William A. (Bill) Randall fits the description of a silent partner during 40 years of growth in British Columbia racing.

When Sam Randall, the father of racing in this province, suffered a stroke in 1953, his three sons, William, John and Robert took over the reigns of the Ascot Jockey Club which operated Exhibition Park. Because Bill was the oldest and a lawyer he assumed the leadership position in the Ascot Jockey Club.

Randall made significant contributions in two areas: he established racing on Vancouver Island by building the Sandown Park at Sydney in 1955, and he joined forces with Jack Diamond’s B.C. Turf and Country Club Ltd. to form the B.C. Jockey Club prior to the 1961 season.

1960 had been a disastrous year for the mutual handle and it was decided the most expedient way to save racing was to meld the rival forces which ran Exhibition Park and Lansdowne Park in Richmond. All racing would be held at the smaller but ideally located Exhibition Park site.

The results were better than anyone expected. The first year wagering increased 11% to $152,168. By 1964 it had jumped to $230,000, which confirmed the Jockey Club’s decision to rebuild the Exhibition Park grandstand and increase the circumference of the racing surface to its present five furlong, 110 feet.

The mutuel handle escalated to $231,000 per day in 1965 and kept climbing until it leveled off at its current level about 1.2 million.

Most of the credit for racing’s growth went to Diamond, which certainly never bothered the unassuming Randall. Diamond said numerous times that he could not have asked for a better business partner. Their styles were different but they came from similar schools of thought.

Although there is no longer Thoroughbred racing at Sandown, the picturesque track remains Randall’s legacy.

The rival of racing kept alive the breeding industry on the Island and it continues to send out some of our most distinguished runners.

The Pacific Racing Association assumed control of racing when the B.C. Jockey Club’s lease expired in 1994, but the Randall family makes an annual pilgramage to the track for the annual Randall Plate, one of the highlights of the season.