Lord Teddy Grimthorpe succeeds Kirsten Rausing as ITBF chair

Lord Teddy Grimthorpe was ratified as chairman of the International Thoroughbred Breeders’ Federation as Kirsten Rausing stepped down after seven years in the role, a handoff that matters well beyond the meeting room because the group sits at the center of breeding policy, international horse movement and stud-farm coordination.

The five-day conference ran from May 5-10 across Deauville and Paris, and 25 of the federation’s 29 member countries and umbrella associations took part. That reach gave weight to discussions that went straight to the economics of the breed: EU transportation regulations, declining foal crops, stallion populations, lifetime traceability, narrowing gene pool concerns and early foal handling.

The France program started in Normandy with visits to Haras de Bonneval, Haras de Beaumont, Haras d’Etreham and the Équine Vallée equine-health campus before the delegation moved to Paris for the ITBF Veterinary Conference and the all-day General Meeting at ParisLongchamp. The route underscored how the federation works, linking farms, veterinarians and regulators rather than treating breeding as a purely local business.

Sarah Carmichael thanked Rausing for her commitment, dedication and leadership, while the membership formally approved Grimthorpe as the incoming chair after his election by the ITBF Executive Committee. Members also voted unanimously to continue opposing all artificial breeding methods, keeping intact a policy that prohibits artificial insemination, embryo transfer, cloning, sexing of sperm and genetic engineering or manipulation in Thoroughbred breeding.

That position is central to how the federation defines the sport’s bloodstock economy. With 29 member countries across six continents, ITBF has long tried to provide a common platform for member nations to solve problems, educate breeders, create opportunities for collaboration and act as a liaison with racing and allied institutions. Its roots run back to a Britain-Ireland-France discussion group in the 1950s and 1960s, France joined in 1968, the United States followed in 1974, and the structure was formalized and renamed in Newmarket in 2012.

The transition also comes after a period when the federation had to confront its own operating costs. ITBF said in January 2025 that membership fees had remained unchanged since 2017 before an increase was approved. The federation also held a global webinar in 2025 on breeding challenges and solutions, a reminder that its work extends year-round, not just at the biennial gathering.

India will host the next ITBF General Meeting in 2028, extending the organization’s footprint into another major breeding market as Grimthorpe takes charge of the group’s next phase.