After more than 35 years at News Corp Australia, Ray Thomas has announced that this year’s spring carnival will be his last.

The Daily Telegraph’s long-serving Racing Editor will retire at the conclusion of this year’s carnival, bringing to a close a decorated career that took him from Randwick to Flemington, to Royal Ascot and countless racetracks in between.

“After nearly 36 years at The Daily Telegraph reporting on racing, I feel it is time to move aside and let the younger generation come through,” said Thomas, a six-time Kennedy Award winner and 1998 NSW Sports Writer of the Year.

“I’ve enjoyed every moment of this job and the access it has afforded me to the champions of the sport, giving me many experiences and memories to last a lifetime.’’

After joining The Sportsman in January 1990, Thomas was appointed Racing Editor at The Daily Telegraph in February 1994, a role in which he has reported on key historical moments in Australian racing including the 1995 Jockey Tapes scandal, Kerry Packer’s $6 million betting plunge on Might And Power in the 1997 Melbourne Cup, the 2007 Equine Influenza outbreak and the merger of Sydney’s two race clubs in 2011.

He covered 25 consecutive Melbourne Cups from Jeune’s win in 1994 to Vow And Declare in 2019; he was there when Bart Cummings won his 10th Melbourne Cup with Saintly in 1996 and also for the “Cups King’s” 12th and final Cup win with Viewed in 2008. Thomas was also on track for each of Makybe Diva’s three Melbourne Cups from 2003-05.

In recent years, he reported on most of the great Winx’s 33 consecutive wins – including her four Cox Plates from 2015-18, three Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2017-19), and her Doncaster Mile win (2016).

The Daily Telegraph editor Ben English said Thomas had set a new benchmark as a racing reporter that may never be matched.

“Ray is the ultimate professional and a turf journalist without peer,” English said.

“From the moment he joined us in 1990 it was clear that Ray possessed a passion and zeal for horse racing that would take him to the very top of his game, and so it proved.

“He is a living legend, not just of the racing world, but of Australian journalism.”

Racing NSW CEO Peter V’landys paid tribute to Thomas’ enduring contribution to the sport.

“This is a very sad day for the NSW thoroughbred racing industry. In fact, it’s the end of an era,” V’landys said.

“Ray is the ultimate professional. He is one of the most hard-working and conscientious people I have ever met.

“He reported the facts and the way he saw it. He was never intimidated by the haters and keyboard warriors.

“They will need three people to replace him and even then it won’t be anywhere near as good. Ray’s legacy and impact will live for decades to come.”

Daniel Sankey, Editorial Director for Racing and Wagering for News Corp Australia, praised Thomas’s significant contribution not just to News Corp Australia, but the sport of racing.

“There isn’t a more committed, meticulous and dedicated journalist in the sport than Ray Thomas,” he said.

“He’s respected and admired by media professionals and racing participants alike … not just as a newsbreaker, storyteller and tipster, but as a true gentleman of the sport.”

Ray’s final day with The Daily Telegraph will be on Saturday, November 15.

Originally published as Ray Thomas, the long-serving Racing Editor for The Daily Telegraph, to retire at conclusion of 2025 Spring Carnival