Baroness Dido Harding to become Jockey Club's first female senior steward with Zara Tindall and Rishi Persad among new members

Baroness Dido Harding will become the first female senior steward of the Jockey Club next year after her appointment was confirmed at the organisation's winter meeting on Monday.

Last month, Sky News reported that Harding, who first joined the Jockey Club's board of stewards in January 2018, would succeed Sandy Dudgeon as chair of British racing's biggest commercial body when his five-year term comes to an end in July.

Her involvement in British racing has included more than 25 wins as an amateur jockey and owning Cool Dawn, the winner of the 1998 Cheltenham Gold Cup. She was previously a racecourse committee member at Cheltenham and a director of Racecourse Holdings Trust, which was later renamed Jockey Club Racecourses.

The 56-year-old has been a controversial figure due to her role running the UK government's Covid-19 test-and-trace programme in England, a scheme which was criticised during the pandemic. She had previously been chief executive of TalkTalk, having also held senior positions at Sainsbury’s and Tesco.

“As a lifelong racing enthusiast, it's a huge privilege to be appointed senior steward," said Harding, who has been a member of the House of Lords since 2014. "The Jockey Club holds a unique position to protect the sport’s heritage and tradition, and also to innovate to attract and delight racegoers of the future to ensure horseracing can thrive for generations to come."

Dudgeon said Harding had been a "terrific asset" since joining the board of stewards, and added: "She has brought a wealth of experience, deep knowledge of the industry and a lifelong enthusiasm for our sport. I would like to wish her every success as senior steward when she takes up the role in July next year."

Retired Gold Cup and Grand National-winning jockey Sam Waley-Cohen will join the Jockey Club's board of stewards from January 1. The 41-year-old, who became a member of the Jockey Club in 2017, has been on the body's finance review committee since 2020 and was a trustee of the Injured Jockeys Fund between 2012 and 2021. Outside of racing, he is the chief executive of Portman Dental Care.

Retired Gold Cup and Grand National-winning jockey Sam Waley-Cohen will also join the Jockey Club's board of stewardsCredit: Grossick Racing

The Jockey Club elected nine new members on Monday, including three new honorary members: Sheikha Hissa Hamdan Al Maktoum, Princess Zahra Aga Khan and owner-breeder Gaynor Rupert.

It also elected six new ordinary members: Zara Tindall, who is a member of the Cheltenham racecourse committee; ITV and Racing TV broadcaster Rishi Persad; Michael Wainwright, a racehorse owner and managing director of Gold Cup sponsors Boodles jewellers; racecourse committee members Sue Lucas and Guy Henriques; and the chair of Wincanton racecourse David Wiggin.

The Jockey Club is the largest employer in British racing, with annual turnover of more than £200 million. It runs 15 British racecourses including Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom and Newmarket.

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