Joe Saumarez Smith Steps Down as Chair of the BHA

[Wandering Eyes]

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) announced on Thursday that its chair, Joe Saumarez Smith, has made the decision to step down from his role with immediate effect, having been advised by his oncologist that he has leptomeningeal metastases.

Senior independent director David Jones, who has previously deputised for Saumarez Smith, has assumed the role as interim chair of the BHA ahead of the formal handover to incoming chair Lord Charles Allen on June 1.

Saumarez Smith, who became chair of the BHA in June 2022, having previously been on the Board since 2014, will continue to remain available to assist with the transition of chair process.

He said, “I am very disappointed to step down as chair of the BHA board but, now the cancer has spread to my brain and I have been told that my lifespan is pretty limited, I feel it would be very unfair on horse racing if I did not hand over the reins immediately.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed both being on the BHA board for over a decade and being chair for nearly three years. It has been an immense privilege to have such a senior role in a sport I have loved since the age of eight.

“I did not want to stay on and make decisions that were potentially open to later challenge if questions were raised about whether the cancer had impaired my abilities.

“David Jones will do an excellent job in the interim and I think Lord Charles Allen will do a fantastic job with his highly impressive track record and enthusiasm for the sport.”

Brant Dunshea, acting chief executive of the BHA, added, “It is a great sorrow to all of us that Joe has had to step down so suddenly because of his ill health.

“He has been an outstanding chair and Board member of the BHA for more than a decade. But more than that, he has been a passionate, dedicated and powerful ambassador for the sport and British racing owes him a huge debt.

“Having worked with Joe for more than a decade his wise counsel, personal support, and pure love of the sport will be deeply missed.”

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