It is with great sadness that the British Horseracing Authority can today confirm the death of our former Chair and friend Joe Saumarez Smith.
Joe, who was 53, died at home today surrounded by his family. Our thoughts and prayers – and we are sure those of everyone involved in our sport – are with Joe’s family and friends.
He will be hugely missed by us all.
His wife Wanda and their children have asked us to pass on their deep thanks for all the messages of support they have received since Joe was first diagnosed with cancer in June 2023 and especially since he stepped down as BHA Chair on 30 January when his health worsened.
They have asked for their privacy to be respected at this difficult time.
Throughout a long and distinguished career in racing Joe was a passionate and dedicated supporter of the sport, combining that drive with great diplomatic skills to promote racing at home and abroad.
Paying tribute to his colleague and friend, BHA acting chief executive Brant Dunshea said: “It has been a great privilege to have known and worked with Joe, always providing wise counsel and tremendous support to the BHA team and to me personally, and for that we will be forever grateful. His commitment to advocating Britain’s interests on the global stage was unwavering, and for that British racing owes him a huge debt of gratitude. We will miss him terribly”.
Interim BHA Chair David Jones described Joe as “not just a personal friend to many of us but a great friend of racing”, adding: “Joe’s enthusiasm for the sport shone through in everything he did. He had such a deep knowledge of all aspects of the industry and I and other board colleagues will really miss his insight.”
Joe joined the BHA in December 2014 as a non-executive director. In March 2022, he was appointed the BHA Chair and in December 2022 his term was extended until June 2025.
Over the past ten years, Joe was one of the most influential and distinguished figures in British racing. Alongside his senior roles, he was a global ambassador for the sport in areas vital to the sport’s overseas interests, influence and stature.
He played a vital convening role in drawing the racing and betting industries closer together and was a welcome source of authoritative advice and guidance to the Government, principally through his engagement with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport at both political and official levels.
As BHA Chair, Joe steered a complex industry through a challenging restructure of its entire operating system, creating a new governance model to deliver a more sustainable and dynamic economic future.
Alongside this, Joe had a transformative impact on two vitally important areas for the sport – its equine stars and the staff who nurture and care for them.
Through Joe’s direction, British racing took an increasingly proactive approach to horse welfare, the latest manifestation of which was evidenced in the BHA’s HorsePWR campaign.
Similarly, through the Industry Strategy work, Joe promoted the creation of a new Horseracing People Board (HIPB) to explore and improve of all aspects of our workforce’s lives. And as part of this work, Joe was a great supporter and passionate champion of the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards.
Prior to his appointment as Chair of the BHA Board Joe was also chair of British racing’s Gambling Strategy Group, playing a prominent role in matters relating to the industry’s approach to gambling and the Horserace Betting Levy.
Joe’s drive and commitment to racing in the past two years is even more remarkable when set against his diagnosis of stage four inoperable lung cancer. While undergoing debilitating treatment he continued to be ever present on British racecourses and undertook a gruelling period of international travel to promote the sport overseas, ensuring that British horseracing remains one of Britain’s greatest avenues for inward investment while also acting as one of the Government’s most-effective soft power levers.
Joe’s fascination with horseracing began when he was eight years old, and his maths teacher used betting odds as a means of teaching fractions. He attended his first race meeting aged 12 at Sandown Park, where he opened his first account with bookmakers Heathorns.
He also enjoyed a long and illustrious career in racing – directly and indirectly. His involvement in racing started in 1991 when he was on the Jockey Club Graduate Programme. He later became one of the most influential voices in racing media of his generation, writing extensively for the Racing Post, Financial Times, The Times, The Telegraph, and Bloomberg.
Joe was a great champion for people in the sport – across all roles – being nominated for honours in the Birthday and New Year Honours Lists. It is a great sadness that he did not know that his colleagues at the BHA and his peers had nominated him for an honour this year.
In his citation endorsing Joe’s nomination, his friend and fellow racing fan the Conservative peer Lord Herbert of South Downs CBE said: “Joe has given to the BHA and racing far more than his job specification required, devoting immense time and energy to his role despite undergoing lengthy and ongoing treatment for lung cancer which has frequently exacted a severe personal toll and which has made his contribution even more admirable.”
Similar tribute was paid by Sir Francis Brooke, Chair of Ascot Authority Ltd, who wrote: “Joe has been an outstanding international ambassador for British racing, successfully promoting the sport around the world and deepening relationships in all jurisdictions.”
Further details regarding memorial arrangements for Joe will be announced at the proper time.
