The Jockey Club has appointed new Chairmen for Newmarket Racecourses, Jockey Club Estates, The National Stud and Carlisle Racecourse, it announced today. Each appointment comes into effect on 1st January 2018.
 
Newmarket Racecourses
William Wyatt will succeed Julian Richmond-Watson as Chairman of Newmarket Racecourses.
 
William Wyatt is Chief Executive of Caledonia Investments plc and a trustee of The Rank Foundation charity. He and his wider family breed predominantly Flat racehorses at Dukes Stud, near Newmarket, and have a number of Flat horses in training in the UK. He has been a racecourse committee director of Newmarket Racecourses since 2015 and was one of eight new Members elected to join The Jockey Club, effective as of 1st January 2017.
 
Julian Richmond-Watson, a Member of The Jockey Club and a former Senior Steward, has been Chairman of Newmarket Racecourses since 2009.
 
Newmarket Racecourses stage some of the most celebrated Flat race meetings in Britain, including the QIPCO 1000 and 2000 Guineas and The Moët & Chandon July Festival.
 
Jockey Club Estates
The Hon Peter Stanley will succeed Andrew Merriam as Chairman of Jockey Club Estates.
 
Peter Stanley was elected a Member of The Jockey Club in 2001 and appointed a Steward on its main board in 2014. He owns and manages New England Stud in Newmarket, where he has been based since 1983, and also manages Stanley House Stud. He is currently Chairman of The Jockey Club Rooms and The Racing Centre, which provides facilities and services to support stable and stud staff, and is also a non-executive director of Jockey Club Estates.
 
Andrew Merriam is a Member of The Jockey Club and currently Deputy Senior Steward on its main board. He became Chairman of Jockey Club Estates in 2007, taking over at the time from Julian Richmond-Watson.
 
Jockey Club Estates is The Jockey Club’s land and property management arm, responsible for more than 5,000 acres of land and 3,000 acres of world-class racehorse training grounds at Newmarket, Lambourn and Epsom Downs. Its substantial property portfolio includes the historic Jockey Club Rooms in Newmarket.
 
The National Stud
The Duke of Roxburghe will become Chairman of The National Stud, succeeding Ben Sangster.
 
Elected as a Member of The Jockey Club in 1996, the Duke was appointed as a Steward in January 2007. Previously Chairman of the British Horseracing Authority’s Disciplinary Panel, he is the owner of Floors Stud and has owned and bred racehorses for nearly 40 years. The Duke is also involved in the day-to-day running of Roxburghe Estates and is a director of Circle Property plc. He has also been a director of a number of other private companies, including Majestic Wines and Townhouse Hotels.
 
His appointment at The National Stud follows the completion of Ben Sangster's second term as Chairman. Sangster is a Member of The Jockey Club.
 
The National Stud is the breeding and education arm of The Jockey Club, providing a range of important services to support the Thoroughbred breeding and racing industries. The Stud foaled over 100 mares for a second successive season in 2016, with Tim Lane taking over as Stud Manager from Brian O’Rourke earlier this year.
 
Carlisle Racecourse
Penelope Mounsey-Heysham will succeed James Westoll as Chairman at Carlisle Racecourse.
 
Mounsey-Heysham runs and manages the Estate office of Castletown – a diverse estate ranging from farming to corporate hospitality – and is currently a racecourse committee director at Carlisle Racecourse. She has trained and ridden point to point winners and her brother is Grand National and Cheltenham Gold Cup winning racehorse trainer, Nigel Twiston-Davies.
 
James Westoll retires from the role on 31st December 2017 having been a racecourse committee director at Carlisle since 1993. He is a Member of The Jockey Club and a member of its main Board of Stewards.
 
Carlisle Racecourse stages Flat and Jump racing throughout the year, including the Carlisle Bell and Cumberland Plate Day and #AmazingMonday, a unique meeting in Britain in which every jockey in every race is female.
 
Commenting on the appointments, Roger Weatherby, Senior Steward of The Jockey Club, said:
 
“I would like to thank the retiring Chairmen for all their hard work and dedication. Their contribution has been invaluable to The Jockey Club.
 
“We are very fortunate to be able to call upon Will, Peter, Guy and Penelope as able successors and thank them in advance for taking on these roles that require a significant amount of personal time and effort.”