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Richard FitzGerald Ending Tenure as RMG CEO

Racecourse Media Group Chief Executive Richard FitzGerald will leave his position after a 12-year run. FitzGerald will slowly step down over a six-week period, with RMG Finance Director Martin Stevenson becoming acting CEO. RMG, which holds the media and data rights for 34 British tracks, has enjoyed a profitable run under FitzGerald, as his tenure included the deal for ITV to provide terrestrial coverage (through 2023) and Racing UK becoming Racing TV, with Irish rights also secured.

“It has been a fabulous and rewarding 12 years working for RMG,” said FitzGerald in a statement. “The business has flourished and delivered on the vision of the founding shareholders around a collective approach to commercialising their media and data rights.

“There is never a good time to step down but with resumption of racing, the new Watch & Bet deals, the terrestrial TV renewal and launch in Italy of fixed odds, and a new cycle of renewals starting shortly, it seems the right time to step down.

“It has been a great journey and I have enjoyed working with a strong, capable, committed and stable team to deliver the results we have been able to achieve consistently over the last decade.”

Added RMG Chairman Roger Lewis, “”On behalf of the board of RMG, I thank Richard for his exceptional leadership of the RMG team for almost 12 years. During this period RMG has produced great returns for our racecourses, generating over £800m of licence fees during his tenure of office.

“The recent renewal of the RMG contract with ITV until 2023, the successful launch of our new Watch & Bet Service in June, and ensuring RMG is fully operational following the COVID-19 outbreak and so generating significant revenues for our racecourses, has created the right moment for Richard to announce his decision to step down.

“The achievements of RMG, which have driven its financial performance with Richard as CEO are significant, and include a ground-breaking data licensing and production service, an innovative LBO deal with SIS, the securing of the rights to Irish racing, the rebrand and launch of Racing TV, enhancing its HD service, and the expansion of RMG opportunities across the world. Richard leaves RMG with our sincerest thanks and best wishes for having delivered an outstanding performance over a considerable period of time.”

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Military March To Follow Benbatl Route

Last year’s G3 Autumn S. winner Military March (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), a leading fancy for the G1 Investec Derby before meeting with a setback in the lead-up to the race, will follow a similar path over the winter to his Saeed bin Suroor stablemate Benbatl (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), the trainer said. Military March, last seen finishing fourth in the G1 2000 Guineas on June 6, is training towards an autumn return in Europe and will later target dirt races in Dubai.

“Military March is back in light training,” bin Suroor said. “We are not going to rush him and he will be out at the end of September or early October, where we will find a race for him. The horse is doing well physically. We will look to give him one more run in England, then take him to Dubai–but he needs to have one more run here to make sure he is fit when he goes out there as he is a big horse. We will target one of the Al Maktoum Challenge races to start with to see if he handles the dirt. Everyone is always searching for a horse for the Dubai World Cup and if he did well on the dirt he could be a horse for the race. We will have to see how he handles the dirt, but if he doesn’t we would switch him back to the turf. It is too early to say what the future plans will be, but if the dirt didn’t work out we could look at the Dubai Turf or Sheema Classic.”

As for Benbatl, who won the G2 Singspiel S. and G2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 over the winter at Meydan and was last seen finishing third in the Saudi Cup, he is expected to resurface next in the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois on Aug. 16 or the G1 Juddmonte International on Aug. 19.

“We will have a look at which race to go for closer to the time, as it doesn’t matter if he goes a mile or mile and a quarter,” bin Suroor said. “He always runs well fresh, like we saw when he won the Group 2 at Newmarket. We were getting him ready for the Dubai World Cup and he was flying, but he didn’t get the chance to run [with the meeting cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic] so we decided to give him a break as he had already had three runs.”

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Devin Debutante Takes the Eye at Deauville

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Thursday’s Insights features a half-sister to G1SW Epicuris (GB) (Rail Link {GB}).

5.37 Deauville, Cond, €22,000, 2yo, f, 7 1/2fT
CAPTIOUS (GB) (Frankel {GB}) debuts in the Khalid Abdullah silks for the Henri-Francois Devin stable and is a half-sister to the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud winner Epicuris (GB) (Rail Link {GB}). Among her rivals is Haras Voltaire’s fellow newcomer Babylone (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), an Andre Fabre-trained daughter of the former Niarchos Family homebred Typique (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a daughter of Denebola (Storm Cat) who was bought for €450,000 at the Goffs November Mares Sale.

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Siskin’s Next Start Up in the Air

Classic hero Siskin (First Defence), who lost his unbeaten tag with a third in last week’s G1 Qatar Sussex S., has emerged from that effort well, but his connections are not sure where he will start next. Trained by Ger Lyons for Prince Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte operation, the homebred had scored an impressive victory in the G1 Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas in his sophomore bow at The Curragh on June 12. The bay was unbeaten in four runs as a juvenile, including the G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. and G2 GAIN Railway S.

“He’s come out of the race well,” said Abdullah’s racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe. “I’ve got to discuss with Prince Khalid what he would like to do. We’ll look at all the options, which are pretty straightforward really.”

Another Juddmonte colourbearer also received a positive update, as two-time G1 Prix de l’Arc heroine Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) continues to shine after take the July 25 G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO S. at Ascot, her third win in the race. Second in the 2019 Arc ,the John Gosden trainee filled the same position in the G1 Coral-Eclipse S. on July 5. She is pointing to either York’s Aug. 20 G1 Yorkshire Oaks or Aug. 19 G1 Juddmonte International S., followed by another try in the Arc in France in October.

Added Grimthorpe, “All is good with Enable. She hasn’t done a lot since Ascot, but she came out of the race well and everybody is happy with her.”

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