1 September 2017 – UK ~ The Arabian Racing Organisation (ARO) was pleased to announce that Rachael Gowland has been appointed to the ARO Board of Directors.
Gowland has a wealth of experience in the Thoroughbred breeding industry having worked at The National Stud and Shadwell Estate Company and is currently working for the European Breeder’s Fund (EBF).
During her four years working for ARO Patron, HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, she project-managed the Dubai International Arabian Races (DIAR) program, developing race meetings in Italy, Great Britain and France, whilst introducing further meetings in Holland, Sweden and the USA as part of the series.
DIAR Newbury, the flagship of Arabian racing, also came under Gowland’s jurisdiction and with the team at Shadwell, Newbury Racecourse and ARO, spear-headed its development under the guidance of the DIAR committee.
Now working at the EBF, an organisation funded by stallion owners and investing in racing’s prize money; Gowland works with nearly every racecourse in the country taking on race-planning, PR and sponsorship for the fund. She aims to bring these skills and connections in to use for the benefit of Arabian racing.
Gowland said: “I am very much looking forward to taking up a position on the ARO board of Directors. The number of Arabian horses being raced in GB has grown recently and it is important that we find ways of encouraging domestic racing and breeding while aiming to produce horses that compete on the international stage and provide race meetings that attract the best horses in the world.”
She continued: “The sport of Arabian racing presents a great number of opportunities to engage existing and new participants and to grow and evolve in the future. After working for the organisation’s patron, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum for four years, I am delighted to have the opportunity to be part of ARO’s development and to ensure that the sport and the breed are both protected and nurtured.”
ARO Chairman Charles Gregson welcomed the appointment saying. “We feel Rachael will be a great asset to us all, as her experience in both Arabian and Thoroughbred racing and breeding will be invaluable in moving our sport forward. The enthusiasm and passion for Arabian racing developed whilst working for our Patron, combined with her thorough knowledge of racing in general and the contacts developed in the wider racing community, will be very advantageous to Arabian racing in the UK.”
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