'NOBODY HAS HAD A MORE PROFOUND OR BENEFICIAL IMPACT'

The award is an initiative that Goodwood instigated to recognise and, more importantly, honour the people who have made an outstanding contribution to the sport of racing.

Peter Willett, director of Goodwood Racecourse, who presented the award at a special lunch, commented: "I can assert, without fear of contradiction, that in recent times, nobody has had a more profound or beneficial impact on our sport and industry than David.

"His work has been unpaid and largely unsung, but nonetheless epoch-making."

David Oldrey was elected a member of the Jockey Club, then the governing body of racing, in 1984. He has for more than 20 years consistently applied a fine analytical brain, as well as a thorough knowledge of the ins and outs of the betting industry, to many financial and organisational problems of racing.

His most telling role was as chairman of the race planning committee and its development group in 1993, when he was the driving force behind the "competitive racing" initiative, which transformed race programming, while ensuring that horses are rewarded broadly in accordance with their abilities. It was a revolutionary concept, and one that has brought untold benefits to the sport.

For full feature see Sussex Horse World, West Sussex Gazette July 25