Tommy Whittle was a Haydock board member from 1951, and its chairman from 1967 until his death in 1981. He presided over the introduction of its most valuable race, the Royal Doulton Hurdle – which is now the Swinton Hurdle – and the bid for Levy Board funding for a £2.5m facelift in the early 1980s.
A new £5,000 added Tommy Whittle Chase over three miles was made the feature of a new meeting just before Christmas 1982. One of the new stands being built as part of that redevelopment at the time of his death was named the Tommy Whittle Stand.
Tommy’s son Bill succeeded him as chairman, the third generation of Whittles to be associated with Haydock.
In the 1980s Little Owl, The Thinker and Forgive’n’Forget were Gold Cup winners who won the Tommy Whittle Chase. Sadly, this standard could not be maintained, for it was sandwiched between a valuable card at Ascot before Christmas and Kempton and Leopardstown afterwards. It has settled down as a decent 0-145 handicap.