As outgoing CEO of the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association I am grateful to have this platform to write this month’s Leader before my departure at the start of September.
While there is plenty of uncertainty surrounding the future of the industry, I have chosen to focus these words on my deep love and admiration of the thoroughbred, which is ultimately at the very heart of my connection with the sport. It is the thoroughbred that has inspired me every day of my career, from which I learn something new on a daily basis, even after 30 years, and what has made working for the TBA such an enormous privilege.
I was one of the generation who grew up with racing’s big occasions being marquee TV events, even for families like mine with no racing or equine interest or background. One of my very first memories is watching Red Rum win his third Grand National and I was thrilled to meet him at our local fete as he toured the country pulling in crowds across villages, towns and cities – a true racing hero!
Since Red Rum, I have followed a succession of famous and not so famous racehorses, marveling at the speed, beauty, versatility and endurance across all distances and disciplines, from Dayjur to Frankel to Party Politics and Kauto Star. Each season sees new equine heroes emerge and rivalries form. The puzzle of picking future stars from the two-year-old crop and novice hurdlers remains an ongoing quest that I will never tire of and gives me great joy.
So how do we ensure the next generation of fans and employees are similarly captivated? How do we build racing advocates and a deep emotional connection with horseracing as a sport? This is the fundamental question that racing must address urgently to underpin the continuing social acceptance of the use of horses for sport so that we will be enjoying racing from Plumpton, Musselburgh, Cheltenham, Ascot and venues across the country in 20 years’ time.
This has to be founded on a genuine championing of the thoroughbred, whether promoting the thrill of competition or ensuring their welfare is front and centre in decision making and embedded in our consumer engagement strategy. We need to focus on engaging honestly and transparently about the high standard of care they are given and the skill of the people who look after them.
Racing has made considerable progress in this area during my time in the sport, progress which has accelerated in the last five years with the establishment of the Horse Welfare Board and the publication of the ‘Life Well Lived’ strategy. From this detailed piece of work there has been tangible improvements to the thoroughbred’s quality of life and safety, to traceability and through public engagement with the launch of HorsePWR and continued growth of National Racehorse Week.
At the TBA we have been at the forefront of progress in the breeding industry, including the publication of welfare guidelines, traceability studies that have identified where improvements need to be made, research into genetic diversity, and an ongoing programme of training and education where horse and people welfare are embedded throughout.
Equine welfare concerns remain the number one reason cited as a barrier to deepening interest in the sport. We need to be bold in facing these real issues for the sport’s future and have a great opportunity to do so with the next iteration of the HWB strategy under a new Horse Welfare Board. Properly addressing these must be a topic discussed widely and openly at the top tables of the sport, alongside a united ambition to better support each other across the rest of the equine sector.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the TBA team, Chairs and Trustees, both past and present, and our members for all their encouragement, advice and support over the last eight years, through some personally difficult times, through Covid and Brexit, and in helping me to understand the intricacies of the bloodstock world. It has been incredibly rewarding to represent and serve British breeding, and I wish Naomi and the team all the very best for the future.
