Category: Uncategorised

Welcome to another blog from the team at Pontefract Racecourse.

Every fortnight, someone from the team will share their thoughts for your entertainment (or otherwise!):

• Managing Director, Norman Gundill with his trusty PA, Caroline who also looks after the hospitality,
• Accounts Manager, Nicola,
• Admin manager, Carol,
• Marketing exec, Alexia, and,
• Chief Operating Officer, Richard who is writing this blog

Next week sees a really busy week in the Racing Calendar and the Ponte season.

As we start the countdown to the first of our Sunday Family Day meetings, the UK racing scene also celebrates Racing Staff Week – a celebration of Racing Staff throughout the industry which has been organised by Racing Welfare.

This year sees the eighth running of Racing Staff Week and the week will bring the racing industry and its followers together to showcase the passion, skill and dedication of all the staff, across the breadth of the industry, whose hard work makes our great sport possible. Racing Staff Week recognises the contribution of the industry’s entire workforce, from stud and stable staff to breeders, trainers, racecourse staff and administrators and everything in between. The campaign is is generously supported by Betfair.

85,000 people are either in direct, indirect or associated employment of British Racing and 2,468 people directly employed in the British racing industry were supported by Racing Welfare in 2023

Closer to home, we’ll be celebrating the Racing Staff who are helping us prepare for racing on Sunday 23^rd June. A huge amount of works goes in behind the scenes at the Racecourse, as well as a training yards up and down the country and trainers, stable staff and jockeys prepare their horses for a trip to Ponte.

Our groundsteam having been preparing the track after the first five race meetings of the season which have been run on ground softer than what might be expected. Since racing on Monday evening, the track has been put back, ‘filled in’, mown, spiked to assist with drainage and been sprayed for weed. On top of all that, they’ve also installed new running rail from the 6f start to the 2f marker. This not only means that horses running at Ponte on the 23^rd will have fresh ground, it also allows the ground on the inside running rail to have a rest and repair. This ‘false’ rail is likely to be in place until the end of July.  

The office team have also been busy making preparations for all the additional attractions that we will have on the site. Not only do we have 7 horse races, we also have 10 whippet races before the equine stars take to the track. There’s a funfair to sort out, a chance to meet some ex racehorses, bus trips to the start, a sensory room, a brass band and, of course, Yorkshire Pudding throwing. Add in putting together 500 packs for kids, it promises to be a busy week ahead.

Let’s hope that the weather starts to look a little more like Summer by the time we get to raceday and we can then enjoy a proper Ponte day out.   

Welcome to another blog from the team at Pontefract Racecourse.

Every fortnight, someone from the team will share their thoughts for your entertainment (or otherwise!):

• Managing Director, Norman Gundill with his trusty PA, Caroline who also looks after the hospitality,
• Accounts Manager, Nicola,
• Admin manager, Carol,
• Marketing exec, Alexia, and,
• Chief Operating Officer, Richard, who is writing today’s blog.

​The first evening fixture of the 2024 Pontefract Racecourse calendar took place last Friday night with a fantastic music night celebrating all things Abba.

A stellar crowd was out in force to see some exciting racing and then dance the night away with the superb Björn Again performing on stage.

Once the horses had safely left the course after the last race, racegoers flooded the Parade Ring in anticipation of Björn Again’s performance. There was a fantastic atmosphere with racegoers enjoying an evening to remember with one of the world’s most successful bands.

The Björn Again show was created and founded in 1988 in Melbourne by Australian director and musician Rod Stephen and has gone on to be hugely popular, the enduring appeal of Abba reflected in the ongoing success of the show, having amassed 5,600 performances in 72 countries in 32 years.

In addition this year the racecourse has introduced sustainable music nights, with Friday’s meeting being used to raise awareness on becoming more environmentally sustainable.

They called upon racegoers to help the efforts into making the music nights more sustainable, with two bike generators in use for spectators to pedal to generate electricity.

We also encouraged racegoers to car share and use of public transport to get to and from the races, raised awareness of energy saving devices by reminding people to switch off devices at home and encouraged racegoers to use the recycling points on site among other changes made.

There was some fantastic racing to kick off proceedings too. The feature race on the card was the £30,000 EBF Restricted Maiden and 16 two-year-olds took to the turf to strut their stuff.

