Did you know that Pickleball is 50 years old this year (2015) started in the USA back in 1965 and it has travelled around the world.
Also did you know that West Berkshire has the only purpose built pickleball court in Europe.
Pickleball is easy for beginners to learn and in time can develop into a quick fast-paced friendly competitive game.
Experienced players can join in with regional, national, European and even world tournaments, if they feel so competitive and fancy the challenge.
Pickleball started in 1965 and has spread around the world. The USA Pickleball currently estimates there are more than 500,000 active Pickleball players in the USA alone. The UK has approximately 500 regular players with around 25 known groups/clubs.
Newbury & Thatcham Pickleball is a friendly group of people (aged from 8 to 85) sharing a common passion for the sport, we are looking for new players of all ages and abilities.
We can bring Pickleball to your group, village, community, youth group or school to try the sport and talk about the benefits of Pickleball in the community. We’ll give everyone an opportunity to try Pickleball and offer help set up their group, we also offer training, advice and help to join local tournaments.

Contact Ron or Jules Brown
Email ntpickleball@gmail.com or call Ron on 07500 061923

Arod set to drop down in trip for Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes at Newbury on Saturday – Chance for racegoers to win a fabulous trip to Qatar

Arod is set to have his first outing over a mile for 18 months in the £350,000 Group One Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes at Newbury on Saturday, May 16, Al Shaqab Lockinge Day.

The four-year-old son of Teofilo, who is trained in Newmarket by Peter Chapple-Hyam and owned by Qatar Racing, won twice over 10 furlongs in 2014 and ran some excellent races in defeat, most notably when fourth to Australia in the 12-furlong Investec Derby at Epsom Downs and when runner-up to The Grey Gatsby in York’s Dante Stakes.

His final outing of 2014 saw him finish fifth to Australia in the Juddmonte International over 10 furlongs at York in August, when he raced very keenly, while he made a pleasing seasonal reappearance when the three-quarter length runner-up in the nine-furlong Group Three Earl of Sefton Stakes at Newmarket on April 16.

Arod’s only previous start over a mile was on his debut in November, 2013, when he finished third in a Polytrack maiden at Kempton Park.

Chapple-Hyam reported today: “Arod is very well. It was a good comeback at Newmarket and obviously a mile is a new thing for him. We don’t really want to see any rain.

“We are going to give it a go over a mile on Saturday and see what happens. He raced a bit keenly over further last season and so that is why we are giving it a go.

“The Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes is sure to be a tough race and there will be no hiding place. Arod is in the Queen Anne Stakes and the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, so Newbury will give us a pointer as to where we go with him this season.”

A total of 19 five-day confirmations remained for the Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes, although French challenger Karakontie will miss the race with a minor foot problem.

Richard Hannon, who sent out Olympic Glory to victory 12 months ago, is due to be represented by last year’s QIPCO 2,000 Guineas winner Night Of Thunder and 2013 European champion two-year-old Toormore.

Dual Group One-winning mare Integral will aim to provide Sir Michael Stoute with an eighth success in the race, while Moohaarib, representing Marco Botti, is set to step up in class following an easy recent Listed win at Ascot.

Chance for racegoers to win a fabulous trip to Qatar

There will be a chance for racegoers on Saturday to win a fabulous holiday for two to the 2016 Qatar Racing Festival next February. The trip includes return flights to Doha, a week’s hotel accommodation and tickets to every day of the Festival.

Racegoers need to complete an entry form, available in the official racecard and elsewhere on site, predict the winner of the Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes and return their entry to one of the boxes located in the Grandstand or Berkshire Stand receptions before 3.40pm. The winner will be drawn in the Parade Ring at approximately 4.30pm, after the Haras de Bouquetot Fillies Trial Stakes.

Al Shaqab Lockinge Day also features three Listed contests, starting with the £100,000 Al Rayyan Stakes (2.00pm) over 12 furlongs, which could feature last year’s King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes runner-up Telescope.

