Jim Allen has been appointed as the new general manager of Epsom Downs Racecourse, it was announced by the Jockey Club on Monday. He succeeds Tom Sammes, who leaves the Jockey Club at the end of this month.
Allen's early career involved the management of two UK racecourses, Huntingdon and Sedgefield, before he served as racing director at Arena Racing Company (ARC) between 2006 and 2015. In this role he was involved in the innovation of the All-Weather Championships, the introduction of the new Tapeta racing surface at Newcastle and Wolverhampton racecourses, and the launch of sectional timing at all ARC tracks.
Allen went on to train racehorses across the US and in France between 2016 and 2022, before joining Tapeta Footings as its operations director in 2023 to create new racing surfaces at Belmont Park, Margaux Farm and Santa Anita. He returned to the UK this year to take up the role of operations director at British Champions Series and will begin his new position at Epsom Downs on Monday, October 21, after QIPCO British Champions Day has taken place.
“Having started my career at Huntingdon back in 1999, I'm absolutely delighted to be rejoining the Jockey Club,” said Allen. “I also grew up in Croydon and regularly attended Epsom from the age of 13, so it's a place that very much feels like 'home' to me.
“As far as I'm concerned the Betfred Derby remains the most important race to the Thoroughbred breed and the most famous in the world, so I'm proud and excited to start working with the team.
“I hope that my experience working across the industry in a range of different roles, from running racecourses to training racehorses, will give me a 360 degree perspective as we strive to ensure Epsom Downs reaches its full potential, both as a racecourse and training centre.”
Amy Starkey, managing director of The Jockey Club, added, “I'm thrilled to have appointed someone of Jim's calibre to lead the team at Epsom Downs.
“It is rare to find an accomplished racecourse administrator who also has expertise in training and caring for racehorses and his CV speaks for itself. With such experience and a wide range of existing stakeholder relationships, Jim will be a tremendous asset for Epsom Downs Racecourse and our training grounds.”
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