What looked a competitive race on paper was turned into a procession by Tony Coyle and Kaine Wood’s newcomer Regal Gem.

David Nolan did the steering aboard the son of Zoustar and the writing was on the wall a long way from home.

The winner was well backed with Coyle confirming the high regard that Regal Gem was held in: “He was ready for the Brocklesby but the ground went against him so we made a plan to wait for the good prize money of this race and come here. We won’t be rushing him but he’s a really good type.”

There was a promising run in second for Charlie Johnston’s Expensive Rose, who flew up the home straight to grab the runner-up spot.

The other two year old race on the card was the Northern Commercials Fillies Novice and Hollie Doyle and Charlie Appleby teamed up with the exciting Enchanted Life.

Sent off a well backed favourite, punters did not have any anxious moments as Hollie steered the daughter of Kodiac to a 1¾ length success over Roger Varian’s Esprit Queen, who ran an eyecatching first race.

The opening race on the card celebrated the 50th birthday of Ponte regular Leigh Sutton. The 1m handicap was won in impressive fashion by Rebecca Menzies’ Million Thanks.

The winner had some excellent form earlier in his career and has been brought back to form by the Menzies team. Stretching clear under Oisin Orr, the winner will be turned out quickly under a penalty and is likely to go in again soon.

Gordon Grey had been knocking on the door in his recent runs, finishing runner-up on the last three occasions. Ben Brookhouse’s runner was well fancied to finally put his head in front and his front running tactics were deployed perfectly by Jack Gilligan on a course that can play to the strengths of horses who like to be close to the pace.

Brookhouse was determined to win the race sponsored by some of his owners and Gordon Grey played his part to perfection.

There was another all the way winner in the 1m2f handicap when Charlie Johnston’s Yippee made every post a winning one under Franny Norton.

The winner briefly looked in trouble as they turned into the home straight, but kept finding more for pressure before sprinting clear to win, eased down, by 2¾ lengths.

There was a sense of déjà vu to the finale as Ventura Express registered his fourth win at Pontefract, following up his victory in the corresponding race last year.

Paul Midgley’s charge loves the West Yorkshire air, holding the fast finishing Zarzyni by a head and giving David Nolan a double following his win on Regal Gem.

The next race meeting at the Yorkshire track is another evening fixture. The award winning Racing For Everyone Race Night, held on Monday, June 10, sees the track throwing its doors open to guests who may be looking to go racing for the first time.

With BSL signers on the big screen, an autism friendly sensory room, and a ‘trip down memory lane’ talk, there is plenty going on for everyone.

Welcome to another blog from the team at Pontefract Racecourse.

Every fortnight, someone from the team will share their thoughts for your entertainment (or otherwise!):

• Managing Director, Norman Gundill with his trusty PA, Caroline who also looks after the hospitality,
• Accounts Manager, Nicola,
• Admin manager, Carol,
• Marketing exec, Alexia, who is writing today’s blog, and,
• Chief Operating Officer, Richard.

Up next at Pontefract we have our first music night of the year, a night with double the fun in store. On Friday 24^th May we have six thrilling races starting from 6.15pm, followed by incredible music! A popular event in our racing calendar, we have hosted a variety of international superstars with previous acts including Sister Sledge, Kim Wilde and Belinda Carlisle. This year we are delighted to be welcoming the internationally acclaimed, Björn Again to perform some of ABBA’s greatest hits after racing.

The Björn Again show was created and founded in 1988 in Melbourne, by AustralianDirector and Musician Rod Stephen, the show has been extremely successful, the enduring appeal of ABBA is reflected in the ongoing success of the show having amassed 5,600 performances in 72 countries in 32 years.

Designed as a rocked-up light-hearted satirical ABBA spoof, the show rapidly achieved worldwide Cult status and acknowledged for singlehandedly initiating the ABBA revival which brought about ABBA Gold, Muriel’s Wedding and MAMMA MIA!

We are super excited to welcome Björn Again to Pontefract and are sure you’ll be thanking us for the music!

