International Racing Bureau

A press release from Tattersalls back in September took a lot of folk in the business by surprise, announcing as it did the departure of marketing director Jimmy George.  The man who can fill many a quiet hour with a word-perfect monologue on the merits of the Book 1 Bonus first joined the company back in 1986 and, bar a brief stint on the bloodstock magazine Pacemaker, has been a stalwart of the team at Terrace House and Park Paddocks. George is not going far though - in fact, a...

Jimmy George will step down from his role as marketing director of Tattersalls at the end of 2024 to join the International Racing Bureau (IRB) as managing director. He will take over from Alastair Donald, who has held that position since 2001. George, who has been a director of Tattersalls for 23 years, said, "I joined Tattersalls in 1986 and have served on the Board since 2001 so this has not been a decision taken lightly, but I have a long association with the International Racing Bureau which, like Tattersalls,...

For the last several years, Kentucky Downs has been the track that had almost everything. Big fields, huge purses and a betting handle that increases exponentially every year. But one thing has largely been missing--European shippers. Despite an all-turf meet, the purses and the fact that Kentucky Downs is much like a European turf course, the meet hadn't really registered with European horsemen. That has changed. According to Martin Panza, the co-director of racing at Kentucky Downs, which kicks off its annual seven-day meet Thursday, as many as 16 European-based...

Headed by the renamed $2.5 million GIII Nashville Derby Aug. 31, Kentucky Downs will stage six races worth at least $2 million apiece, including supplements for registered Kentucky-breds, at this year's seven-day race meet which runs Aug. 29 and 31 and Sept. 1, 5, 7, 8 and 11, the track said in a Wednesday release. The Kentucky Downs condition book features purses scheduled to total $35 million, including $16 million in Kentucky-bred money. The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission on Tuesday approved Kentucky Downs's purse enhancement request from the Kentucky Thoroughbred...

There will be a generous travel incentive offered for Germany's €300,000 G1 Grosser Preis von Baden on Sept. 1. Entries close for the race on Tuesday, Apr. 23 by 10:30 a.m. A cost of €30,000 is needed to make a supplemental entry after that period by 9 a.m. on Aug. 28. Previous winners of this potential G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe prep including Arc winners Danedream (Ger) (Lomitas {GB}) and Torquator Tasso (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}).

A new incentive programme for the G2 Prix du Gros-Chene was launched by France Galop this spring. In danger of being downgraded from Group 2 to Group 3 status next year, the race now has a quintet of lead-up sprint-race qualifiers where the winner will be automatically entered in the June 2 1000-metre sprint and the €1,200 entry fee will be waived. Two of the five qualifying races have already taken place, the Prix Cor de Chasse at Deauville on Apr. 9, won by Vicious Harry (Fr) (Harry Angel {Ire}),...