Search on for new Irish racecourses' chief with Paddy Walsh set to retire

The body representing Ireland's racecourses is on the lookout for a new chief executive after Paddy Walsh announced he will retire next year.

Walsh was set to depart the Association of Irish Racecourses (AIR) in November but will remain in the role until the end of March 2023 – at the request of the board – to complete a number of outstanding projects, including the crucial negotiation of Irish racing's next media rights deal.

AIR chairman Conor O'Neill paid tribute to the outgoing chief executive's "remarkable contribution to the association during his tenure". Walsh has been at the organisation's helm for nearly two decades, after taking over from Frank Smith in 2003.

Walsh said: "There are a few months of important work ahead of us. In order to find the best possible candidate for the position we have decided to make this announcement sooner rather than later and get the recruitment process started well in advance of my departure.

"I've been fortunate to have enjoyed a long and successful career doing a job that I love in an industry that Ireland competes well in on the world stage and I have met and worked with some amazing people throughout my career in racing.

Paddy Walsh: 'Our racecourses are in a healthier state, both financially and in terms of facilities, than they were when I first took over'

"Although the role has not been without its challenges over the years, it has been most rewarding. I'm pleased that, due in no small part to the efforts of the various board members and chairmen who I have worked with over the last 20 years, our racecourses are in a healthier state, both financially and in terms of facilities, than they were when I first took over."

Walsh expects negotiations for Irish racing's next media rights deal to be completed by the end of this year, with the next agreement set to come into play for the beginning of 2024.

"[Media rights negotiations] are certainly a part of staying on a little longer, but we also have a few other ongoing projects that I'd like to see get finished before I depart," Walsh said.

"Our plan is to have it all sorted before the end of 2022 and everything is going to plan schedule-wise so far, though you just don't know with these things.

"We're happy that we have a very good product for sale but we just need to be conscious that there are a lot of headwinds at the moment, including the war in Ukraine, the UK's gambling report, the rising costs of living and general inflation.

"None of those is going to do us any favours so we'll need to be conscious of that, but hopefully we'll come up with something that everyone will be happy with."

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