Group Two winners Baitha Alga, Beacon and Jungle Cat feature among 26 contenders for the £70,000 Toronado Carnarvon Stakes (2.35pm) over six furlongs for three-year-olds.

Peter Chapple-Hyam is set to be represented in the Toronado Carnarvon Stakes by Ahlan Emarati. The son of Holy Roman Emperor made a winning debut at Bath last season and went on to perform consistently in Pattern company, finishing third in the Group Two Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot, runner-up in the Group Two Railway Stakes at the Curragh and third in the Group Two Gimcrack Stakes at York. He ran disappointingly on his final start of 2014, when 13th in the Group Two Flying Childers Stakes at Doncaster.

Chapple-Hyam continued: “Ahlan Emarati will also be heading to Newbury and this will hopefully tell us if he is good enough to go for the new Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot.

“He is very well and I am very happy with him but, like all mine, he will improve for a run. He is another horse who wouldn’t want too much rain – the quicker the better for him. The ground was probably a bit soft for him at Doncaster on his final run last year.”

Eye-catching maiden winners Crystal Zvezda, Martlet and Pamona head 16 entries for the 10-furlong £70,000 Haras de Bouquetot Fillies Trial Stakes (4.20pm).

High-class handicap action is provided by the £70,000 Al Zubarah London Gold Cup (3.10pm, 22 entries) and the seven-race programme is bookended by the six-furlong £50,000 Olympic Glory Conditions Race (1.25pm, 14 entries) and the £40,000 Planteur Handicap (4.55pm, 29 entries) over a mile.

Final declarations for all seven races on Al Shaqab Lockinge Day will be made tomorrow, Thursday, May 14.

Al Shaqab Racing and Newbury Racecourse have teamed up to offer free Grandstand entry to all racegoers aged 22 and under, to celebrate Al Shaqab’s sponsorship. Racegoers who wish to take advantage of this offer should bring Photo ID on the day and head for the Grandstand entrance. This offer is in addition to the BHA-approved initiative announced last week that offers free entry for all Stable Staff with a Stable Pass on Al Shaqab Lockinge Day.

The first 1,958 racegoers to arrive at Newbury on Saturday will be given a free Al Shaqab Lockinge Day cap, to mark the start of Al Shaqab’s sponsorship and to celebrate the fact that the Lockinge Stakes was first run in 1958.

Newbury also races on Friday, May 15, which is Starlight Charity Raceday. Starlight is a charity which grants wishes to seriously and terminally ill children by entertaining over half a million children every year in hospitals and hospices throughout the UK.

Declarations were made today for the eight races on Starlight Charity Raceday. The richest race on Friday is the £30,000 Luck Greayer Bloodstock Handicap (2.55pm) over six furlongs, for which there are 10 declarations including 2009 Ayr Gold Cup and French Group Three scorer Jimmy Styles (Clive Cox/Adam Kirby).

Record field of 18 for richest-ever Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes at Newbury this Saturday

The Group One Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes (3.45pm) has attracted a record field of 18 for the 2015 renewal at Newbury on Saturday, May 16. The previous highest number of runners for the famous mile contest was 15 in 2004.

This year’s renewal of the Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes boasts record prize money of £350,000.

Richard Hannon jnr won the Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes at his first attempt in 2014 with Olympic Glory and supplies the favourite this time around in Godolphin’s Night Of Thunder (James Doyle), winner of last year’s QIPCO 2000 Guineas at Newmarket. Hannon also runs Toormore (Richard Hughes), a Group One winner as a two-year-old in 2013.

Cheveley Park Stud is jointly the most successful owner in Al Shaqab Lockinge history with five wins and this year its colours are set to be carried by Integral (Ryan Moore), who is trained by Sir Michael Stoute – the most successful handler in the contest with seven successes. The five-year-old mare is making her seasonal reappearance, having won two Group One contests at Newmarket in 2014.

