Nominations open for the Jockey Club RoR Horse of the Year 2022

Nominations are open to find the Jockey Club RoR Horse of the Year, with this year's award being presented to the winner at the RoR Awards Ceremony on January 23.

This is the first year that owners of former racehorses can nominate their horse and that there will be a public vote to determine the top three finalists.

A shortlist of horses for this year’s award will feature online at www.ror-events.org.uk to allow the public to vote from Thursday, December 1 to Sunday, December 11. RoR Patron Clare Balding CBEc will then select the overall winner of the Jockey Club RoR Horse of the Year.

The three finalists will be announced on Wednesday, December 14 and invited to attend the RoR Elite Awards at the Jockey Club Rooms in Newmarket in January.

The overall winner will receive the Jockey Club perpetual bronze trophy, as well as Club Admission and Hospitality for two people for the first of the Cheltenham Festival. Each finalist chosen by the public vote will have a specially commissioned video telling
their horse's story which will be premiered at the awards night.

Di Arbuthnot, RoR chief executive, said: "The stories told in each of the finalists’ videos are always so inspiring and the finalists are the
ambassadors for so many former racehorses that are so lovingly rehomed and retrained each year.

"We receive some wonderful stories from the nominations and it’s undoubtedly going to be a tough decision to decide the shortlist from the hundreds of entries we anticipate.”

Nominations can be made online until Friday, November 25. Those who make the shortlist will be notified by Wednesday, December 14.

Jessica Cahalan announced as the new manager of the Laytown Races

Jessica Cahalan is the new manager of the Laytown Races and will succeed Kevin Coleman in January.

In 2008, Cahalan was secretary for Tom Hogan when she took a chance on Gordon Lord Byron at the Goffs November Foal Sale and he turned into a globetrotting superstar, winning 16 of his 108 races which included three Group 1s.

She has also worked for David Wachman and Denis Hogan and is currently secretary for the Ormond Hunt and manages their annual two-day point-to-point meeting.

Cahalan said: "I'm absolutely delighted to be appointed secretary/manager of Laytown Races, such a unique event in the racing calendar. I am looking forward to working with the chairperson and committee in making next September's meeting and beyond, the success Laytown is renowned for."

Lancashire cricket director Steve Davies joins Chester Race Company

Steve Davies is switching sports after being appointed new chief operating officer for Chester and Bangor racecourses.

He will move from his role as operations director of Lancashire Cricket Club at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester early next year for the start of Chester's season, which begins with the track's flagship May meeting.

It is the Chester Race Company's second high-profile appointment in the last 12 months after Louise Stewart took over the role of chief executive following the dismissal of the long-serving Richard Thomas for misappropriation of resources for a personal project.

Stewart said: "I'm thrilled that Steve is joining us. His experience in the sports, leisure and tourism industry, combined with his passion for customer experience and leadership will help to strengthen our team. Steve will bring a fresh and exciting perspective to our business and will be supported in his role by myself and the senior management team."

Davies, who also spent 15 years working for Merlin Entertainments, said: "I'm delighted to be given the opportunity to lead the operations for Chester Race Company, this is a really exciting new role for me. I look forward to working with the team and I’m excited about the move into the racing industry."

'He was a special horse' - Williams leads the praise as Potters Corner retires

Christian Williams had nothing but praise for Potters Corner following the announcement the Welsh National hero has been retired.

The 12-year-old, who landed the Grade 3 at Chepstow in December 2019, finished sixth of ten in a veterans' handicap chase at Warwick on Wednesday in what proved to be his final appearance.

Williams said: "He has been a wonderful horse and he's shown a brilliant attitude which has allowed us to form a bond with him.

"He was a special horse and we thought he was very good from the start of his career. He's had a few setbacks along the way, but he's achieved so much and been a pleasure to train.

"The highlight was the Welsh National as it was always the target from a younger age. It was the race we thought he could win and it was a magical day.”

Potters Corner: won the Welsh Grand National in 2019Credit: Alan Crowhurst / Getty Images

During his eight-year career, Potters Corner won seven of his 35 starts, including the Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter in March 2019.

Williams added: "He wasn't the same horse he once was and it was a struggle to get him to the same form he showed when winning the Welsh National.

"His handicap mark was getting to a stage where he'd be out of the weights when he runs.

"He'll be missed in the yard because he was part of the family and he was owned by good people. They allowed us to let him achieve what we thought he could do."

Declarations deadline made permanent

Forty-eight-hour declarations in jump racing, which were brought in as a temporary measure when the sport resumed in Britain after the pandemic shutdown in 2020, have become permanent.

They had previously been restricted to Sundays and selected major events, including the Cheltenham Festival.

The BHA acknowledged that, in certain circumstances, earlier confirmation of running plans can sometimes present challenges, especially around non-runners following changes in ground conditions.

However, it was felt that 48-hour declarations have a positive impact in supporting more effective forward-planning, providing additional clarity for owners, bettors, racing fans and the media, and offering greater opportunities to promote and increase engagement with the sport.

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