www.racecourseassociation.co.uk March 2018 updatenewsletter CONTENTS Welcome 03 Sport Relief 05 08 Showcase & Awards 2018 06 QARS Results 2017 07 Racecourse in Focus 08 RCA Racing & Turf Management 09 Conference / Did You Know ... 09 RCA Racing Department / 10 Groundstaff Courses 10 Badges & Pass 2018 11 Sports & Recreation Alliance 12 Racegoers Club 13 Five Minutes of Fame 15 Wi-Fi Upgrades 16 GBRI 17 BHA 18 Racing Foundation 19 RaceTech 20 Racing to School 21 Racing Together 22 The Silk Series 23 The Thoroughbred Club 24 Thoroughbred Breeders Assoc. 24 HBLB / ROA 25 Racing Welfare & Betfair 26 Horseracing Bettors Forum 27 New Clerk of the Course 28 17 Watt Fences 30 Duralock 31 Careers in Racing 32 British Racing Overview Seminar 33 Diary Dates / Contributors / 34 Staff Contact List 21 24 2 | RCA Update Newsletter 2018 Back to content page WELCOME With the snow gone and spring in the air there is lots to look forward to in the coming months and we’ve got a packed edition of Update to get you started. Words by Will Aitkenhead subject and clearly the investment going into this area and work of the Racecourse Experience Group and Showcase is having a positive impact. One of the purposes of the scheme is to enable racecourses to benchmark how they compare with competitors – namely other sporting and leisure venues. To have the two recognised tourist boards providing such positive assessments is very pleasing and we hope the improvement will continue year on year. We were proud to sit with our industry colleagues at the recent Roadshows in York, Newbury and Newmarket. There was lots of lively discussion held at all As the Beast from the East took a hold three events where the RCA along with of the country many sports lost fixtures the BHA, GBR and the Horsemen’s and you know things are bad when Group were able to present the indoor events start to get called off current state of play and future plans as the Premier League Darts in Exeter for the sport. The shadow Racing was. Authority also met recently for the For racing it meant Thursday 1 March first time under Sir Hugh Robertson’s was the first unplanned blank weekday chairmanship and it is an exciting time since Friday 18 January 2013. A total for the sport as we seek to take control of 21 fixtures were lost from the 34 of our own finances. scheduled between 27 February and Elsewhere this month the RCA 6 March, which is the worst cold snap hosted the biennial Racing and Turf to affect us since December 2010 Management Seminar at the world when 24 of the 31 fixtures were lost. class Belfry Resort which was saw two Hopefully we have seen the last of the days of interesting talks and engaging snow and we can look forward to the conversation. We hope some of the spring festivals at Cheltenham and learnings will help Groundstaff and Aintree. Clerks to continue to produce world We were absolutely delighted earlier class surfaces whatever the weather this month to announce news that a throws at them. record number of racecourses had Don’t forget to join Racing’s Sport Relief been rated as ‘excellent’ by VisitEngland effort as well with the target of the and VisitScotland based on the 2017 nation reaching 1 billion steps every day Quality Assured Racecourse Scheme. during the course of the week from 17 The customer experience on March to 23 March. All the information racecourses is a much-discussed is included in this edition of Update. 3 | RCA Update Newsletter 2018 Back to content page NEWS FROM THE RCA The latest from the RCA, with a look at the QARS results 2017, the Racecourse in Focus and the RCA Racing & Turf Management Conference. 4 | RCA Update Newsletter 2018 Back to content page ENTERING THE RACE FOR SPORT RELIEF With Sport Relief just around the corner, racing will be showing its support for the charity through a number of activities designed to help get the nation moving. Words by Paul Swain This year, Sport Relief has set the nation “Whilst a few of the team will be busy Rod Street, Chief Executive of Great the challenge of reaching 1 billion steps at the RCA Members Forum, Will, Matt, British Racing, said: “We are very proud every day during the course of the Sophie and I will be putting in the steps to be a part of Sport Relief this year and week (17 – 23 March) and Great British to contribute to the one billion and be supporting the charity in getting the Racing has laid down the marker for retrace the steps of our heroes Cue public moving. Racing is the second racecourses to get involved and help Card, Cracksman, Lady Aurelia and biggest spectator sport in the UK and smash this target. Frankel respectively. Of course, if we can so it’s great to be involved.” beat some of the Ascot team home, all Racecourses can set up their own the better!” course walks and track the steps via the Sport Relief app. Furthermore, this app includes a British Racing league table so it is easy to see which racecourse can clock up the most steps before the 23 March. The RCA is joining forces with Ascot Racecourse to take in the famous straight mile on Thursday 22 March and help the racecourse contribution to the 1 billion. “We’re excited to be part of British Racing’s Sport Relief effort and even more so to be doing our bit with our neighbours Ascot Racecourse” said Paul Swain, the RCA’s Brand & Experience Manager. 