The popular Countryside Race Day, including a charity race for The Countryside Alliance Foundation, will take place at the July Course at Newmarket on Thursday 23rd June and tickets for our lunch and auction are still available! Tickets cost £65 and include a champagne reception, lunch and auction in the Moorstyle Marquee, entry to the members' enclosure and a race card. To purchase, please contact Hattie Roger-Smith at [email protected], telephone 0207 8409298.
Supporters of The Countryside Alliance Foundation (TCAF) from across the East of England, Gloucestershire and the Thames Valley will go head to head in a charity race, kicking off the race day. The charity race will be run in aid of The Countryside Alliance Foundation's charities Fishing 4 Schools, Falconry for Schools and Casting for Recovery and will be contested over eight furlongs, on mostly borrowed horses. See below for details on the jockeys and how to sponsor them. Newmarket celebrates its 350th anniversary this year and there will be a full day's racing following the charity race at 1pm. We are very grateful to our lunch sponsors Tattersalls and Newmarket Equine Hospital and Rossdales Equine Hospital who have sponsored the champagne.
The riders:
Stuart Radbourne – Avon Vale
Farmer Stuart has been in the mastership of the Avon Vale for six seasons. He also field masters, hunts hounds and is an amateur whipper-in. He won our charity race at Ascot in 2014, drawing on his past as a point-to-point jockey to romp home 14 lengths ahead on the Richard Hannon-trained Red Refraction. You can sponsor him at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Stuart-Radbourne
Charles Buckle – Essex & Suffolk
Charles, who works for Lloyds, had five point-to-pointers on the circuit this season and used to pony race. His father James, a joint-master of the Essex & Suffolk suggested he take part in this race, however he is still to find a suitable mount for Newmarket as all his own horses "have gone wrong". Sponsor Charles at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/charles-buckle
William Harford – Beaufort and Tedworth
An estate agent, specialising in training yards and stud farms, William comes from farming stock and rides out for trainer George Baker at Manton. He hopes to find a horse from among his racing contacts and looks forward to riding at the famous course. Sponsor William at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/william-harford
Maurice Mccarthy
A legend in the charity race world, this will be Maurice's 28th charity race. He claims he has raised more charity money than any other jockey – more than £100,000 in the past 10 years – for causes including the Injured Jockey's Fund, Children in Need, Macmillan Cancer Relief and of course the TCAF, for whom he has raised around £15,000 in the past. He is being sponsored by bookmakers Coral and Spreadex.
Kristina Dalborg – Puckeridge
Kristina is a member of the 2016 national team chase championship winning team the Fox Grant Thrusters, and hopes to rider her team chaser Dan Dare at Newmarket – however she also has two horses in training so has plenty of horsepower to choose from. A self-confessed speed merchant, she wishes the race was over hurdles! Sponsor Kristina at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/KRISTINA-DALBORG
Samantha Burbidge – Essex Samantha of Horseheath, Cambridgeshire, runs the Forest Edge Arena in Swaffham, Norfolk and as a successful showjumper she wants to be in the ribbons at Newmarket. She hopes to ride her and partner Adrian Bayford's racehorse Semille Obon. Sponsor Samantha at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Samantha-Burbidge1
Chris Lawson – Cambridgeshire with Enfield Chace Chris trains point-to-pointers and hunter chasers at Crown View Racing. He will ride Crown View Racing Club's Forgive Intrusion: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Chris-Lawson8
Jon Day – Atherstone Jon will ride seven-year-old mare Velvet Edge – owned, bred and trained by his parents. Jon rode nine point-to-point winners and is now a farrier.
For more information, contact the Countryside Alliance press office on 0207 840 9220 or email [email protected]