Jockey Club searching for new Epsom general manager with current boss to leave after 16 months

Just 16 months after appointing Tom Sammes as general manager of Epsom, the Jockey Club is searching for a new candidate to take control at the home of the Derby.

Sammes made a good impression when overseeing his first Derby in June, expressing his desire to grow the Derby festival into a week-long event, to reconnect the racecourse and the most famous Classic in the world with the local community, and to introduce a focal raceday at Epsom away from the Derby.

Having begun his career in golf, working for the PGA European Tour and the Ryder Cup, the 35-year-old joined the Jockey Club in September 2021 and was formerly head of strategy for the group.

Sammes has been dividing his time between his family home in Manchester and the Surrey racecourse since becoming general manager last year, but is set to make a permanent return to the north-west later this year. He will leave the racing industry after securing another senior sporting role and departs Epsom at the end of October. 

"Tom has been channeling his expertise into creating a new strategy and transformative plan for Epsom Downs racecourse and the Betfred Derby festival, and this year’s event saw some really promising growth," said the Jockey Club's managing director Amy Starkey. "His eventual successor will benefit greatly from the foundations he has laid and drive us forward in 2025 and beyond.

Tom Sammes: set to leave Epsom 16 months after becoming general managerCredit: JCR

"We are now in the process of recruiting a new general manager and this is a really exciting opportunity to lead a passionate and talented team at an iconic racecourse staging one of horseracing's most prestigious and loved events."

The vacant position has been advertised on the Careers in Racing website, and it will be the job of the successful candidate to carry forward the vision of his or her predecessor by "evolving and executing a new strategy to grow the Derby festival into a week-long event", as well as "deeply embedding Epsom Downs in the heart of the communities that surround the racecourse by developing strong local relationships".

The position closes for applications on Monday and Starkey added: “We’ve seen a lot of interest already from a strong set of candidates working both in and outside of racing. While we are hoping to make an appointment soon, the most important thing is that we find the right person for such an important role."

A crowd of 26,838 people attended Derby day in June, an increase on last year’s attendance of 25,413. However, it was down on the 2022 spectator levels of 37,274 – when the Derby was part of Queen Elizabeth II’s official Platinum Jubilee celebrations – and below the pre-Covid attendances of 38,044 in 2019 and 35,258 in 2018. 

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