5 | RCA Update Newsletter 2018 Back to content page SHOWCASE & AWARDS 2018 6 | RCA Update Newsletter 2018 Back to content page QUALITY ASSURED RACECOURSE SCHEME RESULTS 2017 The Racecourse Association is delighted to announce that the quality of the visitor experience across Great Britain’s racecourses is higher than ever before as assessed independently by VisitEngland and VisitScotland through the annual Quality Assured Racecourse Scheme. Words by Will Aitkenhead The Quality Assured Racecourse single racecourse achieved a rating of to improve across the board at all Assessment objectively assesses ‘good’ or better with the lowest scoring racecourses in 2017. It is testament to the visitor experience of a day at the mark in 2017 being 68%, the highest it the level of investment that racecourses races. Encompassing all aspects of the has ever been since the scheme was have made in facilities and staff training raceday, from pre-raceday telephone launched in 2012. that we are seeing the higher levels of calls and social media audits to the quality in terms of customer experience This year the top 12 racecourses in racecourse itself and the quality and than ever before. England and Wales (in alphabetical cleanliness of facilities, an experienced order) were: “Through the Raceday Experience assessor conducts the assessment Programme, Showcase & Awards, during a ‘mystery shop’ visit. Aintree, Ascot, Bangor-on-Dee, and our dedicated ‘Year of Service’ Beverley, Cheltenham, Chester, VisitScotland issue Scottish workstream we have been able to Haydock Park, Newbury, Newmarket racecourses with a star rating and provide racecourses with the tools July, Ripon, Uttoxeter and York Marque, whilst VisitEngland provides and examples of best practice to help English and Welsh racecourses with In Scotland, Ayr and Musselburgh them match the very finest customer a Quality Marque for racecourses demonstrated excellence of the highest experiences available in the sport and reaching the pass mark of 60%, which order by securing 5* ratings from leisure market. equates to 'good'. VisitScotland. “Racecourses have sustained this drive A record 34 racecourses were awarded Paul Swain, RCA Brand & Experience for improvement and we’re committed a score of 80% or higher which equates Manager, said: “It is fantastic to see to supporting them to continue to raise to ‘excellent’ while once more every the racecourse experience continue the bar.” 7 | RCA Update Newsletter 2018 Back to content page IT’S THE RACECOURSE IN FOCUS Redcar’s focus on owners reaps rewards. Words by Will Aitkenhead Showcase nomination for the Owners’ Award is not something that comes about by accident and with the Finalists being selected Aby members of the ROA it is a hard category to stand out in. For Redcar, being listed as a Finalist at Showcase 2017 was just reward for some of the improvements and innovations they have made in recent months. As general manager Amy Fair says: “We make no bones about the fact that Redcar doesn’t have the finances to build big new facilities for owners and trainers, so we were delighted to be “She gave me really good examples of “We also found a fabulous artist who recognised after being quite creative on what other small courses were doing. does a range of hand painted china, so what we’ve done for them.” As a result, our caterers came up with for the feature race each day we provide Inspired and driven by a Showcase a fresh offer, and a really good coffee a lovely big china bowl. In addition we seminar presentation by Pip Kirkby of machine, and we now have a dedicated give sets of mugs, and jewellery dressing the ROA in 2016, Redcar’s hit list of owners’ dining room, next door to the table trays, which are personal to Redcar what was important for owners included owners’ bar and conservatory, with with a different design every year. inviting placed connections, as well as a balcony overlooking the winner’s “We had one owner last year who was the winners, for a drink after each race, enclosure and parade ring, and a viewing desperate to win a set of mugs because allocated parking, introducing the PASS box.