A horse set to make his second appearance in the Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes is Aljamaaheer (Roger Varian/Paul Hanagan) who finished third over Newbury’s straight mile behind Farhh in 2013.

The six-year-old enjoyed his biggest victory when taking the Group Two Summer Mile at Ascot the same year and put up his best performance in 2014 when dropping down to six furlongs for the Group One Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot, where he came home third to Sole Power.

He made his reappearance at Leicester on April 25, when going down by a nose in the Listed Richard III Stakes over seven furlongs after not enjoying a clear run in the closing stages.

Angus Gold, racing manager for owner Hamdan Al Maktoum, said today: “Aljamaaheer is fine and came out of his run at Leicester in good shape according to Roger Varian. He didn’t get a clear run at Leicester that day – he seems to be a horse who is good at being unlucky!

“He retains plenty of ability and could run very well in the Lockinge. He has run well over every trip in the past couple of years and I have no doubt he has a big win in him if things fall in his favour.

“He is by Dubawi and most of them like a bit of cut but he himself always appears to have been better on top of the ground. But as he is getting older, with a few aches and pains, he might handle softer ground better if there is some rain.

“I think seven furlongs to a mile these days is probably his best distance as it just gives him a bit more time.”

David O’Meara’s stable is in tremendous form at present and he runs Custom Cut (Danny Tudhope), successful in the Group Two Sandown Mile on April 24.

Trainer Andrew Balding is doubly represented with dual Group Two scorer Here Comes When (Jim Crowley), runner-up to Custom Cut at Sandown and Tullius (Jimmy Fortune), who was second to Olympic Glory last year.

Moohaarib (Marco Botti/Martin Harley) looked a horse on the upgrade when landing a Listed race at Ascot last month, while two other interesting contenders are Arod (Peter Chapple-Hyam/Andrea Atzeni), who drops down in trip after finishing fourth in last season’s Investec Derby over 12 furlongs and Yuften (William Haggas/Frankie Dettori), a lightly-raced four-year-old who ran well in Group One company last season.

The fabulous seven-race card on Al Shaqab Lockinge Day boast a total of £750,000 in prize money, making it the richest day’s racing in Newbury’s 110-year history, and strong supporting action is provided by three Listed contests.

A field of eight goes to post in the £100,000 Listed Al Rayyan Stakes (2.00pm) over 12 furlongs, headed by last season’s Hardwicke Stakes winner and King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes runner-up Telescope (Sir Michael Stoute/Ryan Moore). There are also two runners trained in Qatar lining up in Dubday (Jassim Al Ghazali/Frankie Dettori), a five-time Group One winner in Qatar, and Peter Anders (Zohere Mohsen/Silvestre De Sousa).

Jassim Al Ghazali said: “Dubday is the best horse we have had in Qatar for the last two years. He is unbeaten in six races there, winning the Qatar Derby and Emir’s Trophy (twice).

“He ran OK in the Dubai Gold Cup on World Cup night at Meydan, being beaten only six lengths by Brown Panther, but the trip of 3,200 metres stretched him, and he’ll be much happier at Newbury back over 2,400 metres.

“We know that Dubday is number one in Qatar, but we are going into the unknown at Newbury. It looks very competitive, but provided the rain does not get into the ground I hope he will do Qatar justice. He did a super piece of work this week, and we are now ready for the challenge.”

The £70,000 Listed Toronado Carnarvon Stakes (2.35pm) over six furlongs for three-year-olds has 14 runners including Group Two winner Baitha Alga (Richard Hannon/Frankie Dettori). There is also Qatari representation in this contest with Bwana (Majed Seifeddine/Pierantonio Convertino).

The third Listed event is the 10-furlong £70,000 Haras De Bouquetot Fillies’ Trial Stakes (4.20pm). Seven of the 13 declared runners are currently engaged in the Investec Oaks, including Crystal Zvezda (Sir Michael Stoute/Ryan Moore) and Pamona (Luca Cumani/Andrea Atzeni), who were both impressive maiden winners last year.

