AWARDS SEASON AT PONTEFRACT RACECOURSE
The 2023 racing season gets underway at Pontefract on Tuesday 11th April.
At their ‘Welcome to Pontefract’ Lunch on Thursday 2nd March, the Racecourse hosted their first ever Awards with connections of the winners being presented with mementoes to mark the success. In typical Pontefract fashion, the awards had a strong local theme with some stalwarts of the Pontefract turf and unsung heroes of the equine world getting their name in lights.
The first award (Champion Stayer) went to Ruth Jefferson’s Flint Hill who won the Pontefract Stayers Series for a second successive year. The winning owners, Robert Whitelock and Lynn Clemitson, along with the trainer, were on hand to collect the award with the gelding reportedly on course to make a defence of his title. Ruth Jefferson has more pressing matters at hand with stable star, Sounds Russian, primed to run in the Cheltenham Gold Cup later in the month.
The second award was for the performance of the season and went to Archie Watson’s Corinthia Knight who has won 6 of his 9 course starts at the West Yorkshire track including carrying a welter weight of 10st 3lbs to victory on Monday 6th June 2022. Chris Patten, representing winning owners, Ontoawinner, collected the award reporting that the gelding had been running on the all weather over the winter, but would be back at Ponte in 2023!
The next award was for ‘Pontefract Horse of the Year’ and was won by Richard Whitaker’s Round The Island’. The Pontefract regular won his 7th victory at the course in 2022 and the trainer has a close eye on equalling the record of 8 course wins set by the hero of yesteryear, Mr Wolf. Mr Wolf’s owner, Andy Turton, picked up the final Special Award for his Ponte specialist, Mr Orange, following his retirement at the end of 2022. The course favourite won 7 races up the famous hill and will be very much missed in 2023. He’s fit and well though and enjoying a well earned retirement.
The West Yorkshire course is no stranger to awards ceremonies. Having been given the highest accolade of ‘Showcase Champion Racecourse’ in 2019, they hosted the prestigious Racecourse Association Showcase Awards last November. They picked up two of the eleven awards on offer during the night – the Marketing Award for their OAP Free Day and the Food and Beverage Award for their hugely popular on site café, Huggamug @ The Pavilion. The café also won an award from the Pontefract Civic Society earlier in the year, while the Stable Accommodation refurbishment picked up a prize at the same event.
For more information please view the course’s website at www.pontefract-races.co.uk or call The Administration Offices on 01977 781307.