York chairman Lord Teddy Grimthorpe bows out with an eye on future of course and racing

“I wasn’t given any. I was told by my predecessors Lord Halifax, and Nicholas Wrigley, that I would be doing it – and that was it,” he remarked.

Yet, while he has won many accolades during a lifetime spent in racing as a spectator, bloodstock agent and longstanding racing manager to Prince Khalid Abdullah, his pride leading his local track is palpable.

But it’s also a source of personal frustration that he will miss York’s final day of racing of 2020, and the last during his term of office, because he’s in quarantine after travelling to France last weekend to witness Enable to win a historic third Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe when ground and tactics conspired against the mare.

“These great honours are bestowed upon us are very easy to accept – and very hard to let go,” he told The Yorkshire Post in an exclusive interview to mark the end of an era. “If you enjoy it as much as I have, it has just been a huge honour and privilege. I also hope I have learned a good deal about racecourse management, and what goes on behind the scenes, from the best in the business William Derby (chief executive).”

York has won countless awards during Grimthorpe’s reign and is renowned as one of the world’s pre-eminent racecourses. It is also one of the most welcoming, a notable feature of the past decade with Grimthorpe, an avuncular figure in his trademark Panama hat, treating everyone from the Royal family to more humble racegoers with the same warmth and charm.

His personal highlight remains that heady raceday in August 2012 when Frankel, Prince Khalid’s horse for the ages, won the Juddmonte International in front of a visibly ailing trainer Sir Henry Cecil. “I still get people coming up to me and saying ‘I was there’,” he recalls.

More recently, the aforementioned Enable’s dual wins in the 2017 and 2019 Yorkshire Oaks were fond days – as was the sheer quality of last year’s Ebor festival. Grimthorpe does, however, point out that his presence has little bearing on whether the Abdullah horses “run any faster or slower”.

And while York has been blessed by so many historic days because of its prestige and location – he cites the Pope’s visit, Tour de France, Royal Ascot, Olympic torch relay and Rod Stewart – he says the legacy of Covid, and racing without spectators, should be acknowledged as the sport’s financial crisis deepens.

“Everyone understands the problems facing the economy as a whole so we must not be caught up in our own little bubble as everyone thinks they are special,” he ventures.

“Racecourses have proved, excellently, that they can put on safe days with crowds and we need to grow that; not only the confidence of the authorities (local and national government) but the general public too.”

And while the return of paying spectators next year – and also corporate events and family occasions held at the course – is crucial to York as Bridget Guerin prepares to take the reins as chair, Grimthorpe will remain on the race committee and is excited about the future once the pandemic has passed.

“We have always been ambitious in terms of developing the racecourse and its facilities in terms of its status,” says Grimthorpe who can still recall the silence when the seemingly invincible Brigadier Gerard was defeated in the inaugural 1972 Benson and Hedges International by Roberto.

“We have to look forward with our plans for the Melrose Stand, and also the County Stand, and those will be projects that will be something special to look forward to.”

He says one of the great challenges is envisaging the needs of spectators in the 2030s. He points to how betting has changed out of all recognition – many transactions are conducted by mobile phone – and says, by way of illustration, that “there’s no point having a car park if everyone is coming by hoverjet”.

“What will crowds expect from a racecourse?” he adds. “Everyone thinks we are competing with other racecourses. We’re not. We are competing with other stadia; other spectator events; other festivals of all sorts, cultural and musical.

“We have to provide the incentive for people to come and enjoy racing on the Knavesmire. It’s what drives the whole ethos of the team at York races; it is something we have inherited and helped build on it, and grow it, year by year and make people feel welcome.

“I liken it to a virtuous circle. Good facilities. Good horses. Good prize money Good people. If you fall down on one of those, then everything else tumbles with it. You can’t have one without another.”

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James Mitchinson

Editor