MEMBERS’ ENCLOSURE The Newsletter of the West Berkshire Racing Club www.westberksrc.org.uk at facebook.com/WestBerksRC Twitter @WestBerksRC Founded in 1982 Edition No. 271 August 2015 Acting Editor: Stewart Nash CONTENTS WBRC Ten to Follow - Flat Season 2015 2 Future events 3 Reports of recent events 4 Making a weekend of it! 5 Racing at Cartmel 6 Racing in France an Introduction 7 Booking Forms 9 WELCOME We extend a warm welcome to Mr. W. A. Alcock, of Wickham, Mr. & Mrs. David Carter of Newbury, Mr. J. Gregory of Highclere and Mr. Brian Hague of Winchester, who have joined the Club since the last newsletter was published. We hope they enjoy their membership and we look forward to meeting them at future events. FORTHCOMING CLUB PROGRAMME There are three events planned in September and October starting with a stable visit to Clive Cox’s Beechdown Farm Stables in Lambourn on Tuesday, 8 September. This is followed on 2 October with a visit to Andrew Balding’s stables at Park House Kingsclere and then on 19 October there is a visit to Plumpton Races by coach for their Moorcroft Racehorse Rehabilitation Centre Charity Day which will include a visit to Suzy Smith’s stables at the former Lewes Racecourse. More details of all the above and booking arrangements on page 3. PAPER COPIES OF NEWSLETTER – DO YOU NEED ONE IT’S ON THE WEBSITE! The West Berkshire Racing Club has 55 members who are currently receiving hard copies of the Newsletter. The Club’s printing and stationery costs are therefore high and considerable voluntary member time is involved too. We would like to minimise the number of people who require a paper copy, though we recognise that not everyone has a computer at home. We send an email to all members who have given us an email address so that you are notified of the publication of the newsletter immediately and of course you will also receive advance news of events being arranged by the Club, before the next Newsletter. So it should be a win/win situation. Even without your own computer or email address you can still access the Club website through a public computer terminal at your local library although there may be a charge for printing out booking forms and other pages you wish to keep. NEXT NEWSLETTER The next Newsletter will be published in mid/late-September. As always the Editor welcomes contributions from members and these should be sent to him by no later than 10 September. TEN TO FOLLOW – 2015 FLAT SEASON The defeat of Golden Horn in the International Stakes at York brought to an, at least temporary, halt to his points scoring and this may prove crucial to the result of this competition as we move towards the conclusion over the next seven weeks. As things currently stand Nick Goodwin still has a healthy lead over Roger Emberley in second with Ken Unsworth moving into third and narrowly edging Phyllis Carter into fourth. The competition ends on Ascot’s Champions Day on 17 October. SCORES AS AT 23 AUGUST 2015 Position Name Points 1 Nick Goodwin 520 2 Roger Emberley 435 3 Ken Unsworth 425 4 Phyllis Carter 415 5= Ken Unsworth (2nd list) 375 5= Mark Wellsteed 375 7 Colin Mackie 370 8 Roger Emberley (2nd list) 365 9 John Nash 355 10 Roger Emberley (3rd list) 350 11 Alan Wellsteed 340 12= Dru Nicholson 335 12= Ken Unsworth (3rd list) 335 14= Alan Wellsteed (2nd list) 330 14= Colin Mackie (2nd list) 330 16 Alan Wellsteed (3rd list) 320 17 Maureen Chilton 300 18 John Toner 290 19 John Toner (2nd list) 285 20 Tina Mitchell 275 POINTS SCORED BY LEADING HORSES Horse Points Horse Points Golden Horn 125 Postponed 50 Gleneagles 110 Qualify 50 Muhaarar 90 Snow Sky 50 Arabian Queen 70 Star of Seville 50 Treve 55 Storm The Stars 40 Highland Reel 50 Al Kazeem 30 Muthmir 50 Free Eagle 30 Night Of Thunder 50 Toormore 25 ADDRESSES TO CONTACT Chairman Maurice Stringer – 07729 600180 email:[email protected] Treasurer: David Lees - 17 Boathouse Reach, Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire RG9 1TJ (07855 275588 or 01491 571299) email: [email protected] Secretary: Bernard Mills - 39 Highfield Drive, Ewell, Epsom, Surrey KT19 0AU (020 8394 1107) (email: [email protected]) Membership Secretary: Barbara Allen, Pilgrims Lodge, Baker Street, Aston Tirrold, Oxfordshire OX11 9DD. (01235 850318) (e-mail: [email protected]) Stable visits and event bookings: Robert Watson - 1 The Courtway, Bone Mill Lane, Enborne, Newbury, Berkshire RG20 0EU (01635 42948 - Mobile 07979 460555) (e-mail [email protected]) Website and social media: Patrick Fagan – 07796263762 e-mail [email protected] Social events organisers Caroline Springfield - 01672 520086, Acting