Northern racing stalwart George Armstrong dies at the age of 84

Gordon Armstrong, father of long-serving Newcastle clerk of the course James Armstrong and a man heavily involved in racing himself, has died at the age of 84.

He worked with Major Verly Bewicke in Northumberland during the time that he trained 1958 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Kerstin and was a shareholder in Newcastle racecourse before it was taken over by Sir Stanley Clarke.

Armstrong, who was a steward at Newcastle and Carlisle for more than 25 years, leaves his wife Rosie, son James and daughter Claire and two grandchildren. A private funeral will be held on February 25 with a memorial to follow at a date to be arranged.

HRI appoints new chief financial officer

Roger Casey has been appointed group chief financial officer of Horse Racing Ireland, succeeding the governing body's new chief executive Suzanne Eade in the role.

A well-established fixture within Tattersalls Ireland for the last 14 years having served as finance director and company secretary, the Waterford native is a chartered accountant with more than 21 years experience, including in international commercial roles.

According to a statement from HRI, Casey will take up the position "in the coming months following an extensive recruitment campaign in which HRI was assisted by Mazars".

Eade said: "I look forward to working with Roger, who brings significant financial expertise and leadership to Horse Racing Ireland, coupled with a strong understanding and appreciation for the racing and breeding industry.

"Roger will have the full backing of a dedicated team in HRI across a diverse portfolio who I have enjoyed working directly with for over six years."

Casey added: "Racing and breeding are part of the fabric of life in Ireland and I'm very aware of the significant impact and footprint of this industry having spent 14 years with a great team at Tattersalls Ireland.

"I'm looking forward to starting this new and exciting role, and working alongside Suzanne Eade, the board and the wider team at HRI.”

Hoiles and Walsh in running for SJA Broadcast awards

Two members of the ITV Racing team have been shortlisted for prizes in the broadcast category of the Sports Journalists' Association awards.

Richard Hoiles is in the running to be sports commentator of the year, on an eight-man list that also includes Clive Tyldesley and Sam Matterface from football, and athletics' Steve Cram.

And champion jockey-turned TV expert Ruby Walsh is one of ten people shortlisted in the sports pundit category, alongside Nasser Hussain, Gary Neville and Ian Wright.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony sponsored by the National Lottery at the Park Plaza in London on March 7.

King George VI Chase second has run his final race

Tom George hailed Double Shuffle as a "great favourite" after the 2017 King George VI Chase runner-up and Kempton regular was retired on Wednesday.

The 12-year-old defied his 50-1 odds to finish a length behind Might Bite in the winter showpiece and saved his best performances for Kempton, with two of his five career wins coming at the Sunbury track as well as finishing runner up twice in what is now the Coral Trophy.

George said: "He loved Kempton and had some really big days there. He loved the better ground and Kempton was one of the few places he could get that in the winter, because he wasn't a summer horse either. That track really stood out for him."

Double Shuffle: 'He's a great favourite and has been at the yard since he was a four-year-old'Credit: Mark Cranham

Double Shuffle, who is owned by the Crossed Fingers Partnership, ended his racing career when down the field in a handicap chase at his favourite track last Friday, having earned £220,864 in prize-money since making his debut under rules in a Market Rasen bumper in November 2014.

"He's a great favourite and has been at the yard since he was a four-year-old. He's retired in one piece and fit and well, but we've just decided he's had enough now," George added.

"The girl who has looked after him for the last six years, Becky Wilkins, will take care of him and hopefully even point-to-point him next season. He's a horse who likes to keep himself active."

Chelmsford hoping to stage trials on new turf track in spring

Chelmsford City is hoping to begin trials on the all-new turf track in the spring as a launchpad to becoming the only floodlit grass facility in Britain in the autumn.

Located inside the existing Polytrack circuit, which was reopened in 2015, the mile turf track was started in 2018 and BHA officials are happy with how the turf has bedded in. Chelmsford hopes to stage Breeders' Cup Trials at the track and stage trials in April or May.

Chelmsford City racecourse: lost six meetings in AprilCredit: Edward Whitaker

Former trainer Neil Graham, director of racing at Chelmsford, said: "The turf track looks terrific considering it's been down for little less than a year. It has a lovely thick sward on it and a great root system which has developed as we had such a mild wet summer last year. We hope to have some trials in the late spring or early summer.

"Initially, we would have cards with a mixture of turf and all-weather but in the future we’d like to get all-turf meetings here."

Kate Bradley wins Nars picture of the year award

Kate Bradley, who works for Harry Eustace, won the top honour when the National Association of Racing Staff (Nars) staged its inaugural awards night for educational honours at the Racing Centre in Newmarket last week.

Bradley won the Picture of the Year award, for which the prize was a colour printer donated by Canon, in a category judged by professionals Dan Abraham and Jayne O’Dell. A recognition award was given to Hayley Burton, while the portfolio of the year award went to Ellie Rance, who works for Godolphin.

Kevin Parsons, project manager, said: "Thanks must go out to the Racing Foundation for funding the photography course and always being supporters of the programmes Nars runs."

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