Björn Again will be taking to the stage after six exhilarating races on the card featuring the £30,000 The British Stallion Studs EBF Restricted Maiden Stakes. It is sure to be a night to remember with top class racing and show stopping entertainment – a fantastic occasion to create wonderful memories, so gather your dancing kings and queens for a night at Pontefract Races.

In addition, this year we have introduced sustainable music nights. The Music Nights are two of our most popular meetings attracting large crowds, and as such we want to raise awareness on becoming more environmentally sustainable. It is no secret the amount of energy used in creating and putting on a show, there’s the stage, lights and generators to name just a few. We considered what we could do at Pontefract to become more sustainable.

We will be calling upon racegoers to help us in our efforts into making our Music Nights more sustainable, there will be two bike generators in which racegoers can pedal to generate electricity. We will also be encouraging racegoers to car share and use of public transport to get to and from the races, raise awareness of energy saving devices by reminding people to switch off devices at home and encourage racegoers to use the recycling points on site amongst other changes we will be making.

Tickets for this event are on sale now via the website at www.pontefract-races.co.uk  or over the phone on 01977 781307.

Welcome to another blog from the team at Pontefract Racecourse.

Every fortnight, someone from the team will share their thoughts for your entertainment (or otherwise!):

• Managing Director, Norman Gundill with his trusty PA, Caroline who also looks after the hospitality,
• Accounts Manager, Nicola,
• Admin manager, Carol,
• Marketing exec, Alexia, and,
• Chief Operating Officer, Richard, who is writing today’s blog.

NATIONAL HORSERACING COLLEGE CHARITY DAY AT PONTEFRACT

The National Horseracing College Charity Day is when Pontefract traditionally looks to the future stars of racing, both human and equine. Racing on Wednesday 1^st May saw the charity race day run for the 35^th time.

The National Horseracing College, based just outside Doncaster, was set up in 1984 and provides a range of courses at all levels for people who are looking at the horseracing industry as a future career. It also offers those currently in the business the chance to develop their qualifications and skills and provides the ideal opportunity to nurture the grass roots and future of the sport.

The Apprentices kicked proceedings off with the 3^rd round of the Go Racing In Yorkshire Future Stars series. The race went the way of Bryan Smart’s Princess Karine under jockey William Pyle. Appropriately, William is a graduate of the NHC and showcased his talents to fine effect, steering the favourite to an easy 5½ lengths success, making every yard of the running.

The Northern Commercials Maiden over 5f saw some interesting 2 year olds strut their stuff for the first time. There were some on course whispers for Karl Burke’s Invincible Annice and Adrian Keatley’s Francisco’s Piece and the two fought out the finish with Keatley’s charging winning by 1¼ lengths. Both the first and second look as though they have an excellent future ahead of them and can make their mark as the season progresses.

The remaining five races were all run in support of The National Horseracing College. There was a good spare ride available on Ian Williams’ Giselles Defence in the 1m2f handicap and Clifford Lee stepped into the saddle. A new recruit for the Williams team, the gelding had shown some decent form for Gavin Cromwell in Ireland and looks set to exploit an attractive handicap mark in the coming weeks. The 4 year old strolled clear to win eased down by 4 lengths from Harriet Bethell’s Bearwith.

The Bethell team aimed to hit back straight away when sending out the favourite for the 1m Handicap, On The River, who had won at the most recent meeting on the 22^nd April. Everything seemed to be going to plan for Cam Hardie’s mount but he was outstayed close home by Darryll Holland’s 4 year old colt, Pearl Eye. On his first outing of the season, the son of Expert Eye looked in great shape and another good season beckons.

Once again, the Bethell team were runner up on the final race on the card when Isle of Wolves failed by ¾ length to reel in Roger Fell’s She’s Got Bottle. The winner was following up her victory in the same race in 2023 and made every yard of the running under Danny Tudhope. Tudhope was completing a double on the card having steered Sean Woods’ Savvy Exchange to victory in the 1mile Maiden. The winner was sent off a short priced favourite and is clearly well regarded by the team who have targeted this race with decent horses in the past. He’s one to monitor closely.

The Sir Peter O’Sullevan Charitable Trust Handicap saw a winner for the Amy Murphy team. Bogged down in heavy ground earlier in the season, the winner skipped over the drying ground to score by an easy 3½ lengths. 

