HRI Creates Ownership Department

Horse Racing Ireland has created a new Racehorse Ownership Department dedicated to the recruitment and retention of racehorse owners in Ireland. Aidan McGarry, former Racehorse Ownership Manager within Irish Thoroughbred Marketing, has been appointed Owner Relations Manager of the new HRI department, although the ownership department will retain its close links with ITM.

McGarry will liaise with current owners, both domestic and international, helping to ensure that the ownership experience in Ireland is of a consistently high standard. A significant focus will be on working with racecourses to continue improving their facilities and raceday offerings for owners. An Owner Recruitment Manager will be employed in the coming weeks, whose role will focus on attracting new owners. A particular focus will be put on the promotion of joint ownership and syndicates. Caroline Townend will also join the department as Ownership Administrator.

Jason Morris, HRI's director of racing, said, “Attracting and retaining owners is a major priority for HRI, and it remains one of our biggest challenges. We are making progress which is reflected in the increasing ownership figures this year, but we need to build on this. We're very conscious of the need to improve the experience for existing owners as well as attracting new people to racehorse ownership, which is why we will have one manager dedicated to owner relations and another targeting recruitment.”