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Final six selected for the Commentator Challenge in aid of Racing Welfare
The finalists for the Commentator Challenge, supported by the Tote, Tattersalls and Racing TV, in aid of Racing Welfare have been selected ahead the virtual Henry Cecil Open Weekend this Saturday and Sunday. The Judges, headed by Racing TV and ITV commentator Richard Hoiles, faced a tough task in whittling it down to the final six after a number of high quality entries.
Tom Williams, Operations Executive at Warwick racecourse, and Michael Andrews at Goodwood racecourse have both qualified for the final. 16-year-old Sam Juckes, Racing Journalist Danny Archer and New Zealander Nick Johnson have also made it through. The line up is completed by accountant Tom Blanshard.
Voting will open at 12pm on Friday 18th September and close at 3pm on Sunday 20th September.
Each finalist will also have their own Just giving page, raising money for Racing Welfare. The finalist with the most votes will be crowned the winner live on Racing TV on Sunday 20th September and will receive £1,000 and the chance to commentate live at Newmarket Racecourse during the Henry Cecil Open Weekend 2021.
To make a donation to the Henry Cecil Open Weekend’s chosen charities please visit https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/henrycecilopenweekend.
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The Commentator Challenge, supported by the Tote, Tattersalls and Racing TV, is a brand-new competition for this year’s virtual Henry Cecil Open Weekend.
We are calling on all aspiring commentators across the country, and further afar, to step up to the microphone in aid of Racing Welfare. Our entrants will face a judging panel led by ITV and Racing TV’s Richard Hoiles, with six individuals selected to battle it out in the final, the winner chosen in a public vote.
The competition is open to all ages and free to enter, with one lucky winner walking away with £1,000 and the chance to commentate live at Newmarket Racecourse during the Henry Cecil Open Weekend 2021.
Entries for the competition open today, Monday 24th August, and close Friday 4th September 2020. For more information on how to enter please visit our Commentator Challenge page.
Susannah Gill, Director of Communications and Corporate Affairs at UK TOTE GROUP, said;
“The Tote is delighted to support The Henry Cecil Open Weekend Commentator Challenge which promises to be a lot of fun and will no doubt unearth some incredible talent, just as The Furlong Factor achieved earlier in the summer. The whole weekend does so much to shine a light on how special and unique Newmarket is, and while it has to take place in a different format this year it’s great to be able to all work together to raise awareness and funds for Racing Welfare, the British Racing School and The Racing Centre.”
Dawn Goodfellow, Racing Welfare’s Chief Executive, said;
“The Henry Cecil Open Weekend offers a fantastic opportunity for people to engage with Newmarket’s racing community and really get a feel for the inner workings of horseracing’s HQ. The team behind the weekend have done a superb job of adapting the event to bring it to the public this year in virtual form. We are particularly looking forward to the Commentator Challenge; I’m sure it will attract some incredible and previously unseen talent. I’d like to say huge thank you to the Henry Cecil Open Weekend, along with the Tote, Tattersalls and Racing TV for their continued support.”
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This year’s Henry Cecil Open Weekend will not take place in its traditional format due to coronavirus, instead we will be bringing some of the weekend’s most popular events online to support Racing Welfare, British Racing School, and the Racing Centre.
Video tours and entertainment will be free-to-view throughout the weekend, Saturday 19th & Sunday 20th September, on the Henry Cecil Open Weekend website. Our ‘Videos’ page will bring the best of horseracing’s HQ straight into your homes, with viewers enjoying the action encouraged to donate via our official fundraising page.
Racing fans across the globe will be able to see behind scenes at some of the UK’s leading training operations, with William Haggas, Charlie Appleby, James Fanshawe, plus many more, giving a unique insight into life at their yards.
We will also be offering viewers a look inside Newmarket’s leading equine sites, such as the National Horse Racing Museum and the British Racing School, and the chance to see top jockeys in action in the hugely popular Clipper Logistics Show Jumping Competition. While budding race commentators will have their chance to shine in our brand-new competition.
Charlie Fellowes, Chairman of the Henry Cecil Open Weekend, said: “Sadly we won’t be able to welcome visitors to Newmarket this September. However, we are very excited to be able to bring some of the best bits of the Henry Cecil Open Weekend online. This year more than ever it is important that we continue to promote our sport and help raise funds for our charities – Racing Welfare, British Racing School, and the Racing Centre. We hope racing fans across the country will enjoy the great insight on offer from Newmarket and support our charities by donating.”
