Dumesny, who hails from Parkes and is part of a famous western districts pacing family, has been chief executive of the NSW Harness Racing Club (NSWHRC) for the past 10 years and was responsible for overseeing the transition of metropolitan racing from Harold Park to Tabcorp Park, Menangle.

He joined the NSWHRC staff in 1988 as racing manager, and in that time has also filled positions as a director and secretary of Australian Pacing Gold and as the club's representative on the Harness Racing Clubs Committee.

The Dumesny family has had a long association with harness racing, and while John has been plying his trade in Sydney for more than 20 years his brother Craig has been heavily involved in the promotion of the sport in Parkes, while nephew Michael is a budding racecaller and does on-track presentations at a number of clubs in the region.

In a statement released yesterday, the NSWHRC praised Dumesny for the work he has done in with the organisation.

"John has provided 26 years of dedicated service to the club and the industry during which time he has shown a great passion for the sport of harness racing and an unrivalled work ethic," the statement said.

"John has a great knowledge of harness racing, and his experience and management expertise have ensured that he is acknowledged as a respected leading administrator in our industry.

"While John has always given his unqualified commitment to our club, he has also recognised that the club is part of a broader industry.

"While his resignation is a great loss for our club, we are sure that he will apply his skills and knowledge in his new role at Harness Racing New South Wales to continue the development of harness racing in our state."

Dumesny will start in his new role when the 2014-15 harness racing season starts on September 1.