Al Shaqab Lockinge Day also features the ultra-competitive £70,000 Al Zubarah London Gold Cup Handicap (3.10pm, 13 runners) over 10 furlongs, plus the six-furlong £50,000 Olympic Glory Conditions Stakes (1.25pm, eight runners) for two-year-olds and the concluding £40,000 Planteur Handicap (4.55pm, 17 runners) over a mile.

Free entry & other offers

There is a chance for racegoers on Saturday to win a fabulous holiday for two to the 2016 Qatar Racing Festival next February. The trip includes return flights to Doha, a week’s hotel accommodation and tickets to every day of the Festival.

Racegoers need to complete an entry form, available in the official racecard and elsewhere on site, predict the winner of the 2015 Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes and return their entry to one of the boxes located in the Grandstand or Berkshire Stand receptions before 3.40pm. The winner will be drawn in the Parade Ring at approximately 4.30pm, after the Haras de Bouquetot Fillies’ Trial Stakes.

Al Shaqab Racing and Newbury Racecourse have teamed up to offer free Grandstand entry to all racegoers aged 22 and under, to celebrate Al Shaqab’s sponsorship. Racegoers who wish to take advantage of this offer should bring Photo ID on Saturday, May 16 and head for the Grandstand entrance. This offer is in addition to the BHA-approved initiative announced last week that offers free entry for all stable staff with a stable pass on Al Shaqab Lockinge Day.

The first 1,958 racegoers to arrive at Newbury on Saturday will be given a free Al Shaqab Lockinge Day cap, to mark the start of Al Shaqab’s sponsorship and to celebrate the fact that the Lockinge Stakes was first run in 1958.

Newbury also races tomorrow Friday, May 15, which is Starlight Charity Raceday. Starlight is a charity which grants wishes to seriously and terminally ill children by entertaining over half a million children every year in hospitals and hospices throughout the UK.

Please click here for the media guide as a PDF document

Here Comes When & Tullius set for Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes – Free Al Shaqab Lockinge Day Cap for first 1,958 racegoers

Andrew Balding is readying a two-strong assault on the Group One Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes (3.45pm) with Here Comes When and Tullius on course for the £350,000 highlight at Newbury on Saturday, May 16.

Here Comes When enjoyed a superb campaign in 2014 and the five-year-old ended his season with a pair of impressive Group Two victories, scoring over a mile at Baden-Baden, Germany, in September and taking the seven-furlong Challenge Stakes at Newmarket in October.

He went down by a length and a half to fellow Al Shaqab Lockinge contender Custom Cut when second on his first outing of this year in the Group Two bet365 Mile at Sandown Park on April 24.

Tullius is set to make a second appearance in the Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes after chasing home Olympic Glory in the mile contest 12 months ago. The seven-year-old was subsequently fourth over the same trip in two more Group One races at a mile, the Queen Anne Stakes and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.

Following a comfortable success in a mile Listed race at Doncaster on March 28, Tullius stepped up to 10 furlongs for the Group Two Gordon Richards Stakes at Sandown Park on April 24, in which he finished fourth.

Balding, who trains locally in Kingsclere, reported today: “We plan to run both Here Comes When and Tullius in the Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes at Newbury on Saturday.

“I think Here Comes When is an overlooked horse. He has twice won at Group Two level and ran a good trial when second on his reappearance at Sandown last month. He can take a grip in his races and any rain will help.

“Any rain will also help Tullius. He was a bit disappointing when we ran him over 10 furlongs at Sandown last time. However, he was second in the Lockinge last year and won well on his reappearance over a mile at Doncaster.

“I think they are two lively outsiders.”

A total of 19 five-day confirmations remained for the Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes, although French challenger Karakontie will miss the race with a minor foot problem.

Richard Hannon, who sent out Olympic Glory to victory 12 months ago, is due to be represented by last year’s QIPCO 2,000 Guineas winner Night Of Thunder and 2013 European champion two-year-old Toormore.

