Page 92 - MAjestic v7

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PM Chastanet added, “Trim believed in this project.
He joined the team in our public consultation exercises
around the island and was especially enthused about the
opportunities that the racetrack would bring to the young
people of St Lucia. He knew better than all of us the
immediate and long-term benefits of the track.”
Winston not only reached out to the St Lucian people
for assistance and to spread awareness about the project,
but also went abroad to assemble the right team to ensure
racing’s success in the country. Back in 1994, he reached
out to David Loregnard, who was assistant secretary at
the Trinidad and Tobago Racing Authority at the time,
about bringing him in to help set up the infrastructure of
the racetrack. Loregnard admits he did not take him very
seriously at the time, but 22 years later, he was part of a
No one in St Lucia is in any doubt that it was
Winston’s energy to bring horse racing to the
island that has been the fuel for the creation of
the Royal St Lucia Turf Club.
select group invited for the track’s sod turning ceremony,
which also included HRH Prince Henry of Wales.
“Winston engaged you with his first words and had a
captivating spirit,” Loregnard said. “He knew what he wanted,
a modern racetrack for St Lucia and for me to run it alongside
him, and went after it. He said this in 1994 and never lost sight remain aware of his legacy by honoring him every year at
of it. He was passionate about horses and racing, and looked
forward to the day when the track was operational.”
Unfortunately, Winston will not be in attendance in
February when the racetrack he spent his whole life
dreaming about officially opens, but Teo, his team, PM
90 MAjestic
Chastanet and Winston’s family and friends will ensure that
his legacy lives on.
“Trim’s sudden death hit all of us very hard, partly because
he was such a great motivator of why we needed to get the
racetrack done,” PM Chastanet said. “I am not going to let
that spirit he had for this racetrack die. I made a promise that
we will finish what he started and I plan to keep that promise.
Winston never waved a white flag. He never gave up. Why
should we? We are driven now more than ever to build this
racetrack for Winston.”
PM Chastanet added, “We definitely want to ensure that he is
remembered in a meaningful way and we will ensure that there
is a lasting tribute to Winston at the facility, so every St Lucian
knows his name. I believe, however, the first way we can honor
him is by building this facility and
making it a success.”
For Teo, W inston’s passing was
a big loss both personally and
professionally.
“I speak on behalf of our entire team
when I say that we were shocked and
deeply saddened by Winston’s loss,”
Teo said. “He was very much a part of
this project and his passing was taken
very hard, especially by our team
who worked with him daily in St
Lucia. Personally, I think about him
often, especially whenever I return
to St Lucia. Winston was my point
of contact and the pulse that helped
me better understand the country. He
was also a friend.”
As for plans to honor Winston at
the racetrack, Teo said, “No one in
St Lucia is in any doubt that it was
Winston’s energy to bring horse racing to the island that
has been the fuel for the creation of the Royal St Lucia
Turf Club. It is our intention to ensure future generations
our feature race in February on Independence Day.”
Winston Trim was a man who was not afraid to dream
big and, more importantly, go after those dreams with
everything he had. I hope that all of St Lucia will be
inspired by his story and support his legacy as Winston’s
dream was for his country to thrive. In bringing this
racetrack and everything that has spawned from it to St
Lucia, he not only changed his own life, but also offered