The next meeting at Pontefract is Music Night on Friday eve 24^th May and the incredible Bjorn Again will perform after racing. Tickets are still available and are currently on sale via the website.

Welcome to another blog from the team at Pontefract Racecourse.

Every fortnight, someone from the team will share their thoughts for your entertainment (or otherwise!):

• Managing Director, Norman Gundill with his trusty PA, Caroline who also looks after the hospitality,
• Accounts Manager, Nicola,
• Admin manager, Carol,
• Marketing exec, Alexia, and
• Chief Operating Officer, Richard.

Castleford Tigers and Pontefract Racecourse announce new partnership.

Castleford Tigers have joined forces with Pontefract Racecourse to cross promote the two different sporting experiences to fans in the area.

Over the coming season, branding for each attraction will be placed on each partner site, highlighting alternative sporting and entertainment opportunities to locals and visitors alike.

As the two biggest sporting venues in the local area, this partnership opens some exciting opportunities for the fans of both sports throughout the season including the Tigers presence at family fun race meets in the summer months.

 
Richard Hammill, Chief Operating Officer at Pontefract Racecourse who told us: “We’re thrilled to be working in conjunction with Castleford Tigers this season to jointly promote both of our sports to each of our fans. It’s an obvious step for the Racecourse to work alongside our sporting neighbours in Castleford and we’re delighted to partner with the club to deliver top class sporting options for the local area. “

Tigers’ Commercial Director, Laura Kirk commented on the new partnership: “We’re really excited about our new partnership with Pontefract Racecourse. Within less than a four-mile radius, people have two great sporting experiences to enjoy and we’re looking forward to working with the team at the Racecourse this season.  Both Castleford Tigers and Pontefract Racecourse play a huge part in influencing social and economic development in our respective communities. We understand the importance of our venues to the local communities and through working together we can achieve so much more!”

Welcome to another blog from the team at Pontefract Racecourse.

Every fortnight, someone from the team will share their thoughts for your entertainment (or otherwise!):

• Managing Director, Norman Gundill with his trusty PA, Caroline who also looks after the hospitality,
• Accounts Manager, Nicola,
• Admin manager, Carol,
• Marketing exec, Alexia, who is writing today’s blog, and
• Chief Operating Officer, Richard.

Its Good Friday, the Bank Holiday Easter Weekend has arrived, and we hope you are enjoying plenty of Easter Eggs!

The Easter Weekend also means the start of the new season is right around the corner, the last couple of days have been rather hectic to say least. Final preparations to the weighing room are well underway and we have been busy settling in and organising our brand new raceday office. It is looking very smart!

I even managed to build some flat pack furniture to go in the Weighing Room and impressed myself!

It’s not just the new office and weighing room though we have to get set up, the whole Racecourse needs to be to be primed to welcome race goers back on the 2nd April. The ground staff have been hard at work getting the track ready and ensuring the Course is looking in tip top shape.

On Tuesday we have plenty of Easter treats in store, the Easter Racehorse will be on hand to dish out some chocolate goodies, we are stocked up on crème eggs. In the Picnic Enclosure we have a selection of funfair rides as well as an Easter Egg Hunt. There are images of eight eggs located around the Enclosure, you need to collect all the words to complete the sentence, once you think you have the right sentence check at the transfer gate and there may be a tasty prize in store. *Hint* download the Raceday Ready App for clues on locating the eggs! 

We have a free drop in art workshop taking place with James Owen Thomas, an award-winning environmental artist between 1pm and 4pm taking place just next to the Grandstand and Paddock Turnstiles. James has created a piece of artwork for us previously as part of our sustainability campaign, the artwork is made from recycled materials including previous raceday leaflets and tickets. James has also worked for Great British Racing, having created a piece of art for the King’s Coronation that was unveiled here at Ponte. 

This is an art workshop designed for all abilities, it’s a chance to get creative in a relaxed, sociable atmosphere, learning how to make your own environmentally-friendly collage!

Tuesday is also World Autism Acceptance Day, a rather fitting day to start our Autism Friendly Racedays. There is still time to register for tickets on Tuesday, please email autisminracing@gmail.com

There is plenty taking place throughout the Course and we are very much looking forward to welcoming race goers back for another year! 

