HAVING spent the past 12 months as Interim General Manager at Market Rasen Racecourse, Callan joins the Whitsbury Manor team after a standout year for the operation. A year which has seen leading first-season sire Havana Grey tally an impressive 39 individual winners, including 13 stakes performers, and leading sire Showcasing enjoy another notable season with his juveniles including Belbek in the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere.

Stud director Ed Harper said: “I have been waiting a long time to identify the right candidate to help us grow our business and feel that Joe is the ideal person for this role. Joe’s industry experience and superb communication skills will be a great asset to our clients, and I cannot wait for him to start. He’s going to be busy!”.

A graduate of both the Irish National Stud diploma and the Godolphin Flying Start, Joe has gained a vast amount experience within the industry which includes time in Australia working for Gai Waterhouse and Arrowfield Stud, and in Ireland for both David Cox at Baroda Stud and David Myerscough at Colbinstown Stud. Upon graduating from the Godolphin Flying Start Programme in 2018, he was appointed as Nominations Manager at The National Stud where he spent three years.

Joe Callan stated "I am delighted to be joining the Whitsbury Manor team. Ed and his team continuously produce top-class horses as demonstrated by Chaldean this season, and they have amassed a very impressive stallion roster which is supported by some of the best breeders in Europe who I look forward to working with.

“It truly is a very exciting time for the stud as Showcasing consistently proves himself as an outstanding sire and it is hard to think of a more promising stallion than Havana Grey. Due Diligence proves a consistent source of winners, while I am also very excited to see the first foals by Sergei Prokofiev enter the sales ring in the coming months”.