Mr Hammill obtained a Masters Degree in Maths at Durham University in 1998. Having always had a keen interest in horse racing, he obtained a job in the Racing Administration Department at Weatherbys. After two years with Weatherbys, and wanting to return to his home county, he wrote to several Yorkshire Racecourses enquiring if they had any vacancies. Pontefract’s Managing Director, Norman Gundill, was in the process of recruiting a new Assistant and Richard joined the staff in October 2000. He became Assistant Manager in 2008, qualified as a Clerk of the Course in 2006 and became Chief Operating Officer in 2017.

Norman Gundill, said:

‘Richard has the same passion for Pontefract as I do. He has been a key part of our success over recent years. As I consistently point out, the awards we have won, notably having been crowned RCA Showcase Champion in November 2019, have all stemmed from his ideas, and, without him, we could not have managed the Covid Pandemic in the way we have done. I am looking forward to working with him to drive Pontefract Racecourse forward for many years to come.

Richard Hammill said:

‘I am honoured to have the opportunity to join the Board of Directors at Pontefract. It’s been a pleasure to be part of the team for the last 20 years under the leadership of Norman Gundill and I’m excited to be able to play my part in the ongoing and future success of the course. Pontefract is an integral part of both the local and racing community and I look forward to continuing to grow its profile.’