Newsletter Editor: Stewart Nash - 14 Elland Road, Walton on Thames, Surrey KT12 3JT (01932 880211) email: [email protected] Page 2 FORTHCOMING EVENTS VISIT TO CLIVE COX’S Beechdown Farm Stables, Lambourn on Tuesday 8 September at 9.00am Clive cox has built a very successful yard at Beechdown and we are very grateful to Clive for allowing us to visit. The start time is designed to allow us to watch third lot on the gallops as well as a tour of the yard and other facilities. The visit will be followed by brunch at the Sheep Drove Eco Centre and Farm just up the road from the stables. The cost of the visit is £5 per person and bookings should be sent to Robert Watson using the form at the end of this newsletter. Payment for lunch will be made in person on the day. HOW TO GET THERE: From Newbury travel west on the M4. Leave the M4 at junction 14 signed Hungerford, Wantage. At the roundabout take the third exit towards Wantage (A338) and after half a mile turn left onto B4000. Follow this road for approx. 5.5miles and then turn right towards Lambourn Village. On reaching Lambourn go through the village high street and then north towards Wantage. After passing Oaksey House; turn right up Sheep Drove Road; continue to a fork in the road where you bear right, and the yard is a little further along, on right hand side. [RG17 7UN] VISIT TO ANDREW BALDINGS Park House Stables, Kingsclere on Friday 2 October at 10.15am Ever since Sir Joseph Hawley installed John Porter as his private trainer in the newly built Park House Stables at Kingsclere in 1867 it has played an important part in racing in West Berkshire. Porter himself was responsible for advising on the layout of Newbury Racecourse which opened in 1905 and successive trainers at Park House, William Waugh, Fred Butters, Evan Williams, Peter Hastings Bass, Ian Balding and now Andrew Balding have ensured the yard remains one which is held in the highest regard. We are therefore delighted that Andrew has agreed to a visit and we look forward to an excellent visit. Brunch will be arranged in a local public house after the visit. The cost of the visit is £5 per person and bookings should be sent to Robert Watson using the form at the end of this newsletter. Payment for lunch will be made in person on the day. HOW TO GET THERE: From Newbury go south on the A339 towards Basingstoke. After Headley pass The Star Public House on the right and at the next roundabout turn right towards Kingsclere village. Follow the road to Kingsclere Parish Church and then turn right into Swan Street (signed towards Overton). After approximately a mile you will reach Park House Stables on the left. [RG20 5PY] VISIT TO PLUMPTON RACES (by coach only) including a visit to Suzy Smith’s Lewes Stables on Monday 19 October. Departing from Newbury Racecourse promptly at 8.30am (note earlier than previously advertised start time). This meeting is a reciprocal day for Newbury Members and therefore this is an ideal time to pay a return visit to Plumpton. The meeting is also a fund raising day for the Moorcroft Racehorse Rehabilitation Centre and deserves our support. On the way to the meeting we will be visiting Suzy Smith stables situated at the former Lewes Racecourse about 5 miles from Plumpton. Suzy trains around 20 horses and has great success with her runners especially at the Sussex jumping meetings. The cost of the visit is £28 per person to include coach travel, driver’s gratuity, trainers and stable staff donation. Bookings should be sent to Robert Watson using the form at the end of this newsletter. Those who are not members can gain admission to the racecourse on the day or purchase tickets in advance via the Plumpton Racecourse website. Due to the Moorcroft event places in the racecourse restaurant are likely to be sold out before the day but there are a variety of food outlets available. Note: Lewes Racecourse is a privately owned estate and there is no public vehicle access. Anyone who lives locally and wishes to travel by their own car MUST ring Robert Watson to book and confirm arrangements. Other Club events. The programme of Club social events has not yet been confirmed and will be notified to members as soon as possible. Page 3 DIRECTIONS Please note that directions for stable visits and other events are provided based on the information available to us but cannot be guaranteed to be correct. Similarly post codes provided for navigation purposes cannot be certain to pin point the precise location of the stables. Members are advised to leave ample time for their journey and be prepared to ask locally for directions.