RUSSELL Ferris has taken over as chief executive of Weatherbys Ireland following the departure from the business of Ronan Murphy “to pursue his next career opportunities.”

Murphy joined Weatherbys in 2014 and served on the boards of four Weatherbys companies. A statement from Weatherbys said Murphy had “made a great contribution to the business.”

Ferris joined Weatherbys last June from At The Races, where he was Director for Ireland. Prior to that he managed Limerick Racecourse for five years.

He said: “This is a very exciting opportunity and I thank Ronan for all the excellent work he has done in recent years. With my family I have been involved in racing and breeding for many years and am naturally delighted to have been asked to head Weatherbys Ireland. The business continues to move forward and the coming months will see us launch the GSB online registration platform.”

Simon Cooper becomes General Stud Book Director in the UK, and vice chair of the ISBC.