'He will be a tremendous asset' - Jim Allen announced as new general manager at Epsom

Jim Allen, the former trainer and racing director of Arena Racing Company (Arc), has been appointed new general manager at Epsom. 

He will take over at the Derby venue from the start of next week after the departure of Tom Sammes, who served as general manager for 16 months before the Jockey Club announced its search for a new candidate in September. 

During his tenure, Sammes championed the introduction of a week-long Derby festival alongside strengthening links with the local community, plans which Allen is expected to further after taking over the reins at the Surrey track. 

"Having started my career at Huntingdon back in 1999, I'm absolutely delighted to be rejoining the Jockey Club," Allen said. "I grew up in Croydon and regularly attended Epsom from the age of 13, so it's a place that very much feels like home to me.

"As far as I'm concerned the Betfred Derby remains the most important race to the thoroughbred breed and the most famous in the world, so I'm proud and excited to start working with the team.

"I hope that my experience working across the industry in a range of different roles, from running racecourses to training racehorses, will give me a 360-degree perspective as we strive to ensure Epsom Downs reaches its full potential, both as a racecourse and training centre."

Allen completed the BHA graduate scheme in 1996 before beginning his career in management at Huntingdon and Sedgefield. In 2006, he took up the position of racing director at Arc, where he served for nine years before embarking on a training career in 2016. 

He sent out runners in France and the US until 2022, after which he joined Tapeta Footings as its operations director. This year, Allen took up a similar role at British Champions Series and will leave after Qipco British Champions Day on Saturday. 

Amy Starkey, managing director of the Jockey Club, added: "I'm thrilled to have appointed someone of Jim's calibre to lead the team at Epsom Downs.

"It's rare to find an accomplished racecourse administrator who also has expertise in training and caring for racehorses, and his CV speaks for itself. With such experience and a wide range of existing stakeholder relationships, Jim will be a tremendous asset for Epsom Downs racecourse and our training grounds."

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