Dual Group One-winning mare Integral will aim to provide Sir Michael Stoute with an eighth success in the race, while Moohaarib, representing Marco Botti, is set to step up in class following an easy recent Listed win at Ascot.

The first 1,958 racegoers to arrive at Newbury on Saturday will be given a free Al Shaqab Lockinge Day cap, to mark the start of Al Shaqab’s sponsorship and to celebrate the fact that the Lockinge Stakes was first run in 1958.

Al Shaqab Lockinge Day also features three Listed contests, starting with the £100,000 Al Rayyan Stakes (2.00pm) over 12 furlongs, which could feature last year’s King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes runner-up Telescope.

Group Two winners Baitha Alga, Beacon and Jungle Cat feature among 26 contenders for the £70,000 Toronado Carnarvon Stakes (2.35pm) over six furlongs, while eye-catching maiden winners Crystal Zvezda, Martlet and Pamona head 16 entries for the 10-furlong £70,000 Haras de Bouquetot Fillies Trial Stakes (4.20pm).

High-class handicap action is provided by the £70,000 Al Zubarah London Gold Cup (3.10pm, 22 entries) and the seven-race programme is bookended by the six-furlong £50,000 Olympic Glory Conditions Race (1.25pm, 14 entries) and the £40,000 Planteur Handicap (4.55pm, 29 entries) over a mile.

Al Shaqab Racing and Newbury Racecourse have teamed up to offer free Grandstand entry to all racegoers aged 22 and under, to celebrate Al Shaqab’s sponsorship. Racegoers who wish to take advantage of this offer should bring Photo ID on the day and head for the Grandstand entrance. This offer is in addition to the BHA-approved initiative announced last week that offers free entry for all Stable Staff with a Stable Pass on Al Shaqab Lockinge Day.

The Trust, now in its 19th year, has raised over £4 million for Animal Welfare Charities.

AP at the Lambourn Open Day

In confirming the appointment, Sir Peter said today: “A P’s commitment is a notable honour for the Trust which has benefitted enormously from the support of his long-time boss and friend, J P McManus, since its establishment in 1997.”

McCoy commented: “I am delighted to help promote Sir Peter’s Trust and I hope I make as good use of my retirement years as Sir Peter has of his.”

For further information, please contact Nigel Payne on 07768 025265

Some History on AP McCoy

Anthony Peter McCoy OBE (born 4 May 1974),[1] commonly known as AP McCoy or Tony McCoy, is an Irish former horse racing jockey, based in England and the Republic of Ireland. He was namedBBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2010, becoming the first jockey to win the award.[2] In December 2013, he was named RTÉ Sports Person of the Year.[3]

McCoy recorded his first winner in 1992 at age 17. On 7 November 2013 McCoy rode his 4,000th winner, riding Mountain Tunes to victory at Towcester. McCoy has been Champion Jockey every year he has been professional. Even in his first season riding in Britain, as an apprentice for now deceased trainer Toby Balding, McCoy won the Conditional Jump Jockeys Title with a record 74 winners for a conditional jockey. McCoy claimed his first Champion Jockey title in 1995/6 and, as of 2013/14, has won 19 consecutive Champion Jockey titles,[4] beating the previous record of 7 consecutive titles set by Peter Scudamore. McCoy has won almost every big race there is to win.[5]His most high profile winners include the prestigious Cheltenham Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle,Queen Mother Champion Chase, King George VI Chase and the 2010 Grand National, riding Don’t Push It.[6]

Source: Wikipedia

History on The Peter O’Sullevan Charitable Trust:

In the 19 years since its inception the Trust has distributed over £4 million equally between the six charities it supports.

Blue Cross, The Brooke, Compassion in World Farming, World Horse Welfare, Racing Welfare and The Thoroughbred Rehabilitation Centre.

