Limerick seeking fourth manager in just over two years after Tom Rudd announces he is stepping down

Limerick racecourse is seeking its fourth manager in just over two years after Tom Rudd announced he is stepping down from the role after 18 months at the helm. 

Rudd, whose riding career was highlighted by his 1999 Irish Grand National victory aboard the Michael O’Brien-trained Glebe Lad, has cited personal reasons behind his decision to move on. His departure suggests a protracted period of disruption at the Munster venue is set to continue, as it had been hoped he would bring some stability to the track, which has come under fire in recent years for its treatment of stable staff and owners. 

In December 2020, the Irish Stable Staff Association asked raceday stewards to address the lack of hot food available for workers on track, while the following year the Association of Irish Racehorse Owners manager Regina Byrne wrote to Horse Racing Ireland to raise concerns about the way owners were treated after receiving multiple complaints following a fixture that summer. 

The track, which was one of the five renegade tracks that broke ranks during the latest round of media rights contract negotiations before coming back into the fold at the 11th hour, was roundly criticised by trainer Ross O'Sullivan and Racing TV presenter Kevin O'Ryan, who described the track's lack of hospitality as a "disgrace". Patrick O'Callaghan, who had been general manager there since 2017, vacated the role at the end of 2021, paving the way for the appointment of Yorkshire native Emma White, who lasted just four months in the position following her move from the same position at Sedgefield racecourse.

Rudd then took up the baton in August 2022 having worked with Tattersalls, and oversaw the switch of the Grade 1 Guinness Novice Chase from day one of the track's marquee Christmas festival to the third day. That event caused a considerable kerfuffle last month when Patrick Mullins, who rode the short-priced winner Gaelic Warrior for his father Willie, publicly admonished his cousin Danny for trying to come up his inside on stablemate Il Etait Temps, having instructed him not to do so before the race. 

"I can confirm that I am leaving Limerick," Rudd told the Racing Post. "I enjoyed my time there but personal circumstances have ruled my decision to step down."

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