The unique stainless steel sculpture commemorating Sir Ian Good is set to be in place for the start of the Bothwell Road course’s centenary season
Jenny Turner, Sir Ian Good’s daugher Catriona Good, sculptor Michael Turner and Hamilton Park managing director Ashley Moon with the new sculpture(Image: Contributed/Hamilton Advertiser)
Hamilton Park racecourse has unveiled a unique new sculpture honouring late chairman Sir Ian Good in the racecourse’s centenary year.
The hand-shaped stainless steel artwork, with the working title of A Dynamic Force, has been created by leading artist Michael Turner and features a horse and jockey in full gallop including numerous personal references inspired by Sir Ian.
It was specially commissioned to honour his “immeasurable contribution” to Hamilton Park, as founding chairman of Scottish Racing and to the industry overall – and was described by his family at the unveiling as “truly spectacular”.
The memorial sculpture, created in collaboration with the Good family and with support from the Jockey Club, is a centrepiece of this year’s centenary celebrations at the Hamilton racecourse as it marks 100 years of racing at the Bothwell Road venue.
It honours long-serving chairman Sir Ian, who joined the Hamilton Park board in 1990, taking on the top role nine years later and remaining at the helm for nearly a quarter of a century, until his passing in October 2023. The grandstand at Hamilton Park was named after him last year.
A Dynamic Force has been created using panels of marine-grade steel individually shaped over six months, and incorporates nods to Sir Ian’s industry career and favourite horse – and even a lucky horseshoe which visitors will be encouraged to touch for good luck.
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The saddle cloth on the horse features the initials P.A.D in honour of Sir Ian’s beloved horse Penny A Day, while the sculpture also includes a running grouse to represent his career in the whisky industry. It also includes poppies “in memory of all of those who have gone before us” and the upturned horseshoe.
Now it is due to be put in place at the Hamilton course before next month’s opening fixture of the season, with a formal dedication ceremony planned for the centenary racenight in July; while a miniature version of the sculpture has also been created and will be presented to the winner of the annual memorial race run in Sir Ian’s memory each September.
It honours Sir Ian’s life, legacy and influence at Hamilton Park, and is described as embodying “the energy and excitement of horse racing, showcasing the power and grace of the horse in motion alongside the unique harmony that exists between horse and jockey”.
Sir Ian’s daughter, Catriona Good said: “We are delighted that Hamilton Park has commissioned this sculpture in memory of our Dad – he was incredibly proud to have been chairman of the resort and it was a big part of his life.
“Michael has created something truly spectacular and has really captured all of the elements that we discussed throughout the project, and we can’t wait to see it in place within the grounds.”
Hamilton Park chairman Mark Johnston – who is the first person to train 5000 winners in Great Britain – said: “The Hamilton Park executive has been working to ensure that an appropriate, lasting memorial to Sir Ian Good be incorporated into the grounds for our centenary year, with this unique sculpture being the culmination of those efforts.
“Sir Ian was chairman as long as I’ve been on the board. He did a huge amount for Hamilton and for racing in Scotland, and it is right that his contribution to Hamilton Park and the sport is memorialised.”
Racecourse managing director Ashley Moon added: “This commission has been over a year in the making as we wanted to ensure that we were creating something that would not only be a memorial to Sir Ian, but something that will become a key attraction for visitors in our centenary year and beyond.
“We believe that Michael’s creation is unlike anything that’s permanently on display on a racecourse and represents a fitting tribute to Sir Ian’s legacy and life. It’s our intention that a formal dedication of the sculpture will coincide with our centenary racenight in July, but it will be on display ahead of the season for all of our visitors to enjoy.”
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Sir Ian was a passionate leader and horse owner whose influence helped shape the sport for over three decades, with his time in charge at Hamilton Park seeing its development into one of the UK’s leading small independent racecourses and including the addition of the on-site 118-bedroom hotel in 2019.
In 2000 he became founding chairman of Scottish Racing, the body supporting Scotland’s racing industry, as well as chairing the Racing Foundation and the Tote; and was elected to the Jockey Club in 2005 and served as deputy senior steward of the organisation.
A qualified chartered accountant, he had had a long and distinguished career at Scotch whisky company Edrington, going on to serve as chairman of the Scotch Whisky Association and the Scottish industrial development advisory board and being knighted in 2008 for services to industry.
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Sculptor Michael Turner said: “When Hamilton Park approached me to create a memorial fitting for the memory of Sir Ian Good CBE, I was deeply honoured.
“While my passion has always been rooted in nature and animals, particularly horses, capturing the form of the jockey presented a welcome and rigorous challenge. Through close collaboration with the Good family and Hamilton Park, we developed a clear vision: a sculpture that would eternalize Sir Ian’s legacy and his lasting impact on the sport.”
The leading artist has sold his handcrafted sculptures worldwide throughout his career, but noted that A Dynamic Force is his first public commission, and said: “The journey has been incredibly rewarding. I can only hope that Sir Ian would have appreciated the work and felt proud to have it stand within the grounds of this historic racecourse.”
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