Andrew Chesser: a Self-Starter Flying High

Andrew Chesser is one of the men at the forefront of the International Conference of Horseracing Authorities held annually in Paris as well as the Longines World's Best Racehorse and World's Best Horse Race ceremony in London and, at age 32, already holds two senior positions in the Thoroughbred industry. One wonders, then, how far he will have risen by the age of most of the racing establishment's grandees. Even more surprisingly, this self-starter had not even seen a horse race until he was nearly 15.

The day job is manager of registration services at The Jockey Club, while since October 2015, Chesser has been appointed secretary general of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA). All because of stumbling upon the televised GI Preakness victory of Charismatic (Summer Squall), who rose from claiming level to be narrowly denied Triple Crown glory.

“It was pretty much after that race that I persuaded my family to take me down to Saratoga for the racing and to the Fasig-Tipton sales and I knew then that I wanted to be involved in the industry,” he said. “I grew up in New York and I was then able to work at Stonewall Farm on weekends and holidays, but I knew that if I wanted to make racing my career than I would have to go to the centre of it all in Lexington.”

Chesser enrolled and graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in agricultural economics and business, but had already spread his wings far beyond the campus walls. He learned from another greatly respected UK graduate, Walter Hillenmeyer, who was managing the former Woodlyn Farm at the time and completed a year's internship in the advertising department of the Blood-Horse, crediting the now Darley head of marketing Jim Cox for his development.

All this experience led to an opportunity in the offices of The Jockey Club, firstly in digital customer service and internal procedure, and he has now been at the venerable institution for 11 years full-time.

“The Jockey Club is the keeper of the American Stud Book and my role involves working with others in registering and naming all Thoroughbreds born in the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico, including microchipping and DNA, the imports and exports, as well as budgeting and training,” he said.

Chesser's integration into the business led to Jockey Club president, Jim Gagliano, asking him if he would be interested in helping out with some work with the IFHA, and the role became more formal after the departure of deputy secretary general Aki Akitani at the end of 2013.

“Day to day, it was planning conferences and organising the internal and external communication, such as the website and social media,” said Chesser. “It was around that time that Longines had become involved in sponsorship and I've been working with them for the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings, helped by the likes of the British Horseracing Authority and Hong Kong Jockey Club.”

“I think it has done well in terms of coverage and it was wonderful to be able to be in London last month to have Bob Baffert and Chris Waller there,” Chesser continued. “It's greatness recognised as greatness. Since 2013, we've also had the Longines and IFHA International Award of Merit, the first one of which was presented to Jim Bolger, and most recently to the Romanet family. There is also the World's Best Jockey ceremony in Hong Kong in December and the World's Best Race.”

This involves a considerable amount of travel, including three annual visits to France-Galop's headquarters in Paris, and Chesser believes he clocked up 13 different countries last year.

“Lexington is home but France has very much become a second home,” he said. “If I'm not there, it'll be an airport somewhere. I'm very fortunate as it has allowed me to go to Royal Ascot, the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and I've been to my first G1 Melbourne Cup. Each racecourse has its own influences but we're all speaking the same dialect.”

The IFHA's mission is to harmonise the world's racing rules and procedures, and to attempt to grow the sport commercially, though a number of committees and an annual conference, which drew delegates from 52 countries in 2016.

“One of the main issues is medication, in the form of labs and testing,” Chesser explained. “There are many amazing labs around the globe, but its important to share best practices and for there to be such resources in every part of the world. We want to bring up the standard, efficiency and quality up to the highest possible level.”

“Welfare of riders and horses is obviously another subject that must be taken very very seriously,” he noted. “It's important to keep raising awareness and continue bringing up the standard of care, and aftercare. Racing must also recognise there is more and more competition, not just in terms of leisure activities, but of gambling, from online, the lottery and so on. It's important to embrace new technologies and ensure that racing continues to remain an attractive product.”

Any pronouncements made are not always as easy to implement, as Chesser added diplomatically, “We do everything we can, but we're not a regulatory body. We make concessions, we all want to pull in the same direction.”

Chesser's life is clearly a non-stop blizzard of commitments, but his voice lit up in recollection of what was perhaps his first serious racing achievement. Back at UK, he founded the Kentucky Horse Racing Club and it continues to thrive today with visits to studs, the racetrack and inviting trainers such as Carl Nafzger and Kenny McPeek to give talks.

“It's been a joy to watch, actually,” he said. “I didn't have any connections in the industry when I arrived and now I see many students that have gone on to racing internships, or working in bloodstock, sales, nomination or administrative roles. I was back there last year and it made me think 'they're a lot smarter than I was.'”