new role

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...

Andy Waitt has been named as the new clerk of the course for the Bahrain Turf Club. He replaces Neil Mackenzie Ross. Yusuf Buheji, CEO of the Bahrain Turf Club said, "We are delighted to welcome Andy to the team at the Rashid Equestrian & Horseracing Club. The Club considers the provision of a first-class racing surface to be fundamental to the growth of horseracing in Bahrain, not only from the perspective of attracting international horses but also in terms of raising the standards of our domestic horse population. "We...

Nick Wright has been appointed as the new chairman of Huntingdon Racecourse, The Jockey Club announced on Wednesday. A chartered surveyor and farmer near Newmarket, Wright will begin his new duties prior to the first fixture of the new season, on Tuesday, Oct. 10. Wright succeeds Julian Taylor, who has served in that position since 2019. Wright, who currently trains point-to-pointers, said, "It is a tremendous honour to be appointed Chairman of Huntingdon Racecourse, a course I have enjoyed a very close connection with for many years. I look forward...

Ross Birkett has been appointed as the new Tattersalls Online sales and marketing coordinator. The Newmarket native is the son of trainer Julia Feilden and holds a degree in journalism from the University of Brighton. Formerly a producer/presenter for the Dubai Racing Channel for three years, Birkett also spent stints with trainer Gai Waterhouse as part of winning the Alex Scott Memorial Scholarship and has also been a jockeys' agent and a rostrum spotter for Tattersalls on sales days. Tattersalls Online sales executive Katherine Sheridan said, "We are delighted to...

Richard Kingscote, who won the G1 Derby aboard Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in 2022, will become the new retained jockey for Ahmad Al Shaikh's Green Team Racing. The jockey, who will continue his association with trainer Sir Michael Stoute, already celebrated his first victory in the Green Team colours, when Sayedaty Sadaty (Ire) (Anodin {Ire}) won a novice at Kempton on Wednesday. Kingscote's other notable wins include the G1 Champion S. aboard Bay Bridge (GB) (New Bay {GB}), as well as the G1 Irish St Leger aboard Brown Panther...

Alayna Cullen Birkett has been promoted to Business Development Manager at TDN Europe. Cullen Birkett joined the company as TDN Europe's Marketing Manager in 2017, upon graduating from the Godolphin Flying Start programme, and has prospered in that role ever since. Cullen Birkett has established strong relationships with the company's European-based clients as well as contributing to the ever-growing TDNtv. She has also initiated a series of improvements on the company's social media platforms. Gary King, TDN's Senior Vice President, said, "We are delighted to promote Alayna to Business Development...

Ballylinch Stud's John O'Connor has been named the new Chairman of the European Breeders' Fund. He replaces Philip Freedman, who served two terms in that role. O'Connor, who has also been Chairman of the Irish EBF and ITBA in the past, said, "I am delighted to take on the Chairmanship of the EBF in its 40th year. The EBF plays a significant role in supporting the racing industry at many levels. Due to the calibre of stallions that now stand in Europe and through the commitment of stallion farms large...

Marie Rohaut has been named the new head of the France Galop/French Racing and Breeding Committee (FRBC) Owners' Department. Rohaut, a Godolphin Flying Star graduate, joined France Galop in the beginning of April. The daughter of Pau-based trainer Francois Rohaut, the 29-year-old was a co-creator of "Aux courses les jeunes" (Young people, let's go racing), and she also holds a Master's degree in entrepreneurship and international business. She gained work experience in Japan with the Yoshida family, as well as in Australia, Ireland and the UK. After her Flying Star...

Former Classic-winning jockey Ted Durcan has been appointed as the UK and Ireland bloodstock consultant for MyRacehorse.  Durcan will select horses for the microshare syndicate from both public auctions and privately. Durcan, who runs Durcan Bloodstock, said, "I am delighted to have been asked to join MyRacehorse to help the team source some exciting and fun horses for the season ahead. "MyRacehorse gives everybody the chance to see how this amazing sport works from the inside out rather than the outside in. This is something that normally would not be...

Bauyrzhan Murzabayev, a four-time champion jockey in Germany, will become the retained rider for French trainer Andre Fabre, according to published reports. Murzabayev, who formerly rode for Peter Schiergen, will have first call on all of Fabre's horses barring those of Godolphin and Wertheimer et Frere, as they have their own retained jockeys. "For me, this is the next step," Bauyrzhan Murzabayev told Galopp Online. "Last year, when Francis-Henri Graffard's offer came, I stayed. I know what I owe to Peter Schiergen. We were a very good team and I...

Jack Connor was named the new Racing and Analytics Executive of The Thoroughbred Group. He was previously a British Horseracing Authority (BHA) Racing Department senior analyst and a strategy manager at The Jockey Club. The position is new within The Thoroughbred Group as the organisation develops its remit to provide representation of its five members under UK racing's new industry structure--the Racehorse Owners Association (ROA), the Thoroughbred Breeders Association (TBA), the National Association of Racing Staff (NARS), the Professional Jockeys Association (PJA) and the National Trainers Federation (NTF). "We are...

Sophie Teixeira has joined Auctav as a bloodstock manager, and she will begin her new role on Mar. 1. She will work alongside Toby Jones, Jacob Pritchard Webb for Flat and NH profiles, and Anthony Grueau, who works for the trotting industry. Holding a Master's in marketing and a Master's Equine Sciences and Business (BESB) degree from AgroDijon Institute, Teixeira interned at Haras de Fresnay-le Buffard and also spent two years working for the International Racing Bureau (IRB). Part of the commercial department of Haras de la Hetraie for another two-year...