Great Racing Initiatives

Features | 26th July 2022

There’s nothing better than a day at the races.
Tracks up and down the land are working hard to make their meetings extra special and an attractive
pastime for everyone.

Here’s a look at some of the initiatives being offered by racecourses…

Sensory Day

Racing is a sport for everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than at Market Rasen.

As part of the Lincolnshire racecourse’s charity partnership with Deafblind UK, it is hosting the first sensory raceday. There will be a dedicated area by the final fence to enhance the sensory experience for those visitors with audio or visual impairments.

There will also be special commentaries with a signing interpreter on the big screens during the races to help those racing fans with audio impairments. The commentaries will be extra descriptive to help visitors with visual impairments enjoy the action even more.

The ground-breaking meeting will take place on Sunday 31 July.

Autism in Racing

The brain-child of popular racing broadcaster Bobby Beevers, Autism In Racing provides autism friendly sensory spaces at courses on racedays. The initiative aims to make it easier for children and their parents enjoy a day at the races as well as educating and raising awareness of autism.

Pilot days at Doncaster, Haydock, Aintree and Musselburgh proved to be extremely successful and it is planned to expand the number of racedays over the coming years.

Breeders

Anyone keen to learn more about the thoroughbred breeding industry, which goes hand-in-hand with racing, will find one of Sandown’s September racedays a fascinating day out.

The Breeders’ Day was staged for the first time last year and proved an extremely popular experience. The event engages racegoers with competitions, interactive displays, a QR code trail, retired racehorse parades, insightful interviews with breeders, free give-aways and trade stands.

There will also be opportunities for visitors to find out how to become involved in breeding and shared ownership at the meeting on Wednesday 14 September.

Ladies Day

Lots of tracks have followed Royal Ascot’s lead in hosting popular ‘ladies’ days’.

The VS Aesthetics Ladies’ Night at Carlisle is a little bit different. All seven races on the card, due to be held on Monday 1 August, are restricted to female riders.

The unique meeting has proved extremely popular with racing fans. In recent years top female jockeys Hollie Doyle, Hayley Turner and Josephine Gordon have all ridden at the event. With more and more female riders becoming established professionals, it’s also a chance to see some of the stars of the future in action.

Family Fun

Bank Holiday race meetings have always been incredibly popular. Epsom Racecourse will hold a Family Fun Day at their August Bank Holiday fixture.

There will be a whole host of free entertainment aimed at younger visitors and families. Among the many activities to keep kids happy will be inflatables, face painting and animal encounters.

One of the highlights of the day will be the chance for youngsters to take part in a running on the track itself where the world’s most famous Flat race, the Cazoo Derby, is run.

Anyone getting to Epsom early can also visit local racing stables as some of the town’s trainers are throwing open their doors to show what goes on behind the scenes.

Food

Food lovers are well catered for at York. Whether it’s in full hospitality, one of the track’s excellent restaurants or just grabbing a snack, the racecourse prides itself in providing freshly prepared local produce to its visitors.

Wherever possible the chefs use local suppliers, with the meat, fish, vegetables, cheese, bread and fruit among the ingredients supplied by trusted Yorkshire producers.

Not only is the food tasty it is fresh from suppliers producing quality ingredients as close to the track as possible