Newbury Racecourse To Host National Racehorse Week & Community Raceday In Support Of Charity On Thursday 28th August

Newbury Racecourse is pleased to announce it will be hosting a Community Raceday on Thursday, 28th August, while showing support for National Racehorse Week.

The day will be renamed the ‘National Racehorse Week and Community Raceday’ with lots of activities and initiatives planned to celebrate community and industry initiatives. The Racecourse’s 2025 charity partner, Swings and Smiles, will also be on-site on the 28th as Newbury continue their fundraising efforts for the local charity.

Running from the 23rd to the 31st August, National Racehorse Week has been a hugely important event in the sport since its inception. Newbury will be championing the annual initiative by hosting their equine ambassador, Mahlervous, and Shetland friend, Gladys, in partnership with Greatwood Charity. The pair of four legged ambassadors will be available for a meet and greet with racegoers until the first race.

The Racecourse’s charity partner, Swings and Smiles, aims to support and enhance the lives of disabled children and their families. Parents and supporters of the charity will be receiving complimentary tickets for the raceday, as well as having access to an exclusive space at the Racecourse.

The raceday aims to be as inclusive as possible with both a fully equipped mobile sensory unit and Changing Places unit made available on-site while Autism in Racing will also be in attendance at the Racecourse with complimentary tickets available for Berkshire Autism, Community United as well as the pupils and parents of Castle School and Oaklands School.

The day will be rounded out with the arrival of Tom Dunlop, 19, who will be ending his marathon charity bike ride at Newbury Racecourse. Over the past month, he has cycled over 2,600 miles, visiting all of Great Britain’s racecourses in support of the Injured Jockeys Fund and Diverse Abilities, a Dorset disabled charity. Racegoers are invited to join Racecourse staff in celebrating Tom’s achievement as he crosses the finish line on the day.

Home-Start West Berkshire – who provide vital support to families with young children – will also be part of the National Racehorse Week & Community Raceday, sponsoring one of the races on the six-race card as part of the Racecourse’s efforts to celebrate organisations making a real difference to the local community. Alongside the evening’s six races those in attendance will also have two pony races to enjoy while a Pump Technology After Party will light up the Racecourse after the evening’s racing.

Gabi Whitfield, Head of Welfare Communications at Great British Racing commented, “This will be the fifth year of National Racehorse Week. Since it was launched in 2021, we have created more than 50,000 places for the public to visit studs, training yards, and retraining centres across Britain free of charge.

“We want people to come and get closer to the amazing Thoroughbreds at the heart of our sport and experience for themselves the lives they lead, both during their career and after they retire. It’s fantastic to have Newbury rename their fixture to the National Racehorse Week Evening Fixture and to have all the racegoers join in with the week-long celebration of the racehorse.”

Swings and Smiles, said: “We’re so excited to welcome some of our registered families to a fantastic afternoon and evening at Newbury Racecourse on Thursday 28th August – we’re incredibly grateful to the team at the Racecourse for their generous support in making this event truly inclusive.”