Ontario Racing announced on Thursday, Aug. 20 that Andrew Gaughan will leave his position as its Independent Chair after his current contract expires at the end of October of this year.
Gaughan has been Ontario Racing’s Independent Chair since October of 2022 when he succeeded John Hayes in the role.
Ontario Racing stated that during Gaughan’s tenure leading the organization, he was instrumental in helping secure additional funding from the Ontario Government of $35 million annually for each of the next five years.
Gaughan had already renewed his initial three-year contract another year to help see the funding agreement through to fruition.
“The commitment I made to myself, and the Ontario Racing Board, was to ensure that the efforts we had all put into aiming to secure the additional funding were met,” said Gaughan. “With that getting resolved fully, I felt like my goal and commitment to the four-year journey had been met.
“The other thing that was influencing my decision not to renew or ask for an extension, further mandate or term, is I still have a lot going on in my private consulting business to the industry. I have several clients on a global basis. I’m the kind of person that doesn't like to engage in things halfway, and I believe the commitments that are required for the Independent Chair role in the next several years ahead really require a lot of attention, focus and effort. I didn't feel, to be perfectly honest, that I had the bandwidth to continue to do that.”
Gaughan also recently became a grandfather for the first time.
“I am a grandfather now and I've passed the 60-year-old threshold in the last year,” said Gaughan. “So, I'm not looking to work as much full-time as I had in the previous 30 years.”
Gaughan said he would remain Ontario Racing’s Independent Chair until a successor is found.
At Ontario Racing, Gaughan said he is most proud to have helped secure the additional industry funding “with the support of the Board and the dedicated Ontario Racing Management (ORM) team.” He said he is particularly pleased that most of the money is going to core participants to help offset “the massive negative impact inflation was having on the core participants in the industry – namely the breeders, the owners, the trainers and all the people that work at the racetrack level to secure a living.”
Ontario Racing is currently seeking applications for its next Independent Chair. The role involves working closely with the Ontario Racing Board of Directors, the Executive Director of ORM and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), and is responsible for building and promoting productive relationships with industry stakeholders. The Independent Chair provides strategic leadership to the horse racing industry in Ontario and liaises with government representatives in support of this vision.
For more information about the role of the Independent Chair, visit ontarioracing.com or contact ORM Executive Director Gordon Thain at [email protected].
(With files from Ontario Racing)