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Important information for yards opening tomorrow – Sunday 22 September.
A reminder Sir Mark’s yard tours will be on a first come, first served basis. 20 people per tour. He and his staff will be managing the gate personally. There will be a ticket system to avoid long wait times. If you do not get access to Sir Mark’s tomorrow, don’t worry we have lots of other fabulous yards to visit.
Discover Newmarket also do a number of guided tours to Heath House throughout the year so please speak to their staff who will be present tomorrow on the buses and on the Severals in the afternoon.
Michael Bell is included in our programme but will not be opening due to unforeseen circumstances. Please do not visit Mike Bell’s Fitzroy Stables.
Godolphin Lifetime Care will open Craven House at the slightly later time of 9:30am.
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SILENT AUCTION 2019
Win amazing prizes, including; a meet and greet with one of the world’s most famous ex-jockeys Lester Piggott, dinner cooked at your own home by Jockey Club Rooms Head Chef, the ultimate jumps race premier ticket bundle for Grand National Day and the Cheltenham Festival, a round of golf for 3 people at the charming yet challenging Swinley Forest Golf Club, and much more.
To bid on the Silent Auction please visit https://givergy.uk/nwmkt19. All items are subject to Terms & Conditions, please see the website for full details.
Bidding for all auction items will close at 21:00 on Sunday 29th September.
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Leading community figures gathered at Tattersalls’ Park Paddocks on Tuesday to launch The Newmarket Gold Season, which begins this weekend with the Henry Cecil Open Weekend and racing at the Rowley Mile.
Champion trainer John Gosden was joined by Amy Starkey, Regional Director of The Jockey Club’s East Region, Tattersalls Director Jimmy George and bet365 representative, Pat Cooney. Also in attendance were Newmarket Mayor Rachel Hood, Emily Davey, Marketing Manager at Palace House, and Noel Byrne, Chairman of Discover Newmarket and Chief Executive of The Bedford Lodge Hotel, to look ahead to four key weeks of racing, breeding and sales events at the Home of Horseracing.
During The Newmarket Gold Season, more than 50,000 racegoers will visit the Rowley Mile, while tens of thousands will head to Tattersalls for an October Yearling Sale that 12 months ago generated turnover of some £170 million.
Newmarket Racecourses launched The Newmarket Gold Season this year as a long-term project to increase the profile of the town during the key autumn period, drawing attention not only to the world-class racing taking place at the Rowley Mile, Tattersalls October Yearling Sale and the Henry Cecil Open Weekend, but Discover Newmarket’s outstanding selection of tours, the National Heritage Centre at Palace House and the restaurants and hotels in and around the town.
The estimated value to the local economy of The Newmarket Gold Season is more than £40 million.
To learn more about The Newmarket Gold Season click on this link: https://vimeo.com/360286297/4bc5f85aa4
Amy Starkey, Regional Director of The Jockey Club’s East Region, said:
“Newmarket is known worldwide for its racing heritage and it is therefore only right that we should partner up with key organisations in the town in this way to encourage more visitors to discover all of the wonderful events and destinations we have to offer.
“It has been a pleasure to work with our partners on this project so far and it is my sincere hope that the community will see the benefits of The Newmarket Gold Season in the years to come.”
Rachel Hood, Mayor of Newmarket, said:
“The quality of the racing and the sales during The Newmarket Gold Season already acts as a magnet, attracting visitors from all over Europe and beyond.
“Promoting these events in this way creates a fantastic opportunity for further growth, while also boosting the local economy and celebrating local produce and suppliers.”
John Gosden, reigning British Champion Racehorse Trainer, said:
“I think that this concept of The Newmarket Gold Season is a very healthy development and a great initiative. It opens up the minds of people, who might have been rather parochial in the past, to the sheer gravitas that the whole of Newmarket can have, particularly at this time of year. It’s like a massive magnet, worldwide.
“When you talk about the business cluster of Newmarket – everything from racing, the sales, the breeding, the studs and the people who come and visit – there’s an awful lot of energy and power we can lock on to here and I think it’s very good, this concept of bringing it all together.”
