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16 May 2022
The annual Horseracing Industry Conference, delivered by the Racing Foundation in partnership with University of Liverpool, will be returning on Thursday 30th June 2022 at Newbury Racecourse.
The topic for this year’s conference is A Healthy Balance: Balancing economic, environmental, and social health to ensure a sustainable racing industry.
Speakers include incoming Chair of the British Horseracing Authority Joe Saumarez Smith alongside other sector leaders and researchers whose details can be found below. They will explore the pertinent challenges the industry currently faces in the fields of gambling, equine welfare and social license.
Ticket sales for the event have now closed.
Morning Registration with Coffee and Pastries
Introduction: Oli Bell
Keynote Address: Joe Saumarez Smith
The Finances of British Racing: Peter Hawkings
How People Bet on Horseracing and the Implications for the Sport: Professor David Forrest
Economics of Racing Panel: Joe Saumarez Smith, Peter Hawkings, Professor David Forrest, David Zeffman
Complimentary Buffet Lunch
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in British Racing: Making Progress or Ticking Boxes? Lee Mottershead, FR33DOM Zampaladus, Julie Harrington, Susannah Gill, David Armstrong, Louise Tideswell, Naomi Lawson
Horse Welfare Board update: Mike Etherington-Smith and Francesca Compostella
Research: An evidential approach to welfare issues: The effect of whip use on stride parameters of the racehorse: Katie Walker
Research: What are Trainers’ views on perceived racehorse welfare issues and how can the perception of horseracing be improved? Sarah Gutteridge
Equine Welfare Panel: Mike Etherington-Smith, Francesca Compostella, Seamus Mullins, Katie Walker, Sarah Gutteridge
Reporting on Environmental Sustainability in British Racing: Ruth Dancer
Audience Q&A featuring Paul Johnson, Tim Naylor, Claire Sheppard, Charlie Liverton and David Armstrong
Evening racing after the conference includes Newbury’s popular Gin Festival and can be enjoyed from the racegoer’s restaurant where delegates will maintain exclusive access after the conference. The first race will commence early evening and will be accompanied with live music in Newbury’s specially created Gin Garden.
Race Times
| The Laurie Todd Foundation Apprentice Handicap Stakes | 17.20 |
| The CMS EBF Fillies’ Novice Stakes | 17.53 |
| The James Cowper Kreston Centenary Novice Stakes | 18.28 |
| The RFE International Handicap Stakes | 19.03 |
| The Punter Southall Fillies’ Handicap Stakes | 19.38 |
| The BetVictor Handicap Stakes | 20.08 |
| The BetVictor Handicap Stakes | 20.40 |
Keep your eye on this news page where more keynote speakers will be revealed in the coming weeks.
Incoming Chair of the British Horseracing Authority
Joe Saumarez Smith is the recently-appointed Chair of the British Horseracing Authority. Formerly an independent non-executive director and chair of British racing’s gambling strategy group, he joined the BHA board in 2014. Joe is CEO of Sports Gaming Limited, a London-based management consultancy to the gaming industry, and chairman of Bede Gaming, a technology supplier to operators and lotteries.
Strategy Consultant at Portas Consulting
Peter is a strategy consultant who leads Portas Consulting’s sports investment practice. In his role, Peter has provided strategic advice to a wide range of horseracing clients, as well as advising a range of other sports organisations and investors. Portas Consulting has worked across the industry to better understand the economics of the sport. In his keynote talk at the Horseracing Industry Conference, Peter will offer an insight into the often complex finances of racing.
Professor of Economics at the University of Liverpool
How people bet on horseracing and the implications for the sport
Professor Forrest’s research portfolio focuses on sports economics and on the economics of gambling behaviour. Beyond academe, he has been active in attempts to protect sport integrity, working globally with regulators, sports federations, player unions and law enforcement. Another strand of his work relates to attempts to reduce gambling harm. Here he has served in advisory roles at the Gambling Commission and undertaken a number of studies using account tracking data to gain insights into the behaviour of both recreational and problematic gamblers.
Head of Gambling and Sport at CMS London
David has been one of the leading lawyers in the UK media, sports and gambling sectors for over 30 years and has extensive experience providing strategic, commercial and regulatory advice to clients in these sectors. He has been involved in many of the major transactions that have taken place in these sectors, including the launch of several television channels and the sale of media rights to some of the world’s biggest sporting competitions.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in British racing: Making progress, or ticking boxes?
