Obituary: John Cleverly, racecourse manager

John Cleverly, who has died at 86, was a stalwart of Beverley racecourse.
John CleverlyJohn Cleverly
John Cleverly

John Cleverly, who has died at 86, was a stalwart of Beverley racecourse.

Synonymous with the East Yorkshire circuit, he served as manager and clerk of the course between 1973-2000 and remained a director until 2014, when he was succeeded by his daughter, Bridget Guerin.

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Mr Cleverly also served as a Beverley steward, and assisted on panels at other tracks as a chalk steward.

In addition to his roles in the East Riding, he acted as clerk of the course at Sedgefield and Redcar, and also clerked at the Middleton Hunt Point-to-Point.

A chartered surveyor by trade, who looked after several estates in East Yorkshire, Mr Cleverly served on the board of the Racecourse Association and was secretary for the Northern Area.

A keen point-to-point jockey in his youth, he also enjoyed considerable success in ownership, having taken out shares with his friends and family in horses with the North Yorkshire trainer, Tim Easterby.

A bar at Beverley racecourse was named in his honour in 2016.

He is survived by his wife, Ann, and three children.

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