Racing Welfare

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal was in Newmarket last week to give an address at the annual Racing Welfare's Christmas Carol Concert at Tattersalls. An accomplished horsewoman and former Olympic eventer, Princess Anne is the president of Racing Welfare and has long had an association with the turf having previously ridden in amateur races. Her speech to the sold-out concert included an overview of the importance of the work Racing Welfare undertakes to support the workforce of British horseracing. The concert raised £4,740 for Racing Welfare's chaplaincy service, which...

The nominees for the ROA Epsom Awards, sponsored by the Racehorse Owners Association (ROA), have been revealed. The awards will take place at Epsom Downs Racecourse on Saturday, Nov. 30, and will celebrate the achievements of Epsom's NH and Flat horses, trainers, and industry staff over the past year. The awards ceremony and dinner will be hosted by Frankie Foster and Mattie Batchelor. The nominees for the awards are as follows: Best 2yo - Beautiful Things (M Attwater), Many Men (J Boyle) Best 3yo -Carnival (J Boyle), Hello Cotai (A...

The 2024 Henry Cecil Open Weekend has raised a record £89,196--a 68% increase on the amount raised last year--the committee behind the event announced on Wednesday. The money will be distributed to the main charity beneficiary, the Newmarket Housing Trust, which is run by the Newmarket Trainers Group to create a portfolio of much-needed accommodation across the town for racing staff, as well as the long-standing charity partner, Racing Welfare. Trainer Charlie Fellowes, chairman of the Henry Cecil Open Weekend, said, "My sincere thanks go to all those who make...

A bumper crowd of 3,000 people turned out to celebrate the life of Keagan Kirkby at Wincanton Racecourse on Sunday, October 27. The Keagan Kirkby Raceday included a charity memorial race in his name, in addition to a seven-race card, and raised funds for Racing Welfare and the Injured Jockeys Fund (IJF)--the two charities which supported Kirkby's friends, family and colleagues after he tragically died in a point-to-point accident in February. In total, the raceday has raised an estimated £116,000 which will be split equally between Racing Welfare and the...

Keith Haggins has been named the new Racing Welfare community engagement officer, the charity announced on Thursday. Haggins will focus on the thoroughbred stud and breeding sector to raise awareness of and increase access to the charity's services. He have almost 30 years of experience in the thoroughbred breeding industry, and managed Waddesdon Stud for the late Lady Rothschild. His role is part of a three-year project made possible by funding from the Gerald Leigh Charitable Trust. Already, progress has been made in the project's first year, with a survey...

Many well-known figures from across the racing industry are making their final preparations for the Racing Welfare Jurassic Coast Challenge, which takes place on Sunday, September 29. Sky Sports Racing presenters Josh Apiafi and Alex Hammond announced they were taking part in the challenge live on-air on Saturday. "You and I and 50 others from around the racing world are walking the Jurassic Coastal Challenge next Sunday in aid of Racing Welfare--a fantastic cause," said Apiafi. "We both started off working in a yard so it's great to be giving...

The Racing Welfare Jurassic Coast Challenge will be held on Sunday, Sept. 29, and the deadline to register is Friday, Aug. 9. The charity fundraiser features participants following a route along the South West Coast Path beginning at Durdle Door and finish in Swanage. The route covers 20 miles and 1,443 metres of ascent. Open to teams and individuals, this is a fully guided challenge from event partner Large Outdoors. Registration on the day of the event will open at 5:30 a.m. Participants are encouraged to complete the trek by...

Approximately 40 students from Bottisham Village College attended a Racing to School event at The National Stud and Newmarket's July Course earlier this month. The Year 7 group were able to view stallions Lope Y Fernandez (Ire) and Stradivarius (Ire) at the stud, with several math-based activities held at the July Course. This visit followed on from the successful mock interviews Careers Event led by the charity back in February. The day was well supported by the horseracing industry with volunteer interviewers from both Newmarket racecourses offering advice and feedback...

The Great Racing Welfare Cycle Challenge raised £50,000 for the charity over the weekend, with 60 cyclists taking to their bikes for a 24-hour tag team challenge around Newmarket and surrounding areas. Starting from its base at Newmarket's Rowley Mile, the challenge involved 10 teams of four to eight people. The teams tackled 34-kilometre loops continuously from midday Saturday to midday Sunday, with two from each team on course at any one time. Overall, the cyclists completed a total of around 12,000 kilometres across the course of the challenge. The...

The Great Racing Welfare Cycle will take place in Newmarket and its environs from noon on Saturday, July 20 until noon the following day, charity Racing Welfare announced on Thursday. The Rowley Mile Racecourse will be the base for participating teams consisting of four to eight persons, who will continuously cycle over a 24-hour period completing laps of a planned 32km route around the town and surrounding villages. Afterward, there will be a BBQ and a celebration for all cyclists and their families. Earlier this week, a quiz was held...

The Henry Cecil Open Weekend committee announced on Wednesday that the 2024 event will support the newly-formed Newmarket Housing Trust as the main charity beneficiary. Racing Welfare, a long-standing charity partner, will continue to be supported by the Open Weekend which takes place this year on September 21-22. The event has adopted a revised format for 2024, with all Newmarket trainers now set to open their doors on a bi-annual basis, having been split into two groups. 24 yards will be open to the public this year, including John and...

Racing Welfare, the only charity that supports all of racing's people, including stud, stable and racecourse staff, is seeking someone with experience of the thoroughbred stud and breeding industry to lead a community engagement programme for the sector. The post of Community Engagement Officer at Racing Welfare will see the successful candidate working closely with the thoroughbred stud and breeding community to raise awareness of, and promote, Racing Welfare's wellbeing support services to the sector. More information about the role--which is a full-time position for a two-year fixed term--and details...