welcome
“ Welcome to this edition of Kalendar magazine for the 2017-2018 jump season which begins in the South West on September 26 at Warwick. Details of fixtures and what to look forward to across our four racecourses in the South West region of The Jockey Club can be found throughout the magazine, along with key stories from the past 12 months. Turning our attention trackside, the magazine features a behind- the-scenes interview with trainer Jessica Harrington who celebrated victory in the 2017 Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup with Sizing John, having never had a runner in the race before. Eddie Jordan talks about his love of racing and his passion for cars and we meet Paul Ferriter, the sculptor who unveiled his bronze sculpture of AP McCoy on day one of The Festival – it’s now situated in the plaza alongside Best Mate. The 2016-17 season provided us with memorable racing moments filled with joy and sadness, one of the highlights at The Festival being Un de Sceaux’s magnificent victory in the Ryanair Chase. But earlier in the season we witnessed the retirement of Sprinter Sacre, whose glittering career included the Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy and two Betway Queen Mother Champion Chases among his 18 wins, nine at Grade One level, winning more than £1.1 million in prize money. His victories included the rare hat-trick of success at all three of the major spring festivals – Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown in 2013. We also remember the great exploits of jumping star Many Clouds. There was superlative action each day of The Festival with the Irish dominating the leader board at the end of the week with Gordon Elliott just pipping Willie Mullins as The Festival’s
leading trainer and Ruby Walsh as leading jockey. More than 260,000 racegoers visited The Festival and witnessed the very best of jump racing, enjoying the uplift in customer experience following the completion of the Princess Royal Stand. Exeter, Warwick and Wincanton all had great seasons with one of the highlights being One for Arthur winning the Betfred Classic Chase at Warwick and then going on to win the Randox Health Grand National. Looking ahead, Wincanton marks its 150th anniversary with the launch of a limited edition book to celebrate 150 years of racing. Tom Parry, regional executive chef, talks food and his plans for this season’s menus and discusses a new Pan Asian influenced restaurant – a ground-breaking concept for a racecourse. There is also news on the Cheltenham and South West Syndicate, which has enjoyed a very successful first season with four wins from 17 runs. Ticket prices to Cheltenham, including The Festival, are outlined on pages 10-14. Please note that buying tickets before various dates enables racegoers to take advantage of reduced prices in the build-up to the meeting. If you are lucky enough to attend Cheltenham on multiple days, perfect for anybody with a love of racing, I urge you to consider becoming a member. We are all looking forward to another exciting season, with The Festival in March providing the highlight for jump racing fans the world over. I hope that the various articles in Kalendar whet your appetite for the return of jump racing to the South West and that we will provide plenty of great racing for you to enjoy in the months ahead.
Ian Renton Regional Director Cheltenham and the South West The Jockey Club
twitter.com/ CheltenhamRaces
facebook.com/ thehomeofjumpracing
instagram.com/ CheltenhamRaces
Governed by Royal Charter, The Jockey Club invests every penny it makes back into British racing for the long-term health of the sport
Kalendar 3
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker