume de Saint-Seine as the new President of France Galop for a four-year term that starts immediately.

Three candidates addressed the new Committee. Saint-Seine received 25 votes in the first round, Jacques Détré got 17 and Louis de Bourgoing 14. The latter defected for the second round and gave his support to Détré, but Saint-Seine managed to obtain the required 29 votes to be elected in the second round, with Détré getting 25 votes (plus one blank and one void). 

Saint-Seine, aged 62, has bred and owned racehorses “for nearly 35 years”. He has been a member of France Galop's Committee since 2015 and was a board member between 2016 and 2019. 

In 2023, he has raced 23 horses, mostly in partnerships, as he's willing to share his passion with as many friends and outsiders as possible, labelling himself a natural and objective supporter of racing to the world. Among his best horses to date are G2 Critérium de Maisons-Laffitte and G3 Prix Eclipse winner Penny's Picnic (Fr), G1 Al Quoz Sprint and G3 Prix de Seine-et-Oise winner The Right Man (GB), and Listed winners Sagaroi (Fr) and The Fixer (Fr). He also bred 14 runners in 2023.

The new President has spent most of his career in banking in Paris and London. He is currently a member of the Executive Committee of Natixis Banking and Investment company as Head of Coverage. He is a graduate of IEP Paris and holds a post-graduate degree in Finance from Paris IX Dauphine University.

“My goal is to perpetuate our traditions and modernise our sport to catch up with today's world,” he announced in his address to the Committee prior to his election. He also vowed to aim for more stability and visibility, both from a strategic and an economic point of view. 

“Frequent changes are what struck me the most over the past eight years when I compare how Racing is conducted with my experience as a banker and advisor at Natixis. Not a year goes by without a change in the way owners' premiums are calculated, regional race meetings are scheduled, or how marketing strategies are geared. It is the opposite of what we need because our activity is long-term. Whether you are an owner, breeder, trainer or benevolent, you live in the long term. Without stability and visibility, you simply cannot plan and invest wisely. We all need a long-term approach. That is why we will decide together, as early as the first quarter of 2024, on strategic and budgetary guidelines for the next four years. We all need visibility and guarantees to bring growth back.”

The new president vows to apply the same strategic and financial rules to the PMU so that instead of a yearly plan, the historically monopolistic betting arm of the French racing institution will also have to set up its strategy for the next four years. 

“I want to work with the PMU as I do with the large companies I advise on a daily basis: as a committed partner,” said Saint-Seine minutes before his election.

The new president also declared after his election that he would work immediately and tirelessly so that “racing would return into the French public's heart and soul.”

Arnaud de Seyssel and Frédéric Landon were appointed vice-presidents, the former overseeing Flat racing while the latter, who presides over the Fontainebleau racecourse, would manage jump racing. A third vice-president was nominated to deal with regional affairs, Philippe Bouchara, who is also President of Vichy racecourse.

The nine other members of the board are Hervé d'Armaillé (owner-breeder, associated member), Anthony Baudouin (elected breeder), Nicolas de Chambure (owner-breeder, associated member), Charles-Hubert de Chaudenay (owner-breeder, associated member), Pauline Chehboub (regional elected owner), Nicolas Clément (elected trainer), Philippe Germond (elected owner) and Francis Teboul (elected owner).

In an interview published last weekend by French daily Jour de Galop, Saint-Seine announced that he would appoint the deputy managing director Henri Pouret, who is also in charge of racing operations, to succeed Olivier Delloye as France Galop's managing director

Contrary to the last two presidents of France Galop, Saint-Seine is still an active businessman. His opponents used that situation as an adverse argument, claiming that the candidate, who started his campaign long before former president Edouard de Rothschild announced that he wouldn't run for a fifth mandate, would be too busy to rule France Galop properly. 

