JCR East newsletter New Year 2014 (January-March 2014) | Page 2

News from the East region of Jockey Club Racecourses — New Year 2014

Tracks show
they are the
big cheeses

Nicky jumps into the driving seat at Huntingdon
Leading jumps trainer
Nicky Henderson, who
won his first Betfred
Peterborough Chase for
18 years with Riverside
Theatre, drove off with a
Theault horsebox from
Atacanter Horseboxes
after being crowned top
trainer at Huntingdon in
2012/13. He enjoyed a
phenomenal winner-torunner strike rate of 50
per cent.

Nottingham and
Market Rasen won a
national award for their
initiative in giving
winning owners a basket
of local cheese.
The ‘Top Spot’ accolade
came at the annual 2013
Showcase & Awards, run
by the Racecourse
Association.
The cheese gifts were
among a range of
incentives introduced to
encourage owners to run
their horses at the
racecourses.
Nottingham also offered
owners a complimentary
lunch dish, plus sweets
and flowers.
There was a new owners’
liaison member of staff
and the ‘champion
trainer’ – who was Mark
Johnston - in races for
two-year-olds was given
a Christmas hamper.

2014 prize-money rises to a superb £13 million
Horses are racing for
record prize-money in
the East region of
Jockey Club
Racecourses during
2014.

another new record while at Huntingdon,
the overall fund is just
under £800,000, an
increase of six per cent
on 2013.

Newmarket will offer a
prize fund of over £10
million, with full details
of individual race
values to be announced
later in February.

The 21 fixtures at
Nottingham, which
start in April, will offer
prize-money of
£965,000.

The total pot at Market
Rasen is well over £1
million – up by almost
seven per cent to

Amy Starkey
(pictured), East Region
Director, said: “We are
delighted with our total
prize fund this year.

Prize-money is the
lifeblood of British horse
racing, providing a return
for racehorse owners
and supporting their
trainers, jockeys and
stable staff.”

‘Stars of the
Future’ days

‘Best of British
Sports’ day

Clues to the destination
of some of the valuable
prizes at the Cheltenham
Festival will be on offer
at Huntingdon during
February.

Market Rasen stages a
‘Best of British Sports
Day’ at its fixture on
Sunday 23 March.

There are two ‘Stars of
the Future’ days – on
Thursday 6 and 20 including the Chatteris
Fen Juvenile Hurdle and
the £20,000 Listed Stan
James Sidney Banks
Memorial Novices’
Hurdle.

James Blunt returns for June
Adnams Newmarket Night
Three years after
wowing the racecourse
crowds during the 25th
anniversary of Adnams
Newmarket Nights,
singer-songwriter and
musician James Blunt
(pictured) is returning
to The July Course on
Friday 27 June.
The star, whose uncle

worked for The Jockey
Club, has sold nearly
17 million albums and
20 million singles
worldwide.
Tickets start from £24
(from £12 for children)
and are available both
online from the
racecourse and on
0844 579 3010.

Among the fun activities
for young and not so
young visitors are: Kids
Love the Races; 9-hole
crazy golf; human
football table; penalty
and rugby shoot-out; tug
of war; back to school
workshop; multi sports
inflatable; golf chipper
challenge.