racing_news/

Ascot Racecourse Appoints Stickels As Clerk Of The Course
20/04/05

Ascot Racecourse is pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Stickels, 35, as Clerk of the Course. Chris, whose current position is Arena Leisure Regional Clerk of the Course, will join Ascot in June.

A fully accredited clerk since 2000, Chris has officiated at over 400 race days at Lingfield, Folkestone and Windsor and is currently clerk at Lingfield and Folkestone, with responsibility for all race planning issues there. He is also operations manager at the latter venue.

"Chris's appointment is an important milestone as we look towards reopening the redeveloped Ascot Racecourse next year," said Douglas Erskine-Crum, Chief Executive at Ascot.

"Going forward, there are effectively three departments at Ascot: Operations, under director Ronnie Wilkie, Commercial and Finance, under director Janet Walker, and Racing, directly under myself.

"Chris will join the Racing Department alongside and aligned with Nick Smith, our Head of Public Relations.

"Chris will be responsible for turf husbandry, liaison with owners and trainers and for all other duties associated with the Clerk of the Course's role in the lead up to and during racedays. Nick, in addition to his wider communications role, will be responsible for recruiting overseas runners and promoting Ascot's racing internationally, including the development of the Global Sprint Challenge, the World Series and other international alliances with which we are involved.

Speaking of his appointment, Chris said: "I'm delighted to be joining Europe's premier racecourse at such an exciting time and looking forward to overseeing the first Royal Meeting to take place following the redevelopment. For a Clerk of the Course, this is clearly one of the best jobs in racing anywhere in the world and also amongst the most challenging as the eyes of the world are never far away. The commitment to improving the racing surface at Ascot, including the underpass complex which will allow the straight mile to run uninterrupted, is impressive to say the least, and I look forward to assuming responsibility for the course, showing it to trainers later in the year, and preparing it for racing."