Racing Manager PETER O’DOWD
Ladbroke Coral have announced that the racing manager against who all others are judged – Peter O’Dowd – will continue in a part time basis beyond his planned retirement in December.
The former Preston, Westhoughton and Bolton racing manager who moved south to Romford in July 1996, celebrates his 65th birthday in December but he is not being allowed to disappear into the sunset any time soon.
He said: “I will finish full time with Mark Arkell taking over during the month transition. From January I will be working two days a week, sometimes from home.
“After everything we have been through, it will be good to see things through with the building work at the stadium, though I still need to finalise exactly what Ian Smyth is expecting of me.”
Director of stadiums, Smyth said: “We simply couldn’t afford to lose someone with Peter’s knowledge and understanding of the industry. Although I still have so much to learn, he has taught me such a great deal in a short space of time.
“For the first few months, I hope he will be able to help the rest of the racing office staff bed in. They are a young team and Peter’s guidance will be invaluable while allowing Mark to concentrate on his new role. Between three to six months, we should also have the stadium building works reaching an important stage and again, Peter’s input will be invaluable.
“We will have to play it by ear after that. He may start to enjoy his retirement time too much and demand more of it. But if he is keen to continue, there are a number of things that he could manage and free me up for other projects I would like to tackle.
“I am particularly delighted that Peter will be here to see the end of the stadium development. Many people don’t realise, but for Peter, and the faith that the trainers have in him, this stadium might not have survived last year due to all the uncertainty about its future.”
