BALLARAT Turf Club is on the hunt for a new chief executive officer following the sudden departure of Peter Downs last week.<\/p>\n
Downs had been in the role for just over a year, after replacing long-serving club official Belinda Glass, who resigned in July 2024.<\/p>\n
The experienced racing administrator did not step into the role until a few months later.<\/p>\n
No reason was given by the club for his sudden resignation.<\/p>\n
But in an email sent to BTC members, club chairman Bill Gribble confirmed Downs’s departure was immediate.<\/p>\n
“We wish to advise that Peter Downs has tendered his resignation as CEO of the Ballarat Turf Club, effective immediately,” the email said.<\/p>\n
“We thank Peter for his contribution to the club and wish him all the very best for the future.<\/p>\n
“The committee will commence the recruitment process of a new CEO immediately.<\/p>\n
“In the interim, Leigh Newton, regional services manager with Country Racing Victoria will step into the role in a caretaker CEO capacity.”<\/p>\n
Newton, known for playing 13 AFL games for Melbourne between 1997-99, boasts a wealth of experience as a former public relations and marketing executive at the Moonee Valley Racing Club and former manager of the Echuca Racing Club.<\/p>\n
Grampians born and raised, outgoing CEO Downs has held a number of senior executive roles in racing around Australia.<\/p>\n
He was a former chief executive of the Warrnambool Racing Club, a position he held for four years, before moving on to become the racing manager at Moonee Valley Racing Club.<\/p>\n
In 2020, he took up a similar position with the Australian Turf Club in Sydney.<\/p>\n
He has also spent time at South Australian Harness Racing Club and Tabcorp.<\/p>\n
Following his appointment at Ballarat, Downs was lauded for his ‘wealth of knowledge and understanding of racing and its importance to the regional communities’.<\/p>\n
Away from racing, Downs was a member of Regional Development Australia’s Grampians committee.<\/p>\n
He was a participant in the 2025 edition of the Ballarat Foundation’s Dancing with Our Stars.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BALLARAT Turf Club is on the hunt for a new chief executive officer following the sudden departure of Peter Downs last week. Downs had been in the role for just over a year, after replacing long-serving club official Belinda Glass, who resigned in July 2024. The experienced racing administrator did not step into the role […]<\/p>\n