In memory of

SIR IAN GOOD

September 1943 – October 2023

Chairman of Hamilton Park Racecourse 1999 – 2023

Founding Chairman of Scottish Racing in 2000

Awarded a CBE in 1992 and knighted in 2008 for services to industry

In 2025 the Hamilton Park grandstand was named in honour of Sir Ian in recognition of his immeasurable contribution to Hamilton Park and to Scottish Racing and the racing industry as a whole.

Sir Ian qualified as a chartered accountant in 1967 and two years later, having spotted an advert in the Glasgow Herald, joined the Scotch whisky company Edrington, whose brands include Famous Grouse, The Macallan and Highland Park. It was to be the beginning of a long association with the company which saw him climb to the positions of Chief Executive and Chairman.

Crucially, he oversaw the acquisition by Edrington of the then stock market-listed Highland Distillers in 1999, a deal which is reckoned to have established Edrington as a major global player in the industry. Sir Ian was a former Chairman of the Scotch Whisky Association and of the Scottish Industrial Development Advisory Board. In 2008, he was awarded a knighthood in the New Year’s Honours List for services to industry.

Sir Ian owned racehorses for more than 30 years. His beloved Penny A Day won the Zetland Gold Cup in 1990, and his Victor Hewgo was a promising chaser, winning five races between 2012 and 2014. Further success on the track was achieved with the Dansili gelding, Chichester, who won the Carlisle Bell in 2021 as well as the Ganton Listed Stakes at York in 2023, whilst Evaluation, a Dubawi gelding, is the winner of multiple races having formerly been owned by the late Queen Elizabeth. Sir Ian’s passion for racing has clearly passed on to his family with his horses continuing to run under the ownership of his wife, Lady Irene and his daughter Catriona.

Appointed to the board of Hamilton Park in May 1990, Sir Ian succeeded Sam Collingwood-Cameron as Chairman in 1999. His time in charge saw the development of Hamilton Park to its current position as one of the leading small independent racecourses in the UK, as well as the addition of the Hampton by Hilton Hamilton Park hotel in 2019, of which he was also the Chairman.

Sir Ian was also the founding Chairman of Scottish Racing in 2000, the body that support’s Scotland’s racing industry, as well as chairing the Racing Foundation and the Tote. He was elected to the Jockey Club in 2005 and then served as Deputy Senior Steward of the organisation. He made a huge contribution not only to Scottish racing, but also to the wider racing industry as a whole.

British racing’s winning-most trainer and current Hamilton Park Chairman, Mark Johnston said: “He was Chairman as long as I’ve been on the board and he did a huge amount for Hamilton and for Scottish racing. He was absolutely fantastic to work with, a very humble man but hugely experienced in small and big business alike. He was a great people person and very good at motivating the team. He was a great man and he was a very young 80-year-old mentally, so bright and with so much left to offer.”

Sir Ian’s drive and passion for racing are sadly missed, however his legacy and stewardship of Hamilton Park will always be remembered and cherished.