19th December 2025

Sir Johnny Weatherby KCVO

It is with deep regret that we announce the passing of Sir Johnny Weatherby who died yesterday aged 66 following a life of peerless service to the ISBC and Thoroughbred breeding and horseracing.

Sir Johnny took over the chair of the ISBC in 1993 from his father Christopher and oversaw a number of important milestones in ensuring the integrity of the Thoroughbred’s heritable genome including the transition from bloodtyping to micro satellite DNA parentage verification, putting in place measures to help to protect against gene-doping, breeding welfare guidelines and analysis the breed’s inbreeding coefficient.

Sir Johnny was also a figure of immense stature within the sport of horseracing.

From his early days as an amateur jockey for David Nicholson to his transformative tenure as Chairman of Weatherbys (1993 - 2022) and his distinguished service as Her Majesty’s Representative at Ascot (2011 - 2020), he embodied the very best of the Turf’s traditions, while driving the industry into the modern era.

As well as being Chairman of the International Stud Book Committee, Johnny was a Member of the Jockey Clubs of both Britain and the USA and was a global ambassador for the Thoroughbred.

Yet, he will be remembered most by his friends and peers for his energy, foresight, ambition and unwavering dedication to the integrity of the sport.

He was a man who moved with equal ease through every corner of the racing world.

His loss leaves a significant gap in the administrative and social heart of the industry.

The Weatherby family has requested privacy at this time.

For further information please contact Simon Cooper, ISBC Vice-Chairman on:

+44 (0)7793 528457 or email: [email protected]