The popular Malton Stables Open Day is returning after a year out. Renamed ‘Malton Festival of Racing’, the event will take place on Sunday, September 17th and is sponsored by Arena Racing Company. Fifteen yards in the Malton area will be opening their doors to the public in the morning and a programme of exciting activities is scheduled in the afternoon.
Malton Festival of Racing will give racing fans and local people the opportunity to see behind-the-scenes at the yards of some of Yorkshire’s best known trainers. Trainers opening their yard gates to visitors include Richard Fahey, Brian Ellison, Mick Easterby and David O’Meara. For people attending the St Leger meeting at Doncaster Racecourse on Saturday 16th, visiting Malton Festival of Racing on the Sunday will make a truly memorable racing weekend.
After meeting racehorses, stable staff and trainers in the morning, visitors will be able to enjoy a wide range of attractions in the afternoon which will appeal to horseracing fans of all ages. These events include; a jockey’s relay showjumping competition; a question and answer session with well-known racing characters in the marketplace; a racing personality’s dog show and hobby horse and wheelbarrow races for stable staff. There will also be a wide-range of high-quality food and drink and shopping stalls in the marketplace.
As the organisers of the event, Racing Welfare will be the main beneficiary charity of the Open Day, with a proportion of the funds raised also going to local causes. Racing Welfare has a significant presence in Malton, providing wide-ranging support to all of those in the area who work in, or are retired from racing. The charity’s regional office at 4, Old Maltongate provides a base for two Welfare Officers as well as safe, secure accommodation for six young people starting out on their careers. Retired racing staff in the Malton area are also well catered-for with monthly coffee mornings, trips and outings and the Sporting Memories reminiscence project all helping to prevent loneliness and social isolation amongst the community.
Sarah Fanning, Regional Welfare Manager for the North at Racing Welfare said “The Malton Festival of Racing, incorporating the Stables Open Day is a key event for the horseracing industry in the area. It helps to highlight the success of racing in the North of England and provides a special opportunity for racing fans and local people to see the hard work that takes place behind the scenes in the sport.”
Richard Fahey, Malton-based Racehorse Trainer said “I’m looking forwards to opening Musley Bank for the Malton Festival of Racing. It’s fantastic to see this event returning to the calendar and there will be a warm welcome for every visitor to the yard. Whether you are just interested in seeing what happens behind-the-scenes at a racing yard or if you’re interested in getting into racehorse ownership, we are looking forwards to answering all of your questions and showing you around!”
Tickets to the event are on sale now at www.maltonfestivalofracing.co.uk with adult tickets priced at £10, concessions at £7.50 and those 16 and under going free of charge.
Press contact: Rachel Cawley (01638 560 763; rcawley@racingwelfare.co.uk)