Out on the track we have the first leg of the stayers championship, The Jamaican Flight Handicap Stakes. The Stayers Championship is for all races run over two miles, there are nine races in total. The winner of the each race receives 9 points, 6 points for second, 4 points for third and 3 points for fourth. The owner, trainer and stable of the Championship winner each win £1500. 

Enjoy your weekend and hopefully we will see you Tuesday!

Welcome to another blog from the team at Pontefract Racecourse.

Every fortnight, someone from the team will share their thoughts for your entertainment (or otherwise!):

• Managing Director, Norman Gundill with his trusty PA, Caroline who also looks after the hospitality,
• Accounts Manager, Nicola,
• Admin manager, Carol,
• Marketing exec, Alexia, and,
• Chief Operating Officer, Richard, who is writing today’s blog.

Well, it’s nearly here….the 2024 racing season gets underway on Easter Tuesday 2^nd April. And, if it ever stops raining, we’ve got some fantastic things lined up for 2024 and we kick off with our Easter Extravaganza. You can expect plenty of Easter treats instore, including an Easter Egg Hunt in the Picnic Enclosure and some fairground rides.

Not only does our first race meeting fall on Easter Tuesday, it is also World Autism Awareness Day which is a really fitting way to start our Autism Friendly racedays for 2024. If you’d like to learn more, click here – or register to attend by completing this questionnaire.

As people up and down the country continue to struggle with rising costs, we have decided that we will be holding our prices for many of the race meetings in 2024 meaning that tickets for the 10 midweek meetings purchased at the early bird rate are the same price as they were in 2010! We are so grateful to the local communities for their support and wanted to do our bit to ease the costs for those who attend. 

In keeping with our Yorkshire values, we have also continued our most popular cost effective True Yorkshireman package.

There are some proper savings so that even the most careful of Yorkshire folk can see some real value. For all our racedays (other than the Music Nights and Ladies Day) ‘The True Yorkshireman’ package will be available. Racegoers will be able to get entry to the Grandstand & Paddock Enclosure, a pint of lager/bitter or a glass of wine and a pie – all for £16. The package is only available up to one month before each race meeting but offers a discount of almost 50% on ‘on the day’ prices.

As part of the 2024 Raceday entertainment, we will once again have two Friday Night music nights. The critically acclaimed Björn Again will perform at the Music Night race meeting on Friday Eve 24^th May while longstanding Oasis tribute, Definitely Mightbe will be on stage on the 19^th July when there’ll also be a local beer festival. The other evening race meeting (Monday 10^th June) sees the return of the award winning ‘Racing For Everyone’ race night where we extend a warm welcome to those thinking of trying racing for the first time. There’ll be an orientation tour before the gates open so those with specific accessibility needs can check out the courses’ facilities before the general public arrive. There’ll also be an autism friendly, sensory space as well as BSL interpreters who will be signing the race commentaries to support the Deaf Community.

The popular Family Sundays return with the Yorkshire Heritage Family Day on the 23^rd June. There’s more music for Tribute Bands family day on 28^th July and the Sky Bet Sunday Series concludes at Pontefract on 18^th August – our Premier Fixture in 2024.

Not forgetting Ladies Day (on 7^th August) when, once again, RIU Hotels and Resorts will be providing a long haul flight and all inclusive break to the best dressed lady. This year, the lucky winner will be heading to Mauritius. 

There’s a lot to look forward to and we can’t wait to get started.

Welcome to another blog from the team at Pontefract Racecourse.

Every fortnight, someone from the team will share their thoughts for your entertainment (or otherwise!):

• Managing Director, Norman Gundill with his trusty PA, Caroline who also looks after the hospitality,
• Accounts Manager, Nicola,
• Admin manager, Carol,
• Marketing exec, Alexia, who is writing today’s blog, and,
• Chief Operating Officer, Richard.

With the 2024 season fast approaching and our first fixture less than 5 weeks away, we have had a busy couple of days at the Racecourse this week.

On Wednesday we invited raceday staff in for a training day and on Thursday we hosted our annual ‘Welcome Lunch’.

