Cheltenham voted Course of the Year

Press Releasein Equestrian

Cheltenham Racecourse has continued its dominance of the awards having just been voted Racegoers Club Racecourse of the Year by the Club's members for a record sixth consecutive year.

The awards are keenly contested by racecourses. With Racegoers Club members going racing on average 31 times per year with their discount vouchers of generally between £3-£5 per visit, no one could be better qualified to pass judgement on which courses deserve recognition, which makes the accolades mean even more to the winning courses.

York, the last course to break Cheltenham's hold on the award, regained second spot in the vote, with Sandown Park taking third place.

The most notable achievement in the regional awards is that of Ffos Las - only racing since June, the Welsh course has clearly struck the right note with the racing public as they immediately took the best small racecourse in the south west award.

Other changes from the 2008 results saw Sandown mirror their overall achievement by taking the best racecourse in the south east award for the first time since 2004, and Ripon, Market Rasen and Stratford-on-Avon all winning regional awards.

Ayr, York, Chester, Cheltenham, Newbury, Perth and Fontwell all retained awards they held from last year.

The full list of regional awards is as follows:

Scotland & North East: Racecourse of the Year AYR
Best Small Racecourse PERTH

North: Racecourse of the Year YORK
Best Small Racecourse RIPON

North Midlands: Racecourse of the Year CHESTER
Best Small Racecourse MARKET RASEN

South Midlands & Racecourse of the Year CHELTENHAM
East Anglia Best Small Racecourse STRATFORD

South West: Racecourse of the Year NEWBURY
Best Small Racecourse FFOS LAS

South East: Racecourse of the Year SANDOWN PARK
Best Small Racecourse FONTWELL PARK

Edward Gillespie, Managing Director at Cheltenham Racecourse commented, "We really value this accolade from Racegoer Club members. The Award reflects the enormous effort our staff put in throughout the year, often in the most difficult circumstances, and the passion that racegoers feel for this extraordinary place. Long may it continue!"

The Club recently announced substantial increases to its concession scheme, with a third of courses now offering between £4 and £6 off admission and two discounts worth £10 each, including one of the summer highlights, King George Day at Ascot.

With four horses across two racehorse syndicates with David Pipe, Nigel Twiston Davies, Donald McCain and Ferdy Murphy being cheered on by the Club's syndicate members, along with the improved concession scheme, more racecourse visits than ever are anticipated from Club members this winter.

The cost for 2010 is just £25 single membership or £40 double membership.

For more information contact The Racegoers Club's Chairman John Phillips on 01344 625912 or at john.phillips@racecourseassociation.co.uk, or visit www.racegoersclub.co.uk.

Article Tags:
Equestrian

Want the latest news, ideas and exclusive offers direct to your inbox?
Then sign up to our weekly newsletter today.