Hugo Palmer Appointed as New President of the National Trainers Federation

[Wandering Eyes]

Hugo Palmer has been appointed as the new president of the National Trainers Federation (NTF), succeeding Nick Alexander, whose two-year term concluded at the Federation's Annual General Meeting in London on Monday.

“I am honoured and delighted to take on this important role at a time when our industry continues to face a period of significant change and am encouraged by the discussions today on a positive way forward for the sport,” said Palmer.

It was also confirmed that Rebecca Menzies and Harry Eustace will serve as the NTF's next two presidents, with the latter joining the presidential triumvirate which leads its governing body.

Paul Johnson, chief executive of the NTF, said, “On behalf of the NTF team and the Federation's members, I would like to congratulate Hugo on his appointment and thank Nick for his leadership, hard work and commitment over the past two years.”

The AGM, which was attended by more than 60 trainers and 10 senior leaders from across British racing, was followed by a panel discussion on the future direction of British racing and how the sport can continue to strengthen its appeal to racegoers and audiences.

The discussion was chaired by broadcaster Nick Luck, with trainers in attendance having the opportunity to pose questions to a panel that, along with Johnson, featured Fliss Barnard, chief executive of Ascot Racecourse; Seb Butterworth, strategic racing director for Flutter UK & Ireland; Brant Dunshea, chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA); Dido Harding, senior steward of The Jockey Club; and Nick Mills, chief executive of Racing Media Group.

During the session, Dunshea outlined his key priorities for the sport as he said, “It is no secret that the sport has experienced a challenging period, but I believe there is much to be positive about. The past year has seen a growth in racecourse attendances, new initiatives to ensure more horses are raced and retained on our shores and continued improvements in horse and human welfare.

“I am in no doubt that everyone in racing shares the same commitment to do what is in the best interest of the sport albeit there will be different perspectives.”

He continued, “We are already seeing the benefits of the industry strategy agreed across the sport. We've just launched the second year of the national marketing campaign funded by the Levy Board, we've got the largest piece of consumer insight from Project Beacon, prize-money is rising. And as we showed last year with the campaign against the Government's proposed tax rises on betting, when the sport comes together as one it can be hugely effective.”

“If we continue to demonstrate that unity of purpose then I'm confident we can tackle issues like the rise of black market betting, the declining foal crop and the long-term funding of the sport.”

Johnson also discussed the NTF's developing strategy around the fixture list and race programme, highlighting a long-term approach aimed at strengthening the sport's competitive structure and maintaining strong interest among racing audiences.

He said, “The strong attendance at today's AGM, from both trainers and senior figures across the sport, reflects the shared determination across racing to tackle the challenges we face and build a positive future for the sport.

“Bringing together leaders from across the industry for this discussion was hugely valuable as British racing continues to evolve while protecting the qualities that make it such a distinctive and successful sport.”

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