Wednesday started with coffee and catch ups as we welcomed our raceday members of staff back for a morning of training. The day started with a talk and presentation from Mr Gundill, followed by Richard, who gave an overview of this years upcoming racedays. Richard also spoke about the improvements we have made on the course to the accessible facilities and following his training with the National Autistc Society, Richard trained our staff on how they can best help and assist autistic racegoers.

As a dementia friendly racecourse, Carol recently attended a Dementia Awareness course and was able to train our raceday staff. Carol explained how best to communicate with a person who has been diagnosed with dementia, how to avoid jumping to conclusions about someone’s actions, and managing a conversation as well as the importance of using body language in the correct way. 

We then welcomed Sarah from Racing Welfare, a charity who support the workforce within British Racing offering professional guidance as well as practical help with all sorts including housing, medical assistance and mental health. The services are available to all those who work within the sport, from stud staff to racecourse staff. Sarah talked to us all about the different services available.

The morning was finished with a fantastic lunch from the team at Huggamug, the brownies went down a treat! It was great to welcome back our raceday staff and we look forward to seeing them all on the 2^nd April and I’m sure they are looking forward to welcoming you all back to the Racecourse!

On Thursday we welcomed around 50 people including members of the press, sponsors, and local trainers for lunch to look ahead to the new season and celebrate what a year 2023 was!

The afternoon started with some good old networking before we all took our seats for lunch. Lunch was catered for by the amazing team at Huggamug, a big thank you to Jo, Andy and all their staff for a delicious lunch, there hospitality was wonderful and thank you to CGC Events for also helping and manning the bar! On the menu was Beef Sunday Lunch or chicken and leek pie, followed by very generous portions of either brownie or crumble for pudding and a cheese board!

Following lunch Richard and Mr Gundill gave an updates on the new developments with the Weighing Room and the work being done over at the stables. Richard also spoke about becoming the first Racecourse to host Autism friendly racedays across every fixture with Autism in Racing (please find on X @autisminracing) and our upcoming work New Beginnings as part of our 12 months of giving.

As we looked back on last years season we were able to dish out some awards. The first award went to our 2023 Stayers Champion, Yorkindness! Trained by Charlie and Mark Johnston, she held top position on the leaderboard for most of the season with a very impressive total of 3 wins from just 3 starts at Pontefract.

Training performance of the season went to Ruth Carr and her horse Reigning Profit. To our knowledge, Reigning Profit is the first horse to ever win consecutive races at Pontefract! On the 24^th April he won the last race on the card and then went onto win the first race on the card at the very following meeting!

Ride of the season went in the way of Callum Rodriguez for his ride aboard Emily Post, trained by Micheal Dods. From sitting at the back of the field for the majority of the race, coming up to the final few furlongs the pair picked off the rest of the runners to take first place!

Carrigillihy, received a well-deserved Special Recognition Award for his efforts around the track at Ponte. Trained by Tim Easterby, Carrigillihy has racked up a remarkable 5 wins at Pontefract and counting! We hope to see him back here for another season.

The final award was presented to Yorkindness, winner of the Ponte Horse of the Year 2023 Award! This was an award voted for by the public at the end of last year on twitter and I’m sure we can all agree it was very well deserving!

It was a wonderful afternoon and always signifies that the start of the season is imminent, we look forward to opening the gates to you all on the 2^nd April.

Welcome to another blog from the team at Pontefract Racecourse.

Every fortnight, someone from the team will share their thoughts for your entertainment (or otherwise!):

• Managing Director, Norman Gundill with his trusty PA, Caroline who also looks after the hospitality,
• Accounts Manager, Nicola,
• Admin manager, Carol,
• Marketing exec, Alexia, who is writing today’s blog, and,
• Chief Operating Officer, Richard.

Ladies Day is one of my personal highlights of the year. I love seeing the fashion and getting involved in making this such a great day out for everyone.

Wednesday 7^th August sees the return of our annual Ladies Day Fixture, a highlight of the racing calendar. It is a fabulous day full of glitz and glamour, and there always promises to be a showcase of style both on and off the track as the Ladies of Yorkshire truly do ‘dress to impress’.

