After 17 years as President of France Galop, flat and jump racing’s governing body, Edouard de Rothschild announced he was to step down at the end of his term, leading to last Tuesday’s election for the crucial post. A trio of candidates put themselves forward, Jacques Détré, well-known owner-breeder, Louis de Bourgoing, and Guillaume de Saint-Seine.

The system, involving two rounds of voting from the 56-strong ‘bureau’, saw the last-named triumph over Détré by 29 votes to 25. The 62 year-old Saint-Seine, who has owned and bred racehorses for the past 35 years, had already put his name forward earlier in the year, prior to Rothschild announcing his intention to stand down. In contrast to his 2 rivals, this allowed him ample time to both construct a solid team around him, and to take the temperature of professionals from around the country.

After having studied politics and finance, Saint-Seine spent his professional career in the international banking sector, based between Paris and London. A member of the France Galop committee since 2015, he understands the operations and inner workings of such institutions.

Since his election, Saint-Seine has been pressing home the importance of the provincial regions to the industry as a whole. Already having created the new role of Vice President of the Regions, he appointed successful Vichy President, Philippe Bouchara, to the post, in order to facilitate exchanges between the governing body and the provinces.

Other priority bullet-points on Saint-Seine’s agenda include the development of ownership, and placing a stronger emphasis on digital media in order to make the sport more attractive to the under-40s. There is the renovation of Auteuil to manage, a relaunch of jump racing, environmental issues and, importantly, the reconversion of retired racehorses.