The Racecourse Newbury a Finalist at the RCA Showcase & Awards

The Racecourse Association (RCA), in conjunction with Great British Racing and 051 Sports Marketing has today announced The Racecourse Newbury as a Finalist at the 2013 Showcase & Awards in the All About The Horse category for their Racing For Racegoers initiative.

The event, at Lingfield Park Racecourse on 14 November, celebrates excellence and innovation across all aspects of British racecourses.

Racing For Racegoers was billed as ‘the definitive experience for the racing enthusiast’ and it didn’t disappoint. Racegoers embraced the opportunity to walk the track with former multiple-Group 1 winning jockey John Reid, as well as visiting ‘Speakers’ Corner’ where experts from the world of horseracing hosted informative talks and question and answer sessions.

Speakers included on-course bookmaker Geoff Banks and Timeform’s chief correspondent Jamie Lynch.

Racing fans also got the chance to go behind-the-scenes, visiting the weighing room, judge’s booth and commentary box, while a racing quiz offered the chance to win a trip to Mick Channon’s yard.

A record number of entries from racecourses have been whittled down by the independent judging panel to five Finalists across each of the seven categories, All About the Horse, Best Campaign, Corporate Social Responsibility, Events, Food & Beverage, Operational Excellence and Owners’ Experience.  Winners in each category will be announced on the night with one racecourse named overall Showcase Champion, won by Goodwood in 2012 and Doncaster in 2011.

The Awards will also be incorporating racegoers’ views through the Racing Post Readers Customer Service Award which has seen racegoers submitting examples of fantastic customer service at racecourses for consideration by the judging panel.  The winning racecourse and submission will be announced on the night.  The @RCAShowcase Twitter feed has also been accepting #TopSpot nominations of great ideas seen out and about on racecourses and will announce the best from the year to date.

For the first time in 2013, the Awards will incorporate the naming of Groundstaff Champion, which follows the recent announcement of Chester, Kelso and Leicester as winners in their respective categories at the Racecourse Groundstaff Awards, sponsored by Pitchcare, ALS and Watt Fences.

The Awards ceremony will follow a daytime programme of group discussions where racecourses will be sharing ideas and best practice in a number of areas as well as enjoying seminars lead by figures from both inside and outside racing including Channel 4, Historic Royal Palaces, St George’s Park and VisitEngland.

RCA Racecourse Services Director Caroline Davies, who has been leading the Showcase Project commented, ‘we are delighted to reveal such a competitive set of Finalists for this year’s Awards’.

‘Racecourses across the country do a fantastic job of coming up with innovative means by which to enhance the raceday experience for racegoers and horsemen and acknowledge that they are active in the competitive leisure market.  By coming together, sharing ideas and advice we hope that they can continue on that path and demonstrate the good work that they do’.

Chairman of the Judges, Chris McFadden said, ‘Yet again, the Judges faced a fantastic set of entries from racecourses across the country and whittling them down to this point was not easy!  We were however, happy to once again see such great examples of initiatives going on at British racecourses and I am very much looking forward to the Awards ceremony at Lingfield Park to congratulate all of the Finalists’.

Stephen Higgins, Managing Director of The Racecourse Newbury said:  ‘We’re delighted our Racing For Racegoers event has been nominated for a prize by the RCA.

“It was a fantastic day which offered a unique experience for racegoers, one that was widely embraced and so much so that we will be running similar days over the next year.”

For more information, and to view all of the shortlisted submissions, please visit www.britishracecourses.org or contact Sam Cone on 01344 626067.