'A man ahead of his time' - former Cheltenham and Haydock clerk of the course Philip Arkwright dies aged 89

Former Cheltenham clerk of the course Philip Arkwright, who played a key role in the emergence of the festival during 23 years at the home of jump racing, has died at the age of 89.

Arkwright was only the sixth clerk of the course in Cheltenham's history when presiding at the track between 1977 and 2000 and held the same role at Haydock between 1981 and 1999.

Haydock held a minute's silence in his honour before the Betfred Temple Stakes card on Saturday.

The most memorable time of Arkwright's tenure at Cheltenham came with The Thinker's Gold Cup in 1987, when the race was run against all predictions.

Snow delayed the start and caused fears of an abandonment but Arkwright held his nerve after he received a phone call telling him the sun was on its way, with the race eventually run 81 minutes after the scheduled start time.

Reflecting on that day, Arkwright said: "It was, in many ways, our finest hour. We hold the record for the longest gap between races, an hour and three-quarters, and also the shortest, 20 minutes between the County Hurdle and the Cathcart, which we just got through before pitch darkness set in."

Arkwright served as an officer in the Royal Dragoons and then attained the rank of major in the Blues and Royals. He rode as an amateur during his time in the army, winning 14 times, before retiring from race-riding when taking up the role at Cheltenham.

His wife Sandra, who died in 2022, was a racecourse judge and then a steward.

In his retirement, Arkwright had shares in horses with Kim Bailey, including  smart chaser Vinndication and Listed bumper winner Flirtatious Girl.

Bailey paid tribute to his skill at managing racecourses but also his colourful sense of humour, and said: "He was a remarkable man. He was good fun, very strict and a bloody good clerk of the course, and as an owner we had a great deal of fun together. 

"He was a man ahead of his time. He was very good at his job. He once described Haydock as the most difficult job a clerk of the course could have, and he said it was a pleasure to work there and at Cheltenham. Ed Gillespie took over at Cheltenham and together they marked the start of a new era.

"We ran Vinndication at Cheltenham during Covid and he said he wasn't going to come, but he did and I think he locked himself up afterwards for about six months. He was one of those very special people and he was a joy to be around. 

"He wrote a book that was limited to people he wanted to read it, no one else. It was hysterical. It described how racing should be run and what you should do when you get to the races, but I think only 50 or 60 copies were made and he gave them to people he knew would appreciate it."

Arkwright also had horses with Cumbrian trainer Nicky Richards, who said: "He was a grand servant who was good for racing. He was a nice man with a lovely wife and they were a great couple. 

"He was a great character. The last time we had a winner was Parisencore at Haydock [March 2022]. He wasn't in the best of fettle then but he came racing and enjoyed it that day."