Hosted by
Senior Writer at the Racing Post
Lee Mottershead is the Racing Post’s senior writer. He leads the publication’s reporting team at the sport’s biggest events and produces regular interviews, features, special reports and columns. In a 25-year career with the Racing Post, Lee has filed copy from Australia, America, Japan, India, Hong Kong, Germany, France and Ireland. He points out that he also once went to Fakenham. Lee has been named HWPA racing writer of the year on three occasions. He is a regular contributor on television and radio and sits on the sport’s Diversity in Racing Steering Group and Racing with Pride committee.
Chief Executive at the British Horseracing Authority
Chief Executive of The British Horseracing Authority Julie Harrington left her post as Chief Executive of British Cycling in January 2021 in order to become the head of British horseracing’s governing body and regulator. Julie is a former member of the BHA Board and was a senior executive with Northern Racing for 8 years, including a spell as Managing Director of Uttoxeter. She is one of the most experienced leaders in sport, with a strong background in consumer, operational and regulatory roles.
Chief Executive of the Racecourse Association
David joined the Racecourse Association as Chief Executive in March 2019 after working with Wasps Holdings as Group Chief Executive. Prior to his time with Wasps, David undertook senior positions with PepsiCo, Compass Group, Diageo and Lonrho, providing a broad overview of global leisure and retail markets. He is also currently the Chair of GB Modern Pentathlon and the England Netball Board.
Founder and CEO of the Urban Equestrian Academy and member of the British Equestrian Federation’s Equality Engagement Group
FR33DOM Zampaladus is the founder and CEO of The Urban Equestrian Academy and member of the British Equestrian Federation’s Equality Engagement Group. With vast experience in Youth & Community work, FR33DOM won the Community Award at the 2022 Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff Awards.
Chair of the Diversity & Inclusion Steering Group
Susannah is Director of Communications and Corporate Affairs for the UK Tote Group. Alongside her role as Chair of the Diversity in Racing Steering Group, she is a Trustee at the Racing Foundation, a Trustee of the National Horseracing College and an ambassador for Racing to School and SportsAid, for whom she raised nearly £20,000 when running seven marathons on seven continents in seven days in 2019, which she wrote a book about – Running Around the World.
Louise Tideswell is an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion consultant who works across multiple sectors in England, Scotland and Wales. Having established Plan4Sport in 2003, she advises a wide range of sports organisations, National Governing Bodies of Sport, and professional clubs in the areas of equality, diversity and inclusion, mental health and wellbeing, governance reforms, leadership development, education and training, and business development. She is also a member of the Institute of Directors National EDI Working Group (Scotland) as well as advising public health and housing organisations on embedding EDI into culture and practice.
Director of Communications Great British Racing
Naomi is Director of Communications at British Champions Series and Great British Racing, the central marketing and promotions body for the sport. She is passionate about increasing diversity and inclusion in racing. In 2021, following on from Khadijah Mellah’s success in the Magnolia Cup, she launched the Riding A Dream Academy to help other young people from diverse ethnic and underrepresented communities get into racing. With continued support from The Racing Foundation who funded the pilot year she will be heading up the Academy’s expanded programmes as it moves to charitable status.
Equine Safety Advisor at the Horse Welfare Board
Mike Etherington-Smith is the former CEO of British Eventing. A former event rider himself and designer of multiple Olympic cross-country courses, Mike benefits from strategic, operational and practical experience in equine safety and now tackles racing’s challenges as the Horse Welfare Board’s Equine Safety Advisor. Mike has been involved in many of racing’s safety projects since joining the HWB in 2021, including designing Cheltenham’s Cross Country course and working on the welfare-driven Orange to White project with the aim to make hurdle and fence design safer.
Aftercare Lead at the Horse Welfare Board
Dr Francesca Compostella is Italian of origin but was raised in Mozambique where her passion for helping horses evolved. After graduating from Padua (Italy) in 2006, undertaking an Equine Internship at Edinburgh and a Surgical Residency at Bristol University in 2009, Dr Fran began working Internationally on Equine Welfare Projects.
For the last decade she has set up and assisted in a variety of veterinary and one health projects across Africa, the Middle East and Asia, bringing these lessons to use under her current role as Aftercare project lead for the Horse Welfare Board.
Research: An evidential approach to welfare issues: The effect of whip use on stride parameters of the racehorse.
Katie completed the MBA in Thoroughbred Horse Racing industries at the University of Liverpool and has a strong interest in improving equine welfare with innovative methods and research. Her project used stride data to investigate the difference, if any, in the frequency and length of strides in horses that were ridden with hands and heels compared to those ridden with the aid of the whip. This also allowed a secondary comparison of differences between professional jockeys and apprentice/conditional jockeys on stride signatures. This preliminary study could indicate welfare implications and influence future decisions in this area.
