'The time feels right to do something new' - Rod Street to bow out as Great British Racing boss

Rod Street is to step down as chief executive of Great British Racing (GBR) at the end of April after more than 14 years in the role.

Street leaves British's racing's promotional and marketing body only a few months after the sport launched Premier Racing, its new concept to attract new audiences and encourage investment. 

His departure raises further questions about how Premier Racing will be promoted after criticism of what was last year described as the project's "hopelessly inadequate" marketing budget.

No successor to Street has been named and it is understood the Racecourse Association, Thoroughbred Group and BHA are looking at GBR's leadership structure.

Street said it had been his privilege to work in horseracing, adding: "I enter my 31st year in the sport in May this year and that time has been split evenly between senior leadership roles – both at racecourses and at the centre of the sport. 

"The time feels right to do something new and it is my intention to launch a new venture in coaching and mentoring leaders of the future, which many people know is a passion of mine.

“I am very proud of the achievements of the team at GBR. Racing is significantly better promoted now than it was 15 years ago. Jockeys are developing into superb ambassadors for the sport, we produce content on an almost daily basis, and it is rare for a news opportunity or milestone to be missed."

Street cited Qipco British Champions Series and Day and National Racehorse Week as "huge innovations" during his time in the post.

He added: “Looking to racing’s future, this is a time of both challenge and opportunity. It is encouraging that the sport has come together to address declines in revenue and engagement.

"Racing is not alone – most sports outside football face precisely the same challenge – and we are competing for customers’ attention in a fiercely competitive environment.

"The principle of leading with our best quality products through Premier Racing is the right one. I remain optimistic for the sport because we have history, heritage and a level of coverage that other sports would die for.”

Street will continue to lead British Champions Series Limited, where he has been chief executive since 2011, until later in the year.

Julie Harrington: "His contribution has been vast"Credit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

BHA chief executive Julie Harrington described Street as an "experienced, respected and much-loved individual in racing" and said he had been an "integral part" of the work on the industry's strategy.

She added: "In all, Rod has worked in racing for over 30 years so far and his contribution has been vast, both in terms of his professional achievements, and through the positive influence of his trademark optimism and vivacity.

“We are sincerely sorry to lose him, but respect his decision and on behalf of racing’s stakeholders thank him for all he has done, including the energy and passion he has brought to every task. Rod has made a big difference to how racing is promoted, compared to when he joined GBR in 2010. I’m sure we will continue to see lots of him in the future.”

GBR chairman Tony Langham said Street's departure was sad news for both GBR and racing more widely.

He added: "Since 2010 Rod has done a fantastic job leading GBR and promoting British racing. In racing's continually changing structures and strategies, Rod has built a team that does great work, whatever the situation, and this is a significant achievement. He will be sorely missed, although I'm hopeful that he has more roles in racing ahead of him.

"He's the nicest man in racing and one of the few people that has the sport's best interests at heart, rather than one particular segment of the sport."

Rod Street hits and misses

Hits

British Champions Day

Nobody has done more to sell the excitement of a single end-of-season championship day than Rod Street and GBR. Helped by the bonus of Frankel running at the first two meetings, the GBR team’s conviction that the concept could have crossover appeal to other sports fans has translated into consistent crowds in the region of 30,000 people, as well as prominent coverage on three successive terrestrial broadcasters.

Vote AP

When the BBC nominated AP McCoy for its annual Sports Personality of the Year award in 2010, GBR recognised the opportunity to lobby a public whose votes would ultimately decide the winner. Street and his colleagues mobilised a huge effort to get both McCoy himself, and as many racing surrogates as possible, into print, on screen and across the airwaves.  

National Racehorse Week

Many people across the industry have played a part in this successful initiative to highlight how well racehorses are treated. But GBR’s promotion and coordination of National Racehorse Week has taken the goodwill shown by so many racing yards prepared to throw open their doors and matched it with a public who have been eager to accept the invitation in their thousands. 

Misses

Brian and Ben

At the launch event for Racing For Change in 2009, the assembled media were left baffled when introduced by PR firm Harrison Frazer to 'Brian' — a marketing placeholder for the sport’s existing fanbase — and modern-sounding 'Ben', who has: “travelled more, can talk as easily to a grandmother as a teenager, and is inspiring to be with.” The pair of fictitious fans were quietly dropped, while other RFC-era initiatives, including scrapping fractional odds in favour of decimals, also failed to take root. 

British Champions Series

If Champions Day has been a win for British racing, the badge applied to the biggest Flat races of the year which lead up to it has remained unloved. The existing racing public instinctively understood the narrative thread which runs through the season, while the series shows little sign of having simplified matters for potential new fans. 

Read these next:

 'It's felt as though we've had to do things we didn't want to' - Chester facing up to challenge of Premier racing 

Constitution Hill will not defend Champion Hurdle crown as Nicky Henderson rules star out of the festival 

Five years of profit in a row for Ante-Post Pricewise - subscribe to Members' Club now with 50% off for Tom Segal's Cheltenham tips! 

Get your hands on the Cheltenham Ultimate Guide – your unbeatable companion for four days of festival magic – including tips, advice, expert analysis, an Upping The Ante special and an interview with Gordon Elliott, plus so much more. Out now in most good newsagents, or click here to buy online.