The atmosphere of Ladies Day is like no other, it’s a great day out to enjoy with friends and loved ones, it’s a day when action-packed racing meets fabulous fashion! Over the years we have seen some amazing outfits, all worthy of a chance at winning the Best Dressed Competition.

It is the news you have all been waiting to hear! We can now reveal where the lucky winner of this year’s coveted Best Dressed Ladies Competition will be jetting off to.

So this year, we will be sending one very lucky Lady away to,

*drumroll please* …

*insert dramatic pause*…

MAURITIUS courtesy of the fantastic RIU Hotels & Resorts.

RIU have sponsored the competition now for many years and we are very grateful for their continued support and generosity. Previous winners of the competition have holidayed in Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Jamica to name just a few of the fantastic destinations!

The winner will be off on a week long, all-inclusive stay for two with flights included! Does it get much better than a free holiday to a stunning island located in the Indian Ocean? I’m not sure it does!

We can’t thank RIU enough for their sponsorship. This year not only have the provided an incredible prize for our winning Lady but there is also a spectacular prize for the runner up. This year’s runner up will win a four-night stay for two people at the RIU Hotel in Dubai! (Flights are not included)

The format of the competition while differ slightly from past years. Those wishing to enter the competition can do so throughout the early afternoon by making their way to a designated area to be snapped up for a photo! The photo then acts as your submission into the competition which will be judged by an independent panel. The winner will then later be announced by Heart Radio presenters Dixie and Emma.

Gents, we haven’t forgotten about you! There is also the Best Dressed Gents Competition with cash prizes up for grabs.

So be sure to don your best outfits for a shot at the top prize. We look forward to welcoming you all on Ladies Day.

Ladies Day Hospitality is now very limited. There are still spaces available in the Ladies Day Marquee, however the Park Suite is fully booked. Find out more about tickets here.

January sees the launch of Pontefract Racecourse’s ‘Twelve Months of Giving’ for New Beginnings Horses – a charity who provide a safe and secure environment for former racehorses, where they can adjust and be re-trained for their second career following racing.

In 2023, Pontefract Racecourse announced that former racehorse and New Beginnings resident, Nearly Caught (affectionately known as Nico), was to become their first Racehorse Ambassador. Earning just under £350,000 in prize money, Nearly Caught was a strong stayer who competed over marathon trips all around Europe. During his career, Nearly Caught was no stranger to Pontefract either as he won the Phil Bull Trophy by an impressive 10 lengths in 2015 – his biggest winning margin throughout his esteemed career!

Ahead of the launch of the new campaign, Richard Hammill, Chief Operating Officer for Pontefract Racecourse, said:

‘We pride ourselves on providing the highest level of equine welfare at Pontefract when racehorses visit the track and were delighted to team up with New Beginnings and welcome Nico as our Racehorse Ambassador. It’s been a privilege getting to know Nico and all the team here absolutely adore him. Having visited the yard in 2023, we were all keen to be able to do as much as we possibly could to help New Beginnings and the horses in their care. Launching ‘The Twelve Months of Giving’ was a natural progression to help raise the visibility of the charity and to showcase the wonderful care that is given to thoroughbreds in the next stage of their career.’

The campaign will see a variety of fundraising activity for New Beginnings taking place in every month in 2024. There’ll be opportunities for racegoers to see Nico (and some of his friends) and the New Beginnings team on each of the Racecourse’s Family Race Days, while other events will include staff volunteering days, a visit to the yard for Pontefract Racecourse Annual Badge Holders, bucket collections, community visits to local schools and the Prince of Wales Hospice and even attending a Castleford Tigers match!

Pam and Kevin Atkinson of New Beginnings said:

‘We have been taking the horses to meet the racegoers at Pontefract for over 10 years and we really enjoy working with the whole team there. We’re thrilled to be part of their Twelve Months of Giving campaign. We see daily the powerful impact racehorses have on people lives and we are delighted to be partnering with Pontefract Racecourse on this initiative so more people can experience and learn what horses do for people, and people for horses. The campaign will hopefully help us to raise vital funds to be able to continue to care for these wonderful horses who give us so much joy.’

If you’d like to make a donation to New Beginnings Horses, please click here.

Click here for more information on Pontefract Racecourse and the Twelve Months of Giving.

For more information on New Beginnings Horses, please click here .