Weatherbys
Encyclopedia
British Horseracing Authority
The British Horseracing Authority, also known simply as the BHA, is the regulatory authority for horse racing in Great Britain.It was formed on 31 July 2007, after the merger of the British Horseracing Board and the Horseracing Regulatory Authority .Its stated objectives are to: “provide the most...
.
For the majority of its history Weatherbys have been a family partnership, but in 1994 became a Limited Company. Weatherbys has its headquarters at Wellingborough
Wellingborough
Wellingborough is a market town and borough in Northamptonshire, England, situated some from the county town of Northampton. The town is situated on the north side of the River Nene, most of the older town is sited on the flanks of the hills above the river's current flood plain...
in Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
with approximately 300 employees.
Weatherbys have various subsidiary companies all generally with a horse racing relationship although in some cases not a direct association. At the end of 2005 three principal companies were created.
Weatherbys Thoroughbred Ltd is responsible for the Racing work under contract to the BHA. Through its two subsidiaries, Weatherbys GSB and Weatherbys Ireland GSB, it is also responsible for the Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
Breeding Registry (“General Stud Book
General Stud Book
The General Stud Book was the original breed registry of the United Kingdom for horses. It specifically was used to document the breeding of Thoroughbreds and related foundation bloodstock such as the Arabian horse....
”).
Weatherbys Bank Ltd is responsible for Banking and financial services including a VAT Returns Service and Bloodstock Insurance. Asset Finance is run by Weatherbys Finance Ltd.
Weatherbys Ventures Ltd comprises an Information Technology division (development and support), Racecard, Bloodstock Services, Publications, Bookshop, Printing, Marketing, Commercial Mailings, Event Ticketing and through its subsidiary Weatherbys Chase, publications and services for Point-to-Point racing.
History
The first Mr Weatherby (James) was appointed to serve the Jockey ClubJockey Club
The Jockey Club is the largest commercial organisation in British horseracing. Although no longer responsible for the governance and regulation of the sport, it owns 14 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree, Cheltenham and Newmarket, amongst other concerns such as the National Stud and...
as its Secretary in 1770. He was an able and entrepreneurial man and over the next 25 years laid strong foundations for the business.
He was assisted by his nephew, whose work on racehorse pedigrees dovetailed neatly with James’s racing work. In 1791, he promoted the publication of The General Stud Book
General Stud Book
The General Stud Book was the original breed registry of the United Kingdom for horses. It specifically was used to document the breeding of Thoroughbreds and related foundation bloodstock such as the Arabian horse....
, a definitive record of the pedigrees of approximately 400 horses which were seen as the foundation for all thoroughbred stock worldwide.
For 200 years, Weatherbys was based in London, but in the late 1960s migration to Wellingborough, in Northamptonshire, was undertaken, where they have been ever since.