Leopardstown Track Foreperson Willie Gibbons Retires After 38 Years

[Wandering Eyes]

The 2024 QuinnBet National Hunt Finale was the final fixture at Leopardstown Racecourse to be overseen by track foreperson Willie Gibbons, who is set to retire from the position he's held since July 1986. He was preceded by his father John, who first took on the role in the late 1940s, kicking off nearly 80 years of dedicated service to Leopardstown from the Gibbons family.

Speaking at Leopardstown, Gibbons said, “It's been very good, I've enjoyed it. It's a great place to work. I've always been blessed by having great staff both with me on the track and in management. Leopardstown has always been blessed by having really great staff everywhere.”

Paying tribute to Gibbons' decades of service, Leopardstown CEO Tim Husbands added, “Willie is going to be greatly missed by the team here at Leopardstown. We congratulate him on all that he has achieved, and of course massively thank Willie for his decades of service to Leopardstown. The Gibbons' family have contributed greatly to the success of the racecourse over the last eight decades, a massive contribution to the history and legacy of Leopardstown.”

Gibbons will be succeeded in his role of track foreperson by Roy Butler, who has an extensive background in the fields of agronomy and sports turf management. Butler also oversaw the development of the racing surface and wider site presentation at Naas Racecourse.

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