‘Fresh set of eyes’ – Racing Queensland executive Goodbody to lead Harness Racing Australia

Administrator Richard Goodbody will bring major sporting event experience as well as in-depth tricode knowledge to harness racing after being appointed to a key national role overseeing the standardbred industry.

Racing Queensland’s executive general manager of customer and corporate affairs, Goodbody was on Monday announced as Harness Racing Australia’s new chief executive as the replacement for the long-serving Andrew Kelly who had been in the role for more than 17 years.

“Working in Queensland across the three codes, we’ve been fortunate enough to be able to secure major events like the Inter Dominion and some of the new initiatives like the Ultimate Drivers’ Championship and I’ve always had a natural affection for harness racing,” Goodbody told The Straight. 

“With Andrew stepping down after almost two decades at the helm, it feels like the right time to be able to take the reins at HRA and hopefully put a fresh set of eyes over the role and over the industry and hopefully be able to advance it forward.”

Goodbody, 43, believes it’s far from doom and gloom for harness racing in Australia and is taking a “glass half full” approach to the role at HRA.

“There is a very strong and loyal following when it comes to harness racing and that extends from the grassroots all the way to some of the new innovations that we’ve seen through the TAB Eureka,” he said. 

“It’s about making sure that we’re introducing new audiences to the sport. We’re elevating the fan engagement, particularly across those feature meetings, and making sure that we are unlocking the full commercial potential.”

Goodbody previously worked with Cricket Victoria, Cricket Australia and Bowls Australia as well as being the general manager for the championship-winning Townsville Fire in the Women’s National Basketball League prior to joining Racing Queensland.

Before entering racing administration, Goodbody was also closely involved during the infancy of cricket’s Twenty20 Big Bash competition, oversaw three WNBL championships and worked at three Commonwealth Games.

His time with the Townsville Fire also allowed him to spend plenty of time in the United States where he liaised closely with administrators at the National Basketball Association.

Goodbody, who is expected to join HRA by the end of the year, departs Racing Queensland at a time when the state government is set to hand down a review into the racing industry.

Queensland Racing Minister Tim Mander was set to release the report’s recommendations and the government’s blueprint for racing in the state was due on October 13.

However, the government has delayed making public the report with a new date yet to be confirmed.

The loss of Goodbody will place further pressure on RQ’s executive, with more responsibility in the short-term likely to fall on acting CEO Lachlan Murray. 

A former journalist, Goodbody was considered one of the candidates to win the temporary RQ CEO role when Jason Scott resigned in January. Murray was preferred for that role and he has since had his tenure extended.

HRA chairman Graeme Campbell lauded Goodbody’s broad experience, credentials and enthusiasm for the standardbred industry.

“Richard was chosen from an extremely high quality list of applicants. He fully understands the challenges of the industry and has experience in marketing, communication and government relations which holds him in good stead,” Campbell said.

“He has a history of strong engagement and communication skills with racing industry stakeholders, which will be a huge asset.”

Brisbane-based Goodbody plans to split his time between his home city and Melbourne where HRA is headquartered.