General Manager

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...

Ciaran Flynn has been appointed general manager of Navan Racecourse, it was announced by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) on Thursday. Flynn will take up his position with immediate effect and succeeds Aidan McGarry, who was in May named as the new general manager of Naas Racecourse. Flynn has worked in the sport industry since 2013 and held various operational roles in high performance sport with Paralympics Ireland, Tennis Ireland and the Sport Ireland Institute. He has held the role of operations lead at Navan since 2022. "I'm thrilled to be...

Tom Sammes has been appointed as the new General Manager of Epsom Downs Racecourse while James Crespi returns as the new Racecourse Director of Goodwood Racecourse after eight years away from the Goodwood Estate. Sammes, 33, has been employed as Head of Strategy at The Jockey Club since September 2021, leading commercial strategic projects as well as planning to drive long-term revenue growth for the business. A graduate of Bristol University, he worked previously in similar roles in golf for the PGA European Tour and the Ryder Cup. He takes...

James Crespi has been appointed the new General Manager of Epsom Downs Racecourse, The Jockey Club announced on Wednesday. He will begin his duties on Monday, Dec. 5. The Chief Operating Officer of West Wittering Estate PLC since 2015, Crespi also spent 10 years at the Goodwood Estate, where he rose to the position of General Manager of Goodwood Racecourse. Simon Durrant will remain as General Manager of Kempton Park Racecourse while Sarah Drabwell has been appointed General Manager of Sandown Park on a permanent basis, having held the position...

Louisville's Mitch Dennison has been named general manager of racing at Louisiana Downs. Dennison will oversee racing, mutuels, facility projects, and sponsorships at the Bossier City racetrack and casino. Dennison has served as an assistant to Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen for the past 13 years, overseeing strings at Ellis Park and Louisiana Downs. He had also previously been affiliated with the D. Wayne Lukas barn. Despite his experience on the backside of the track, Dennison said he had an eye on racetrack management. "I have been active in both...

Eric Halstrom, who has served in a variety of executive position at racetracks predominantly in the Midwest and Mid-south regions, has been named vice president and general manager of racing at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino, pending all regulatory approvals. Halstrom, who begins his new roles Monday, Feb. 17, is just the second individual to hold that position and succeeds Jon Schuster, who passed away late last year. "I'm very excited to begin a new chapter at Indiana Grand," said Halstrom. "This is such an amazing time for this facility...