Source: The Voice of Racing

We spoke to FIFA’s Social Media Manager, Alex Stone, about what it takes to tactically mastermind an award-winning social strategy for an event of the magnitude of the World Cup, how they plan to use Twitter in the future, and the peculiar story about their most successful social post. On top of this, we also dug into his strategy for the upcoming Women’s World Cup, which kicks off in June.

Social Media Tips Manager FIFA Case Study Interview Alex Stone

Alex Stone, Social Media Manager, FIFA

SocialBro: How is the social team set up at FIFA?

Alex Stone: “We currently have 10 Facebook pages, an Instagram account, a YouTube account, and a plethora of Twitter accounts. The core Twitter accounts include five main FIFA accounts for the main languages we use, five World Cup accounts for those languages, a media account, accounts for the president and secretary general, an account for everything we do on women’s football, and one for the world cup of the FIFA computer games. Most of our accounts are in my remit, but some are run by different departments who run those specific projects.

In an average day, what does running the social media accounts for FIFA entail?

“At the moment we have tournaments in New Zealand and Canada on the immediate horizon, so there’s a lot of final preparation for that. Although I’m currently working on other upcoming tournaments in Portugal, Russia, Jordan, Japan, Chile, Papua New Guinea, and Brazil, where I may need to speak to people in those countries on any given day. With all of those time zones in play, my day currently begins at about 7am and finishes around 11:30pm. I’m the only person working centrally at FIFA in Zurich on social media, but thankfully I have someone in to help with planning the Women’s World Cup and we have a plan to get three people working full time on social media by the end of the year.

I also try and respond to some of our fans to let them know that we’re interested in hearing from them or helping them, that Twitter isn’t just a one way communication channel. We can’t get back to absolutely everyone, but doing those simple things make a big difference. It keeps us in touch with the fans and helps us understand their mindset. I think this approach needs to be the norm at sporting organisations and we’re working towards it.”

FIFA is a global brand, regularly bringing a diverse mix of countries together. How do you provide a social presence for as large an audience as possible?

“Our social media accounts mirror our editorial set-up for FIFA.com, which caters to our five core languages of English, French, German, Arabic, and Spanish. Each language has one social media manager who I liaise with daily, although we have about 35 editors on the site and roughly three quarters of them also contribute to social media.

For the World Cup section we currently cover Russian too, which also has Russian social media editorial responsibilities. Where we have a large tournament that’s run in a country not currently served by a FIFA language we would look at augmenting our social content to include them as well, such as Portuguese for the World Cup in Brazil.”

What are the overall strategic goals of FIFA being on Twitter?

“We launched on Twitter just before the 2010 World Cup. Our idea was to build an audience, tell them about what FIFA did, and connect with fans. Fast forward to 2014, and when we analysed everything after that World Cup we realised we’d reached over a billion people on our various social channels.

That was the start of our next journey, where we realised the extent of the reach we had. The next stage of our social evolution is going to be working out how to engage with those people on a more regular basis. We want them to be interested in the other events we run, in Football as a whole, and of some of the less publicised aspects of what FIFA does. Our goal is to build a consistent presence with this content rather than just dipping their toes in every four years for the World Cup.”

What parts of FIFA are you working on creating a greater awareness of using Twitter?

“If you read the papers there may be times when you see negative representations about FIFA, but the truth is that we have people working hard on positive projects all over the globe and we want to get the word out about those things too. For example, people might see in the news that we made a lot of money from a TV deal and their story stops there. On Twitter we can spread the hugely uplifting stories of the projects that we’re spending that money on to benefit the sport and local communities.

In terms of creating your own brand narrative, how different is it now with Twitter compared to when you started working in football communications?

“When I started at the Football Association in 2000, we’d create amazing bits of content for some of our programmes and getting it out there could be a serious challenge. If I had social media at the time, the flexibility of content and the opportunity to share what I saw immediately to a large audience would obviously be incredible. We could share video footage of the England blind team doing skills that sighted players would struggle to do, while professional sighted players tried blind football for the day. The engagement, reach and awareness on a piece of content like that would be massive. At FIFA in 2015, I’m looking to use this platform in a way that I couldn’t back then and communicate the role that we are playing in using football to help better the world.

