The Jockey Club

In horse racing, performance matters. I am a bloodstock agent and my performance is measured by the winning post. If I don't perform, I no longer have the credibility to earn a living buying racehorses. The Jockey Club was founded "not only to encourage the development of the thoroughbred horse, but to establish racing on such a footing that it may command the interests as well as the confidence and favourable opinion of the public." I moved to Kentucky to work in the horse business in 2000. Since then: The...

It is time for Stuart Janney to make his greatest gift to racing. On Sunday afternoon, I received a text from a colleague alerting me that I should tune into 60 Minutes later that night to watch their feature, "Horse Racing Reform?" Never before has it been more clear that as the sun begins to set on 2023, we are well past time to modernize the structure of The Jockey Club to make it accountable to all Thoroughbred industry stakeholders. The Jockey Club ought to be a fair representation of...

Applications for The Jockey Club's paid internship program for college students and recent college graduates and its five academic scholarship are now open, the organization announced on Tuesday. The internship program, which offers experience to all facets of The Jockey Club's operations and takes place out of the Lexington, Ky office, offers three slots in the summer or fall based on preference and lasts eight weeks. Applications are being accepted through Jan. 5 with notifications announced in February. The five scholarships will apply to the 2024-2025 academic year and range...

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...

As part of a "relentless focus on welfare", the Jockey Club has announced a number of changes to the Randox Grand National, including reducing the maximum number of starters from 40 to 34. Having canvassed the views of a wide range of racing industry stake-holders as well as World Horse Welfare, the Jockey Club has settled upon five key changes to the Aintree showcase, which will be run next year on Saturday, April 13. Last year's race was delayed by 15 minutes after protestors invaded the track. One of the...

Ben Newman, a "committed animal rights campaigner" who was filmed running onto Epsom Downs during the running of this year's G1 Derby in June, has been given a suspended prison sentence for breaking a High Court's injunction. The Jockey Club, which owns and operates Epsom Downs, had received an injunction banning the animal rights group Animal Rising of which Newman is a member, prior to the Derby in June. Newman's two-month prison sentence was suspended for 18 months during contempt of court proceedings on Wednesday. Tim James-Matthews, for Newman, said...

Youth Experience Days, which will give more UK young people access to horses, have been launched by insurance broker and risk management firm Gallagher and The Jockey Club. The experience days give children from some of the UK's most disadvantaged communities an opportunity to visit racecourses, meet trainers and spend time with leading figures from around the industry. The effort came about following the results of a survey that indicated 40% of 12-18-year-olds would consider working with equines. Last week, 25 children from the Rio Ferdinand Foundation spent the day...

The Jockey Club projects a 2024 North American foal crop of 18,000, some 500 fewer foals than the 2023 foal-crop estimate of 18,500. The projection of the foal crop is made using the Reports of Mares Bred (RMBs) received to date by The Jockey Club for the 2023 breeding season. RMBs are due no later than Aug. 1 of each breeding season. Stallion owners who have yet to return their RMBs for the 2023 breeding season are encouraged to do so by The Jockey Club as soon as possible. Interactive...

Stars and unsung heroes from the world of jump racing were honoured Thursday, Sept. 21 at the sixth annual The McCoys in front of an invited audience at Cheltenham. In determining winners at The McCoys, performances over the course of the 2022-23 Jump season at all Jockey Club Racecourses that stage jump racing are taken into consideration namely Aintree, Carlisle, Cheltenham, Exeter, Haydock Park, Huntingdon, Kempton Park, Market Rasen, Sandown Park, Warwick and Wincanton. Among those honoured on the night was eight-time champion jump jockey Peter Scudamore, who received the...

Virgin Bet is the new sponsor for the G1 Sun Chariot S. at Newmarket on Oct. 7. In addition, Virgin Bet will also sponsor three more races on the card, as it expands its sponsorship portfolio across The Jockey Club. The company already sponsors races at Exeter, Kempton Park, Sandown Park and Wincanton. Part of the QIPCO British Champions Series, the Sun Chariot is the first Group 1 Flat race sponsored by Virgin Bet. Virgin Bet Marketing Director, Ric Leask, said, "We are hugely excited to expand our partnership with...

Are wet tracks more dangerous than dry ones? According to statistics compiled by the Jockey Club, the answer is no. The TDN reached out to The Jockey Club and asked it to dig into the Equine Injury Database and provide us with statistics regarding breakdowns and various dirt track and turf course conditions. The study was conducted by Dr. Euan Bennet and Professor Tim Parkin and covered the years 2021 and 2022. On the dirt, there were 419 fatalities on tracks listed as fast during those years from 308,954 starts....

Lexington, Kentucky native Alex G. Campbell Jr., who campaigned the likes of GSWs winner Karlovy Vary, Mean Mary and Bye Bye Melvin, died in Delray, Florida, Tuesday. He was 95. In addition to Karlovy Vary, who annexed Keeneland's GI Ashland S. in 2012, Campbell previously campaigned Turk O Witz, winner of the 1995 Santa Maria H. in addition to 1996 Big 'Cap scorer Mr Purple. Also running in his colors, dual graded stakes winner Ultra Brat, and Grade III victor It's Tea Time. A member of The Jockey Club for...