Research: What are Trainers’ views on perceived racehorse welfare issues and how can the perception of horseracing be improved?
University of Liverpool Horseracing and Thoroughbred Horseracing Industries MBA graduate Sarah is Product Manager at Racing Digital. Her project aimed to uncover why trainers are more positive about racehorse welfare than any other participant group, what they actually think are the issues affecting racehorses and how we can improve both welfare risk and welfare perception to safeguard the future of the sport.
National Hunt Trainer and Member of the Horse Welfare Board
Seamus Mullins is a National Hunt trainer based in Wiltshire, having held a trainer’s licence for over thirty years. A passionate advocate for horse welfare, he sits on the Horse Welfare Board as the member representing the Thoroughbred Group. Seamus has held positions on a number of industry groups, including serving as president of the National Trainers Federation between 2016 and 2018 and Chairman of the National Hunt Committee during the same period. Seamus took part in Sarah Gutteridge’s work that will be examined at the conference.
Director at White Griffin
Ruth Dancer is a Director at White Griffin and has worked in the sports industry for 19 years at the England Rugby World Cup 2015, London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Wimbledon, Formula 1, Wembley Stadium and within horseracing at Goodwood and Lingfield Park. Retraining in sustainability, Ruth now works across the sports and arts sector supporting the biggest names in industry with meeting the challenge of the climate crisis.
In 2021 Ruth began work for the BHA and Racing Foundation on a report looking into the way in which environmental sustainability impacts the British horseracing industry. From water shortages to the potential for biodiversity, Ruth will detail the risks, challenges and opportunities identified in the report.
Chief Executive of the National Trainers Federation
Paul Johnson is Chief Executive at the National Trainers Federation. Paul succeeded Rupert Arnold in early 2022 after being the British Horseracing Authority’s head of racing for the last eight years, having previously worked in a variety of industry roles with Ladbrokes and the Racecourse Association.
Chief Executive of the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association
Claire joined the TBA as Chief Executive in 2017 after previously working for the Racecourse Association and for Plumpton Racecourse. Her role as Chief Executive of the TBA covers a wide range of responsibilities including the running of the management of the TBA charity, its finances and staff; representing the TBA in political negotiations and providing support and briefings to the Chairman, Deputy Chairman, Trustees and Veterinary advisor. Claire is the TBA representative on the British Horse Council, International Thoroughbred Breeders’ Federation (ITBF), and EFTBA.
Director of Integrity and Regulation
Tim joined the BHA permanently as Head of Regulation in March 2017 having previously held the position on an interim basis. Prior to that he was a Barrister at QEB Hollis Whiteman Chambers in London. Tim is responsible for managing the BHA’s integrity, disciplinary and compliance functions with oversight of licensing, monitoring and investigations as well as the case management of matters which go before the independent Judicial Panel.
Chief Executive of the Racecourse Association
David joined the Racecourse Association as Chief Executive in March 2019 after working with Wasps Holdings as Group Chief Executive. Prior to his time with Wasps, David undertook senior positions with PepsiCo, Compass Group, Diageo and Lonrho, providing a broad overview of global leisure and retail markets. He is also currently the Chair of GB Modern Pentathlon and the England Netball Board.
Chief Executive of the Racehorse Owners Association
Charlie joined the ROA in 2016 as Chief Executive having previously worked at Neptune Investment Management and GESeaCo Services. Charlie has also been pupil assistant trainer to Major Dick Hern and Richard Hannon. Prior to this he gained experience in Australia and Dubai, as well as with Tattersalls in Newmarket.
Racing Presenter
We are delighted for Oli Bell to return as host of the Horseracing Industry Conference once again this year. In his role as a racing presenter for ITV, Oli fronts the ‘The Opening Show’ on ITV4 and the featured live show on ITV alongside Ed Chamberlin. Oli will be facilitating the discussions and audience questions for this year’s theme: A Healthy Balance: Balancing economic, environmental, and social health to ensure a sustainable racing industry.
We encourage all our delegates to arrive by public transport. Newbury Racecourse has its own station, one stop from Newbury Station, with direct trains from London Paddington and regular connections from the West. For those delegates who need to travel by car, delegates are asked to park in Car Park 4 and follow signs to the conference which takes place in the Racegoers’ Restaurant. For Sat Nav users travelling Eastbound, Westbound or Southbound via M4, A4 and Hambridge Road use RG14 5AW and enter over the new railway bridge, or if travelling Northbound via A339 and Racecourse Road use RG14 7NZ.
For the latest announcements on keynote speakers, please follow the Racing Foundation on Twitter @RacingGrants.
Ticket sales for the event have now closed.
We look forward to welcoming you to Newbury.