Another advantage would also be the access to journalists and publications, they’re all on Twitter and all looking for a good story. Trying to persuade them to come on a train ride with me to Hereford for the day to cover a story back in 2000 was a lot of work. Now you can engage them with great content on Twitter that’s already getting a reaction, this helps encourage them to pick up the story.”

To Read the full article from SocialBro click here

Stable staff will be granted free entry by showing their Stable Pass at the Grandstand Entrance on the day. Stable Passes are normally only allowed to be released to staff by trainers when they are looking after a horse that is running on that day, but the British Horseracing Authority has supported Newbury’s gesture by sanctioning this one-off initiative.

Julian Thick, CEO of Newbury Racecourse, said: “Al Shaqab Lockinge Day is a major highlight of our Flat racing season, and has been boosted by a major five-year sponsorship deal with Al Shaqab Racing.

“We wanted to thank stable staff for all they do to support the industry by allowing them to come and watch some of the best horses in Europe free of charge and I’m grateful to the BHA for their flexibility in helping us to make this offer.”

George McGrath, Chief Executive of the National Association of Stable Staff, added: “This is a really nice gesture by Newbury Racecourse and it is good to see recognition for the vital role that stable staff play in racing. I hope that many of them are able to take advantage of this offer.”

Bjorn Again to perform after racing

Newbury Racecourse is supporting Breast Cancer Care on one of the highlights of its Flat racing season, Betfred Ladies Day on Saturday, August 15.

Donations from ticket sales and fundraising activities on the day will help to raise at least £25,000 for the charity, which provides information and support for people affected by breast cancer in the UK, and campaigns for improved standards of care.

Newbury Racecourse’s CEO Julian Thick said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Breast Cancer Care at one of our most eagerly awaited racedays of the year. I hope that we will raise a significant sum of money for this excellent cause in addition to providing superb all-round entertainment to the thousands of racegoers who attend one of the region’s summer highlights.”

Sara Rees, Head of Partnerships at Breast Cancer Care, said: “We are so grateful to have been chosen as the charity partner for this year’s Ladies Day. All funds raised will help Breast Cancer Care to support thousands of people facing this brutal disease. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime, so there has never been such an urgent need for our services.”

The most significant race on an excellent day of top class sport is the hugely valuable Hungerford Stakes over seven furlongs, which is being run for £150,000 this year, a 50 per cent increase on 2014.

Other races of note include the Denford Stud Stakes, won last year by champion two-year-old Belardo, and the Geoffrey Freer Stakes, often a stepping stone for the world’s oldest Classic race, the St Leger at Doncaster.

There will be plenty to keep racegoers entertained off the track, with the chance to enter the ‘Most Stylish Racegoer’ competition, with a first prize of a holiday to Florida worth more than £4,500.

Music will also feature throughout the day, including an after-racing party featuring the world famous ABBA tribute band Bjorn Again.

Also entertaining racegoers will be a cocktail mixologist show, street performers and other entertainers, a professional photo experience, as well as the return of the Refresh & Revive Pamper Zone in association with Newbury’s Parkway Shopping Centre, at which a range of make-up touch-ups, relaxing massages, hair fixes and emergency nail repairs will be on offer.

With seven top quality races and all the additional entertainment, Betfred Ladies Day promises to be a real day out to remember in 2015.

To buy tickets, please visit www.newburyracecourse.co.uk

At 6.30am tomorrow, Tuesday 5th May 2015, endurance cyclists Dominic Irvine and Charlie Mitchell begin their attempt to break the long-standing record for non-stop cycling on a tandem from Land’s End to John O’Groats. The challenge will involve 832 miles of non-stop cycling over a period of just over two days to break a record that has stood for nearly half a century.

