Edward Gillespie, who spent 32 years in charge at Cheltenham and was instrumental in the transformation of the March Festival meeting into an event which has become a focal point of the sporting year, has joined a select group of people in racing to be awarded an OBE in the New Year honours list.
Gillespie, 62, who was appointed the managing director of the home of jumps racing at the age of 27 in 1980, and oversaw 100 Festival days before leaving in 2012, said he felt “extremely privileged” when told the news.
“I was extremely surprised, honoured and reflective on why I should have been nominated,” Gillespie said. “I’m extremely privileged to have joined a group of people in racing who have a similar honour.
“Perhaps it reflects the way I’ve gone about my business, how I’ve done things as well as what I’ve done. I was privileged to hang on in there [at Cheltenham] until I was 60. I was one of the fixed points of racing. Most people change their jobs occasionally and I didn’t.
“I was there in a period that goes back as far as Michael Dickinson, Fred Winter and Fulke Walwyn and horses like Desert Orchid. It was a period of growth for jump racing. I think jump racing is as strong now as it ever has been and Cheltenham successfully so.”
Gillespie left as Cheltenham embarked on a £45m grandstand development project which is expected to be completed by the time of the 2016 Festival. At the time he announced his departure Gillespie said the extensive building work at the track would have meant he would have had to stay at Cheltenham for another six years if he had stayed in his post. He has not lost touch with the course, though, as he was a consultant during the planning process for the work at the course and is now an honorary member of Cheltenham’s owners, the Jockey Club.
The work at Cheltenham will enable the Gold Cup day crowd, which was reduced to improve comfort for the huge numbers attracted to the Festival meeting’s highlight, to return to its previous level and Gillespie certainly expects the expansion of the Festival to continue in the future.
“The Festival will never stop getting better. Over the time I was there we were lucky to take it from 72,000 over three days to 200,000 and something over four days,” he said. “It grew in all directions. It was getting deeper in people’s psyche and it is just very special as a gathering of people, not just people. The Festival is what people are looking forward to now. It pulls the emotions.”
Born near Guildford in Surrey, Gillespie was educated at Tonbridge School in Kent before studying politics at York University and he went straight from there to being trainee manager at Epsom, Sandown and Kempton.
“I came into racing with my only qualification in the sport being secretary of York University Turf Club. I got a degree in politics which is what you need to work in racing,” he said.
“People left and I was manager at Sandown when I was 21. I was very lucky. I was manager at Sandown and Kempton from 1973 until 1980. I became manager at Cheltenham and Warwick and then just Cheltenham when it became so big.”
Paul Nicholls won the highlight of Tuesday’s racing when Tara Point landed the Listed novice hurdle at Taunton but described the decision to bypass the hurdles in the back straight after jockeys complained the low sun was restricting their view of the obstacles as “farcical”.
There have been a number of high-profile jump races affected in similar circumstances this season and the champion trainer is concerned at what is becoming a regular occurrence on British tracks.
Nicholls said: “I nearly pulled [Tara Point] out. Jumping is her strength but they’ve only jumped four of the nine hurdles. If it’s unsafe why have they not bypassed the fences [earlier at the meeting] in the back straight?
“It’s ridiculous. It doesn’t happen in Ireland. I was talking to Ruby Walsh about it and they must just be laughing at us. We have to put on a good show for people who are here to watch and this is farcical at the moment.”
Remarkably, the hurdles in the final race, which was run in cloudy conditions, were also omitted and after a subsequent inquiry the Taunton stewards announced that they had submitted a report on the matter to the British Horseracing Authority.
Wednesday’s National Hunt fixtures at Uttoxeter (8.30am) and Warwick (8am) must pass morning inspections if they are to get the go-ahead to race.