However, the new France Galop president, who vows to use his professional network extensively to promote racing politically and commercially, stated in his candidacy speech, “I will be the president of France Galop, who will preside in the full sense of the word. This is my commitment to you. A France Galop that is proud of its traditions. A France Galop that wants to rely on its two-century-old tradition of racing while showing that our values are also modern and timeless. I want our community to trust France Galop to stay true to its commitments over a long enough period to invest wisely.”

Even though Guillaume de Saint-Seine has been around the administration of France Galop for a while – he also directed last year a commission dedicated to the evolution of France Galop's governance whose conclusions were rejected mainly by Rothschild's team – his election could mark the beginning of a new era in the management of French racing's affairs. Challenges lie ahead of us, as racing has quietly receded in French society, missed the opportunities represented by the opening of the online betting market in 2010, which it resisted rather than embraced, and finally failed to adapt its global system to an ever-faster evolving world.

Yet, all is not so gloomy on the continent. On the breeding side, French sires and their offspring perform internationally, the sales are booming, French jumpers abound and succeed in Britain and Ireland, prize-money is by far above anything one can find in Europe, and French racing remains as one of the soundest, fairest and most regulated racing institutions in the world.

Guillaume de Saint-Seine might be the new man to drive this sleeping giant out of its gloomy mood.

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Blaithin Murphy New General Manager At Wincanton

Blaithin Murphy has been named the new general manager of Wincanton Racecourse, The Jockey Club announced on Wednesday.

Part of The Jockey Club since 2021, Murphy recently completed the general manager trainee programme. The 25-year-old will succeed Jack Parkinson, who will remain as the general manager of Exeter Racecourse, a post he has held since 2017.

Murphy said, “I am delighted to be appointed general manager at Wincanton Racecourse. Racecourse management has always been a career ambition of mine and racing is a lifelong passion. I would like to thank everyone at The Jockey Club who has supported me so far with a special thanks to Jack Parkinson for the time and guidance he has given me.”

Nadia Powell, small courses director at The Jockey Club, said, “I'm delighted to welcome Blaithin as the new general manager of Wincanton. Her passion for racing and racecourse management is clear and I look forward to working with her to continue Wincanton's progress in the years to come.

“I'd like to thank Jack for his dedication to Wincanton and know he will continue to maximise Exeter's encouraging growth as a conference and events venue.”

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Andy Waitt Appointed New Clerk Of The Course For Bahrain Turf Club

Andy Waitt has been named as the new clerk of the course for the Bahrain Turf Club. He replaces Neil Mackenzie Ross.

Yusuf Buheji, CEO of the Bahrain Turf Club said, “We are delighted to welcome Andy to the team at the Rashid Equestrian & Horseracing Club. The Club considers the provision of a first-class racing surface to be fundamental to the growth of horseracing in Bahrain, not only from the perspective of attracting international horses but also in terms of raising the standards of our domestic horse population.

“We have made a significant investment in the facilities, developing two separate turf tracks, as well as our extensive training resources, to ensure we provide the best quality surface for all horses and riders.

“Andy has a lot of experience from his time working in England and shares our ambition for the future. Our thanks to Neil Mackenzie Ross for his significant contribution during his nine years working for the Club.”

Previously based at Chelmsford City Racecourse, Waitt began his career in racing at Sandown Park. Later based at Lingfield Park as head groundsman and estates manager, he qualified for clerk of the course in 2005, and held that role at Great Leighs from 2008-2009. He returned to that track to oversee its re-opening as Chelmsford City in 2015.

Waitt said, “I was attracted to the role by the opportunity to work for a progressive racing jurisdiction with long-term plans. I am very much looking forward to the Bahrain International Trophy in November and then the Bahrain Turf Series, which runs from December through to February. I am also thoroughly enjoying getting to know the friendly and accommodating people of Bahrain.”

The BTC hosts the $1-million G2 Bahrain International Trophy every November, as well as The Listed Crown Prince's Cup and Listed The King's Cup in February and March, respectively.

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