At The Races
I’m just about to celebrate two years as executive director of Bath Racecourse and it’s been a memorable ride.
We’ve had lonely extended breaks without any racing, rammed 10,000-spectator race day sell-outs, the building up of commercial relationships again, record days with £250,000 prize money, and the general challenges of keeping the racecourse in the best condition possible.
What has really struck me has been the passion and enthusiasm for racing in this area and the determination of people to enjoy this wonderful course.
We are over halfway through this season and we have enjoyed some fantastic days in the calendar, but there are still plenty of highlights to come over the next couple of months.
One of those is our Country and Western Raceday on Saturday, September 14, followed by our Armed Forces Raceday, the very next day.
Back-to-back race meetings is a big challenge, but one that we are definitely up for. It puts the focus firmly on Bath and creates almost a mini racing festival atmosphere.
In fact, we are offering two-day tickets for both events which are proving very popular and I know there are people who are planning to come along and make a whole weekend of it.
The Country and Western Raceday could mean we have something of an invasion of Swifties, as we have a brilliant Taylor Swift tribute singer in Katy Ellis.
So, if you didn’t get to see the real thing this summer, get out your pink cowboy hat and boots and come along.
There’s a best dressed competition for the most eye-catching country outfit, as well as a high quality race card that starts with the first race at 5pm.
On Sunday, there’s a slightly different vibe with our Armed Forces Raceday, where we celebrate our servicemen and women and have plenty to catch the imagination.
It’s going to be spectacular because we have a parachute display from the Red Devils, the British Army’s elite display team, as well as military vehicles, a marching band and a military wives choir. For those who fancy themselves as potential army recruits, we also have a military boot camp to see if you’re up to active duty standards.
We will have six to eight more races on the Sunday and a chance to pick out winners from horses hoping to reach the final of our Sprint and Stayers Series.
All in all, it should be a great weekend.