The countdown to the biggest charity raceday in the country begins again on Sunday, when entries open to become one of the twelve riders in the Best Western Hotels & Macmillan Ride of their Lives, on Saturday 17 June 2017.
It offers a chance for twelve members of the public to enjoy the “ride of their lives” as they participate in a nine furlong race around the famous Knavesmire. Each will pledge at least £3,000 to Macmillan Cancer Support, though this year’s participant’s contributed more than £170,000 to a cumulative total that over the last 46 years has raised over £7,000,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support and local charities.
The race has become a popular part of a day that heads towards its 47th year and is the biggest single fund raising event in the Macmillan calendar.
Riders from the class of ’16 – who included a hairdresser and a nurse – can take a real pride in having contributed a record amount to Macmillan. The honour of raising the most as an individual falls to Ruth Carr, who posted nearly £38,000. As recognition of their fund raising achievement, the sponsors of the race, Best Western Hotels have given each rider a complimentary break at one of their properties.
The most important aspect of the race itself was that all the partnerships returned safely to the stables. The record books will show that Ruth Carr aboard Dubai Dynamo, a horse she trains herself from her racing yard at Stillington, was led into the Winner’s Enclosure.
As part of the Press Family Raceday on Sunday 4 September, the riders will be presented with a memento of their big day in June; as leading racing photographer Mick Atkins has created a special photo book that charts their training as well as their historic ride around the Knavesmire.
Robyn Mountain Wade, Macmillan Special Events Manager, said: “Macmillan Charity Raceday is the biggest single fundraising event in our calendar and the Ride of their Lives is an incredible finale. The months of training and fundraising which all the riders put themselves through is inspirational. Their hard work makes a real difference – money raised helps fund Macmillan services, which are there to support people affected by cancer. We’re looking forward to the 2017 event, and we’re delighted to have the continued, generous support of Best Western Hotels and York Racecourse.”
Given the nature of riding a thoroughbred in front of a large crowd, the 2017 contestants are likely to already have riding experience but rest assured that anyone interested will be given intensive tuition so they have the chance to reach the required safety standard to make the start line. As this is a significant commitment it explains the early start for the search for competitors.
Once the field has been announced in December this year you will be able to help them fund raise in lots of ways, by visiting their donation pages on Just Giving or by attending the raceday on Saturday 17 June 2017.