The Jockey Club has unveiled the name of its new chairman who will head up Cheltenham Racecourse, from May next year.

Martin St Quinton will succeed Robert Waley-Cohen at the end of the 2018-19 Jumps season.

Mr St Quinton is already well-known as the chairman and owner of Gloucester Rugby Club and joins the Cheltenham Racecourse committee with immediate effect.

The 58-year-old also chaired the funding committee which oversaw the £45 million redevelopment of The Princess Royal Stand at Cheltenham, which was opened in November 2015 on time and on budget.

A Jockey Club member since December 2013, he was previously a Racecourse committee director at another of The Jockey Club's 15 racecourses, Epsom Downs.

Mr St Quinton is also a successful racehorse owner, having had three winners at The Festival™ with Coulton, trained by Oliver Sherwood, Urubande, trained by Aidan O'Brien, and Monkerhostin, saddled by Philip Hobbs. He currently has horses in training with Hobbs and Emma Lavelle.

Robert Waley-Cohen, who took over from Lord Vestey in 2011, will continue in his role as Chairman of Cheltenham Racecourse until the end of the 2018-19 Jumps season in May next year.

We are delighted to welcome Martin St Quinton as Chairman of Cheltenham Racecourse from May 2019. He is the current Chairman and owner of @gloucesterrugby and has horses in training with Emma Lavelle and Phillip Hobbs. https://t.co/3HVyCWBw0P pic.twitter.com/Db8phQrOHz

— CheltenhamRacecourse (@CheltenhamRaces) June 7, 2018

Mr St Quinton is one of three new chairmen announced by The Jockey Club, the largest commercial racecourse group in Britain and one of the UK's leading leisure companies.

Julian Taylor will take over as chairman at Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, while Richard Fuller will become Chairman at Kempton Park. Both appointments are effective from January 2019.

Roger Weatherby, senior steward of The Jockey Club, said: "I am very much looking forward to working with Martin, Julian and Richard in their new roles next year.

"They have already made valuable contributions to our sport and I know that their passion and zest for racing, combined with their expertise and professional experience, will help The Jockey Club to thrive in 2019 and beyond.

"I am also extremely grateful to our three outgoing Chairmen for their hard work and commitment, not only for the good of The Jockey Club, but British Racing as a whole.

"These positions require a significant amount of personal time and dedication and I take this opportunity to thank both our outgoing and incoming Chairmen for their dedication and enthusiasm."

Cheltenham Racecourse is home to The Festival™ and the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup, regarded as the pinnacle of Jumps racing. It staged 16 fixtures in the 2017-18 season.