Tindall appointed a director as Cheltenham adds royal pedigree
Zara Tindall, the Queen’s eldest granddaughter and a regular racegoer at Cheltenham, has been made a director at Britain’s premier jump racecourse.
Like her mother, the Princess Royal, Tindall, who was world three-day eventer champion and BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2006, has always followed jump racing closely and numbers many of its leading personalities among her close friends.
She once went out with the present champion jump jockey, Richard Johnson, and has bred as well as pre-trained National Hunt horses, while her husband, Mike, the former England rugby captain, was a part-owner in Welsh National winner Monbeg Dude.
She takes up the role next year and her first outing as a director will be at the New Year’s Day fixture, where she will be involved looking after sponsors, hosting a table of guests at lunch and entertaining winning connections.
Behind the scenes, she will attend board meetings and help shape the racecourse’s future, and her experience, from an equestrian sphere, will be much sought-after.
“Racing is simply the most exciting sport and it’s open to all,” she said yesterday. “I’m passionate about horse racing, particularly on the jumps side, and the absolute pinnacle is Cheltenham.
“It’s an honour to have been asked by Martin St Quinton [the new chairman] on behalf of the Jockey Club to get involved in a more formal capacity, and I look forward to doing my bit to support the executive team.”
St Quinton, who has recently taken over as chairman from Robert
Waley-cohen and fills the same role at Gloucester Rugby Club, said: “Zara is a wonderful advocate for our sport and I’m delighted she has agreed to join us. I’m sure we will benefit from her breadth of experience and a perspective that will prove invaluable to the racecourse.”
Directors at Cheltenham normally serve a three-year term, which is typically renewed extending it to six years. Occasionally, it is renewed a second time so that some directors are on the board for a maximum of nine years.