Death of key Ladbrokes figure Terry Leon at 77

Terry Leon, who spent his career in bookmaking working his way up to head of development and licensing at Ladbrokes, has died. He was 77.

Leon started as a board-marker in a south London betting shop in 1964 before moving on to roles at Coral and Surrey Racing and then taking up his position in 1994 with Ladbrokes, where he remained until his retirement 17 years later.

In his time there Leon oversaw Ladbrokes' first acquisitions in Northern Ireland with the purchase of Duffy Bookmakers and Eastwoods, along with numerous other notable deals.

Leon is survived by his wife Lesley and their daughters Anna and Pippa. Donations in his memory can be made to the Rosemary Foundation here.

William Hill announced as new sponsor for next month's Futurity Trophy

William Hill have been announced as the new sponsor of the Futurity Trophy, the final Group 1 of the British season at Doncaster on October 26.

The race, supported last season by Qatar Racing, was sponsored by William Hill in 1976, when its name changed from the Observer Gold Cup.

Aidan O'Brien is bidding for a 12th win in the race, which headlines a two-day meeting, and trains the 5-2 ante-post favourite The Lion In Winter.

"William Hill have a long association with Doncaster and the Futurity Trophy in particular so we're delighted to welcome them back to the race," said Arena Racing Company's director of commercial strategy and partnerships David Leyden Dunbar.

"Recent years have proven it to be an excellent opportunity for some of the UK and Ireland’s best two-year-olds, and we look forward to another excellent renewal in October."

IHRB hosting seminar regarding preventing bone injuries in the thoroughbred

The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) will host a free seminar on reducing the risk of fractures and other bone injuries in racehorses on October 2 in The Club at Goffs, Co Kildare.

Professor Chris Whitton will deliver the seminar aimed at trainers, owners, veterinarians and anyone involved in the care of racing thoroughbreds.

Bone injuries in racehorses, including fractures, are a significant global concern for the racing industry, resulting in poor performance and career-ending injuries. 

Whitton leads the Equine Limb Injury Prevention Programme, funded by Racing Victoria, the Victorian State Government and the University of Melbourne. He previously spoke on developing preventative training and management protocols for racehorses at Leopardstown in 2018. 

The seminar will offer knowledge and valuable insight into how bone injury happen and will outline best practice  to reduce the risk of fracture. Reducing the risk of bone injury in racehorses requires a multifaceted approach, including advanced biomechanical insights, preventive care, and evidence-based training adjustments.

Chris Whitton's expertise provides the racing community with an opportunity to mitigate bone injury risk and promote the long-term health and success of their horses. 

Attendance at the event is free of charge but registration is required in advance. Registration can be confirmed here. Light refreshments will be served.

Laytown completes full set of Irish racecourses to deploy Coursetrack tracking data

Live, in-race timing information system Coursetrack has now been rolled out at all 26 Ireland racecourses after Laytown’s annual beach fixture completed the full set.

The system is operated by Racecourse Media Group's timing partners, Coursetrack, and involves horses carrying lightweight GPS trackers, designed to fit within the saddlecloth.

In-race data for all races in Ireland – including race clock, leader’s speed, leader’s time per furlong and distance to finish – is supplied to networks, including RTE, Virgin Media, ITV and Racing TV, for live broadcasts.

Jessica Cahalan, General Manager at Laytown Racecourse, said: “We were delighted Laytown completed the full set of Irish racecourses deploying Coursetrack’s data and were very impressed with how easy it was to implement and operate for Monday’s fixture, given the track’s unique characteristics. If you can run the system on a remote beach, then no doubt you could run it anywhere!”

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