According to the Road Records Association, the men’s tandem bicycle from Land’s End to John O’Groats record is held by the now legendary riders Pete Swinden and John Withers and has been an unbeaten record since 1966 standing at two days, two hours, 14 minutes and 25 seconds (50 hours, 14 minutes and 25 seconds).

Many have tried and failed to break the record over the years, including Olympic gold medallist James Cracknell (along with Jerone Walters and Rebecca Romero) whose valiant efforts fell just short, emphasising the magnitude of the task.

Dominic has made two previous attempts at breaking the record in 2012 and 2014, falling agonisingly short on both occasions but learning valuable lessons along the way. As well as an endurance cyclist, Dominic is founder of Epiphanies LLP, a leadership and development consultancy. He spends his days helping people in business improve their performance, and the tandem challenge is about living the lessons he helps others apply, setting awesome and ridiculous goals and going about achieving them through the right plan and great teamwork.

Dominic commented: “Charlie and I might be the ones riding the bike, but it’s a real team effort and a huge amount of work from everyone has gone into making this record attempt possible. I’m extremely grateful to the coaches at Winchester University who developed our training plan, the guys at Orbit Tandems who specially designed our amazing bike, our nutritionist and all the medics, route-planners and support crew who have given up their time to support the attempt, proof that success is a team game. With the dedication and training we’ve all put in, myself and Charlie have a real shot at breaking this record and we’re very excited to get going.”

You can follow the team’s progress throughout the attempt on their live GPS tracker – https://share.delorme.com/DominicIrvine

Or follow the team on twitter @a3crg / @OrbitTandems

The Riders:

Dominic Irvine

• Tandem Captain (steers bike, makes decisions over the choice of line on the road and aims to maintain a constant cadence using the gears and getting as low as possible on the tri bars to improve aerodynamics)
• Age: 46
• Day job: Motivational speaker, Leadership & Development Consultant
• Home town: Alresford, Hampshire
• Years riding: 20+
• Cycling and other sporting achievements to date:
• London-Edinburgh-London finisher (on a single speed bike)
• Race Across The Alps finisher (second Brit to finish – a non-stop 525km race over 13,500m of alpine passes)
• Transpyr finisher (first person to complete this on a single geared mountain bike – an 825km stage event with over 21,000m of climbing)
• Multiple Ironman finisher, marathon runner and adventure racer

Charlie Mitchell

• Tandem Stoker (consistent power input, actively responding to terrain, going with the flow of the bike in corners, managing nutrition for both riders and assisting with signalling to other traffic)
• Age: 36
• Day job: Veterinary Surgeon
• Home town: Ovington, Hampshire
• Years riding: 15+
• Cycling achievements to date:
• 9^th place in National 50 mile Time Trial Championships 2014
• 11^th place in National Circuit Race Championships 2013
• Sub 20 minutes for 10 mile Time Trial
• Regular podium finisher in regional time trial events representing his club …a3crg

Fun facts about the attempt:

Glow in the Park runs are a series of after-dark 5km fun running experiences, offering a safe environment to experience the thrill of night running. Participants can run, jog, walk and dance their way around the Glow Course making their way through music and light displays.

New zones are waiting to be discovered and experienced this year, include the UV Bubble Zone, Lolly Pop Land, Fluorescent Park, the Twilight zone, and the Rainbow Road along with previous popular zones the Time Tunnel Glow Zone and the Retro Zone.

It’s not just about running – it’s all about the ‘Glow,’ so runners are advised to come suitably prepared with their ‘Glow Gear’ including head torches, glow sticks, fluro face paint and flashing high viz clothing…the wilder the better. And if they really want to go over the top, the Glow Shop will be open at all the events, selling glow sticks, head torches, necklaces, bracelets and wands!

The party starts at 8pm when the sun starts to go down.

Further Glow in the Park events confirmed for this autumn:

Saturday 31st October – Heaton Park, Manchester
Saturday 14th November – Kempton Park near London

Go to www.glowinthepark.co.uk