Noel Byrne, Chairman of Discover Newmarket and Chief Executive of The Bedford Lodge Hotel, said:
“At The Bedford Lodge Hotel, we already know that this is a key time of year and so we are delighted to see the town’s most important organisations come together in this way to promote it to an even wider audience.
“The period not only demonstrates our town’s inextricable link to the sport’s history but the key role it has to play in our future economic health and prosperity. Our objective is to make the town a destination by highlighting the array of activities available for new and existing followers of horseracing to enjoy.”
The Newmarket Gold Season
The Newmarket Gold Season is a four-week period stretching across September and October encompassing the autumn highlights for town’s racing and breeding industry.
As well as featuring four consecutive weekends of high-class racing, including the Cambridgeshire Meeting and Dubai Future Champions Festival, The Newmarket Gold Season starts with the Henry Cecil Open Weekend and concludes with the end of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, Europe’s premier yearling sale.
The Newmarket Gold Season showcases some of the world’s best and most valuable thoroughbreds in the sales ring, on the racecourse and at stud and promotes the town of Newmarket as a destination point throughout this four week period.
Click on this link to download The Newmarket Gold Season promotional video: https://we.tl/t-O5BuY4wlbx
The Newmarket Gold Season – Key Dates
Henry Cecil Open Weekend – 21-22 Sept
Cesarewitch Trial Day – 21 Sept
Cambridgeshire Meeting – 26, 27, 28 Sept
Sun Chariot Day – 5 Oct
Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, Book One – 8-10 Oct
Dubai Future Champions Festival – 11-12 Oct
Discover Newmarket Tours autumn itinerary
Dalham Hall Stud Tour – 4 Oct
Tattersalls Tour October Yearling Sale, Book 1 – 9 Oct
Feature Tour With Sir Mark Prescott – 26 Oct
There will not be a talk at Tattersalls next Sunday as previously scheduled. We are very sorry for the late cancellation, but we have lots of other activities planned over the weekend. We hope to have the talk at Tattersalls back next year.
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TRAINERS OPENING THEIR DOORS THIS YEAR
A printed programme (£3) showing the location of the racing yards and listing the horses at each yard is available to purchase at all car parks and at the entrance of each yard.
Sir Mark Prescott will open Heath House Stables to the public as part of The Henry Cecil Open Weekend on Sunday 22nd September between 9am and 12:30pm. A new and exciting addition to the Open Weekend, Sir Mark will open his yard to visitors as per the terms of a wager with our Chairman, Charlie Fellowes, who stayed clean shaven for six months on Newmarket Heath!
Sir Mark Prescott said; “Following the shameful duplicity and mendacity of the Open Weekend Chairman, Mr Fellowes, I have been tricked and deceived into opening the historic yards at Heath House and Osborne House to the public for the first time. Nevertheless, we look forward to welcoming everyone who would like to see the unique features that are contained behind the yards’ famous glass topped walls.”
Due to the small size of Sir Mark Prescott’s yards, for health and safety reasons tours will be limited to 20 people per tour. There will be six tours in total, conducted on a first come, first served basis. Each tour will be approx. 35 minutes.
Other trainers confirmed to open their yards between 9am and 12:30pm on Sunday, include; Roger Varian, James Fanshawe, Amy Murphy, David Simcock, Marco Botti, Hugo Palmer, Richard Spencer, Ed Dunlop, Phil McEntee, George Scott, John Berry, Gay Kelleway, Stuart Williams, Rae Guest, George Boughey, and Open Weekend Chairman, Charlie Fellowes.
The full list of yards opening will be published closer to the weekend.
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The Henry Cecil Open Weekend ‘Fun Dog Show’ will take place on Sunday at the Severals from 2pm.
Horses aren’t the only four-legged animal to be featured at The Henry Cecil Open Weekend, there is a dedicated event for your canine pals.
Entries for the Open Weekend ‘Fun Dog Show’ cost £2 per dog and with a total of 10 classes there is something to suit all your doggy pals.
There will be rosettes awarded for 1st to 5th place in each class, with the winners entering the final Best in Show Class and a chance to win this year’s trophy!
Our dog competition is kindly organised by Sue Willows and judged by Lindsay Sands.
Full Class List:
*Please note that dogs will not be permitted in trainers’ yards or into equine sites during the Open Weekend. We welcome all local residents and their dogs to get involved!
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