The International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses (IFAR) announced 18 July that Masayoshi Yoshida, president and CEO of the Japan Racing Association (JRA), will officially open the upcoming IFAR conference, while English football legend and Thoroughbred enthusiast Michael Owen will deliver its keynote address.
Scheduled for Tuesday, 27 August, the IFAR gathering will offer a full day programme incorporating both a traditional conference and a local facility visit, showcasing off-the-track Thoroughbreds.
The eighth IFAR will be held in conjunction with the 40th Asian Racing Conference (ARC), which is scheduled to take place 27 August – 1 September 2024, in Sapporo, Japan. Both events are being hosted by the JRA and supported by the Asian Racing Federation (ARF), and this will be the fourth time IFAR is held in conjunction with the ARC.
“We are honoured that Mr. Yoshida will participate in the 2024 IFAR conference,” said IFAR Chair Di Arbuthnot, who will open the event alongside him. “The JRA is an important and devoted ally of IFAR’s efforts, and we are grateful for its continued support. Additionally, having someone of Michael Owen’s global stature deliver the keynote address is a proud moment for us all.”
Yoshida became the president and CEO of the JRA in September 2023. He joined the organisation in 1983 and has held many key positions there throughout the decades. He became the executive director in 2021 and then served as the executive vice president before assuming his current role. The 2024 IFAR conference is supported by the JRA, which has also entered into a multi-year sponsorship agreement to support IFAR’s activities around the world.
“The JRA believes strongly in the importance of racehorse aftercare,” said Yoshida. “It is my pleasure to formally open the IFAR conference this August, and we are delighted to be able to host this event alongside the ARC. IFAR is working to make the sport better on a global scale.”
Owen, who will deliver the keynote address via video, is a retired footballer who played for Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle United, Manchester United, and Stoke City. He claimed the Premier League Golden Boot twice and is the last English player to win the Ballon d’Or. A passionate racehorse owner and breeder, he founded Manor House Stables in England, and he and his wife, Louise Bonsall, are vocal proponents of aftercare.
Attendance at the IFAR event is complimentary for ARC delegates, and interested parties will be requested to indicate their participation as part of the ARC registration. For those interested in attending IFAR only, please email ifar@arcsapporo2024.com to inquire about registration. Register as soon as possible, as space is limited.
IFAR is an independent forum that recognises geographical and industry differences among racing countries and is designed to enhance Thoroughbred aftercare worldwide. Working with the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), IFAR works to raise awareness of the importance of welfare for Thoroughbreds, improve education on lifetime care and help increase demand for former racehorses in other equestrian sports.
IFAR has previously conducted conferences in conjunction with the 39th ARC in Melbourne, Australia in February 2023; the 38th ARC in Cape Town, South Africa, in February 2020; the European & Mediterranean Horseracing Federation’s General Assembly in Oslo, Norway, in May 2019; the 37th ARC in Seoul, South Korea, in May 2018; and the Pan American Conference in Washington, D.C., in May 2017. Virtual conferences were conducted in 2021 and 2022.
For more information on IFAR, visit https://www.internationalracehorseaftercare.com. For more information about the Asian Racing Conference and how to register, visit https://arcsapporo2024.com.
International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses