For someone who was elevated in one jump from being manager of Exhibition Park’s lower bar, a.k.a The Snake Pit, to being a steward, Stan Goddard achieved a high degree of respect from horsemen.

After serving on the roof from 1955 to 1961 he was made assistant racing secretary to Manny Keller. When Keller went to Spokane in August each year Goddard took over his duties as well.

In 1964 he became the full time secretary and held the position until he retireed at the end of 1977, a period in which the stakes programme expanded and racing enjoyed a boom period.

A lifelong bachelor, Goddard was married to his job, reporting for work early in the morning, seven days a week, 12 months a year. Former publicity man Harry Filion and racing secretary Aubrey Davies used to joke that they would get him a Christmas tree for his office so that he would have it when he came to work on Christmas day.

“We never knew if he came in on Christmas or not,” says Davies, “but we wouldn’t have been surprised if he did.”

Goddard’s office was always open to horsemen and although it was a complicated business, his thorough work habits kept mistakes to a minimum.

It is impossible for a racing secretary to please everyone, but Goddard did his best, a habit which earned him the nickname of “Promising Stan”.

He always knew he could find satisfied customers in the winner’s circle so he made it a custom to watch every race from the paddock and to talk to the winning trainer. Just maybe he might talk them into entering an allowance race or stakes that he was having trouble filling.

One time he urged Harold Barroby to nominate Bully For Butch for a stake which the trainer thought he had no chance to win. But Goddard pleaded hard, Barroby relented, and Bully For Butch won.

When he retired Goddard was looking forward to spending more time on the golf course, a game he loved, but that was not to be. In June 1978 he was hospitalized with a mild heart attack.

He appeared to be making a quick recovery and was given a discharge after three days in hospital. But as he was tying his shoes to go he collapsed and died of a massice heart attack. He was 67.