British Racing is set to promote the sport’s high standards of equine welfare on Friday 15th December at The Horse Comes First’s annual national raceday.
Working in partnership with Bangor, Chelmsford City, Cheltenham and Doncaster racecourses, The Horse Comes First will be raising awareness among racegoers of the first class care given to racehorses both during and after their racing careers.
Cheltenham Racecourse will be the flagship course for the day and will host a painted horse display. In a spectacle not to be missed, former racehorse Follow the Fact (Ned) will have the anatomy of a thoroughbred painted on his body and will walk around the parade ring. During this display, an equine vet will explain to racegoers how a racehorse’s organs operate to provide the power that enables the thoroughbred to gallop at speeds of around 40mph over a sustained distance, and why the breed is unique amongst animals.
Bangor, Chelmsford City and Doncaster racecourses will also be celebrating the national raceday, with representatives of The Horse Comes First joining in with the activities and engaging racegoers with the unrivalled levels of care and attention that racehorses receive throughout the country.
The Horse Comes First raceday will also be covered by ITV Racing as part of their broadcast from Cheltenham racecourse on ITV4 from 1:30pm.
This is the fourth annual The Horse Comes First raceday, and has previously taken place across Hamilton Park, Newmarket, Nottingham, Newcastle, Aintree, Southwell, Newbury and Great Yarmouth racecourses.
Robin Mounsey, spokesman for The Horse Comes First, said:
“We are delighted to be hosting The Horse Comes First raceday for the fourth year running. This is a perfect opportunity to inform racegoers about the exceptional levels of equine welfare across racing industry.
“British Racing has a track record to be proud of in terms of the care provided to racehorses both during and after their racing career. We look forward to demonstrating the positive impact of the £32 million worth of investment that British Racing has invested in veterinary research and education since 2000, and the dedication of the over 6,000 people in giving first class care and attention to the 14,000 horses in training.
“Our raceday wouldn’t be possible without support from across the industry, and we are incredibly grateful to each of the racecourses taking part and to everyone who will be supporting us via social media.”
Ian Renton, the Jockey Club’s Regional Director for Cheltenham and The South West, said:
“The Horse comes first is a great initiative to raise awareness of the care provided to horses across the UK and we are delighted to host the painted horse display at Cheltenham Racecourse.”
