AFTER almost 1,000 meetings and 32 years in post, Bill Whittle has bowed out as the chairman of Haydock Park racecourse.

Having first visited the track at the age of four, and witnessed his father and grandfather previously hold the same role, it is fair to say Haydock is in his blood.

Now after three decades overseeing the course – including the triumphs of some of the UK’s finest racehorses and jockeys – he leaves it in rude health, as one of the north west’s premier sporting venues.

Speaking this week, he said: “I’ve never missed a race meeting in 41 years and I will certainly continue to go.

“The main reason why one steps down is because in racing it’s an unwritten rule that you go at 70 – and I’ve stayed on a little while longer than I should have done.

“The development of the course has been quite large, and it’s very, very popular in a very competitive sporting area.

“The success has been down to the tremendous staff, and the racing programmes have developed hugely over the period.

“I’m not one of those who say ‘I, I, I’ – it’s a team and I have been very fortunate to be chairman of that team.”

Bill, who has passed on the reins to Lord Daresbury, has encountered thousands of jockeys and horses over the years, but some races more than other stick out for various reasons.

He said: “The most traditional race is the Old Newton Cup, which is in July, and is named after the old lord of the manor race that was transferred at the turn of the 20th century from Newton to Haydock Park, which was the new race course.

“Newton was the original course, but Lord Newton, who lived in a house near where the hotel is now, felt that Newton wasn’t the right place, so he did the right thing and put the course in his garden.

“One of my most memorable horses was when Kauto Star was racing at Haydock.

“I’ve never seen the crowd applaud the race around the circuit like that.

“It’s very difficult to remember each race and, it’s a bit like asking a footballer or cricketer his best match, but I have some very good memories.

“Red Rum used to come and my father (Tommy) has a race named after him at Christmas time and a lot of very good horses have won that.

“Jockeys, trainers, owners – I’ve met them all, but one of the most popular was Lester Piggott. He has a ‘start to finish’ handicap race at the course, and the first and last races he won were at Haydock Park – 46 years apart.”

Bill, who is married to Livvy and has three sons and two grandchildren, said he wasn’t planning on retiring from his job at the helm of family firm Saville Whittle – a specialist colour and chemical company based in Manchester.