About The Jockey Club

1. We measure our success by the long-term popularity and sustainability of British racing and breeding. Everything we do is in service of that goal.

2. We strive to put participants’ welfare, both equine and human, at the heart of our sport.

3. We believe that top quality Flat and Jump racing is crucial to the global competitiveness of British racing and the long-term future of the sport.

4. We actively support the BHA, our successor as the governing body and regulator of the sport providing input and constructive challenge whenever required.

5. We champion the long-term future of Newmarket, where The Jockey Club began, as a world-renowned thoroughbred breeding, training, and racing centre.

6. We recognise the positive contribution our sport makes to communities across the country and strive to maintain and deepen that impact locally.

7. We elect Members who share a passion for racing and whose skills and experience can be used for the good of racing.

The Jockey Club is made up of the following businesses: 

• Jockey Club Racecourses (JCR): with 15 racecourses, the largest racecourse group in Britain
• Jockey Club Estates (JCE): managing c 5,000 acres of land, primarily the training grounds at Newmarket, Lambourn and Epsom as well as a property portfolio and the Jockey Club Rooms.
• The National Stud (TNS): The Jockey Club’s breeding and education arm, standing stallions, providing quality training courses for stud staff and tours for the general public.
• Racing Welfare: the charitable wing of the Jockey Club, supporting the workforce of British horseracing and their dependants.

Jockey Club Estates, The National Stud, and Racing Welfare each have their own Board and governance structure, the terms of which are contained under separate cover.  

The Jockey Club directly employs around 650 permanent colleagues across these four businesses.  

Overall authority for all parts of The Jockey Club rests with the Board of Stewards, chaired by the Senior Steward. The Stewards are each appointed on a 3-year term, by the Ordinary Members of the Jockey Club. 

Ordinary Members of The Jockey Club are appointed on account of their contribution to horseracing, alongside a commitment to help The Jockey Club to achieve its vision. 

The Board of Stewards has agreed a delegation of authority for the operation of The Jockey Club to the Executive Board, including which decisions need to be formally approved by the Stewards once recommended by the Executive Board. 

READ MORE ABOUT OUR EXECUTIVE BOARD

The Executive Board meet weekly, and for a full day once a month and are accountable for the day to day running of The Jockey Club and all decision making contained therein.

The Managing Director for JCE, and Chief Executive Officers for The National Stud and Racing Welfare report to The Jockey Club CEO, with governance and support from their own Boards. (and in the case of Racing Welfare, Trustees)

Jockey Club Racecourses operate in a matrix structure. The racecourses are supported by national functions of Commercial (incl Sales and Partnerships), Marketing, Communications, Strategy, Finance, People and Culture, Information Systems, Racing, Property and Operations.

British horseracing can be broadly thought of as a three-way joint venture between the British Horseracing Authority (the BHA), the racecourses, via the Racecourse Association (RCA, and the Thoroughbred Group (TG), which represents the interests of Owners, Trainers, Jockeys, Stable Staff and Breeders, as above. The Jockey Club fully supports the industry strategy, led by the BHA. 

The Jockey Club (Racecourses) is represented formally in this structure via the RCA, where it has a seat on the Board and around 23% of the overall members vote. 

The central marketing and promotion of the sport is carried out by Great British Racing, under the governance of Racing Enterprises Ltd (REL), which is a 50/50 JV between the RCA and the TG. JCR provides one of the RCA representatives to the REL Board. 

The Jockey Club owns 50% of RMG, which includes the Racing TV channel, and controls all media and data deals with bookmakers, both for shops and streaming, international business and the terrestrial TV contract with ITV. RMG controls the data and media rights to 37 UK racecourses and the rights for all Irish racing broadcast in the UK.

The Jockey Club is also a 37% shareholder in British Champion Series Ltd. which hosts the UK’s richest race day, British Champions Day. Other shareholders include Ascot, REL, ARC and the large independent racecourses.

The Jockey Club are a partner of Britbet LLP with 34% of the voting rights. Britbet provides pool betting services at 55 British racecourses.