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Ayr Racecourse News |
Family Fun On Ayr's Sunday Raceday 28/06/10
Ayr Racecourse stages its only Sunday meeting of the year on 4th July with the Totepool Armed Forces Family Raceday at Ayr which should be a super day out for everyone.
There's competitive racing for the grown ups and superb FREE entertainment with a beach theme for the children.
There's fairground rides, a surf simulator, pony rides, Punch and Judy Show, face painting, crazy golf, circus skills and much more plus the fabulous childrens entertainer Magic Malky.
There is also FREE entry to all current serving members of the Armed Forces and their families, including members of all Veterans Associations and Veterans Charities. Each member will be entitled to claim a free Grandstand Family Ticket which allows access for two adults and up to three children under 16.
Tickets must be booked in advance before June 30, 2010.
There are seven races on the card with the feature the Campbeltown Bar Stewart Scott Memorial Handicap over a mile at 3.40 pm.
Gates open at 12.10 pm and first race is at 2.10 pm and the last race on the card is due off at 5.10pm.
For more information on racing at Ayr go online at www.ayr-racecourse.co.uk or call 01292-264179.
New Clerk of the Course at Ayr
23/03/10
Ayr Racecourse has appointed Emma Marley as Clerk of the Course and she will assume her duties from early May.
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Emma, 30, is a graduate of Warwickshire Agricultural College where she gained a BA (Hons) first class degree and is also a BHA Development Programme Graduate.
Currently Clerk of the Course at Bath for Northern Racing Ltd, Emma has long and varied experience in the racing industry and has also worked for Northern Racing in their commercial departments at Chepstow and Hereford.
Prior to this Emma has worked as assistant trainer, racing secretary, work rider and has also trained her own Point-to-Point horses.
Emma commented : “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time working with Northern Racing and I am grateful for their investment in me over the years.
“I am delighted that the Managing Executive at Ayr has recognised my potential, drive and ambition to maintain and enhance the premier racing venue in Scotland. I am looking forward to a fresh challenge and welcoming all to Ayr Racecourse.”
Emma replaces Hazel Peplinksi who has been Acting Clerk of the Course at Scotland's premier track since last August after then Clerk Katherine Self left to take up a post with HM Coastguard.
Richard Johnstone, Managing Director of Ayr Racecourse, said : “We are delighted to confirm Emma as our Clerk of the Course and everyone at Ayr is looking forward to working with her. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Hazel Peplinksi for the sterling work she has done as acting Clerk of the Course since last August.”
Ayr Wins Award For Sixth Year In A Row
14/12/09
Ayr Racecourse has been voted Racecourse of the Year 2009 for Scotland and the North East by The Racegoers Club.
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This is the sixth year in a row the track has won the award having landed the accolade in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008.
The award recognises the vast improvements made at the course over the past six years including the £4.5 million Ayrshire Suite and Owners Bar.
The honour from The Racegoers Club is particularly pleasing for those associated with Ayr as the Club has 6,500 members who are all avid racegoers. Ayr has previously won the award 15 times since 1990.
Geoff Green, General Manager of Ayr Racecourse, said: “It is a great honour to win this award and underlines our status as one of the top racecourses in the UK.
“To have won this six times in a row is especially pleasing and I’d like to thank everyone who voted for us.”
To find out more about racing at Ayr you can visit www.ayr-racecourse.co.uk or call 0870-8505666.
Attendances Boost For Ayr
30/09/08
Attendances at Ayr Racecourse’s top 10 fixtures in 2008 topped 73,000 as crowds continue to flock back to Scotland’s premier race track.
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The marketing ploy of jointly promoting the fixtures, which included the Coral Scottish Grand National Festival and the John Smith’s Ayr Gold Cup Festival, as ‘Scotland’s Top 10’, proved a great success with more than half of the meetings showing significant increases year on year and the others maintaining the high levels of 2007.
The biggest success was Saints and Sinners Racenight in June which was held at Ayr for the first time and attracted a crowd of 7,717 while the biggest year on year increase came on Coral Scottish Grand National Friday which rose by a staggering 43.3% to 5,720.
Other increases were on Coral Scottish Grand National Saturday (8.3%), Ladies Night (7.6%), July Sunday Family Day (19.2%) and Glasgow Fair Monday (13.7%). Attendances at the recent John Smith’s Ayr Gold Cup Festival were marginally down on 2007 when the figures were the highest for 50 years. Over the three days crowds were down by 450 to 20,800.
Ayr Racecourse General Manager William Gorol said : “We took a conscious decision to actively marker our leading fixtures under the banner ‘Scotland’s Top 10’ and I feel its been a great success.
“One of the most significant achievements has been to build our Friday evening and Saturday afternoon fixture in June to be our ‘third’ big meeting behind the Coral Scottish Grand National and John Smith’s Ayr Gold Cup Festivals.
“We attracted 7,717 to Saints and Sinners Night on the Friday but also held our 6,500 crowd on the Scottish Sun Raceday the following afternoon which was really pleasing. Our crowds continue to grow in a time of recession and that is particularly satisfying. Our leading 10 fixtures in 2007 attracted 64,500 while this years we had 73,587 through the doors. We still have seven more fixtures this year and look to continue the good work.
“While the Gold Cup meeting was marginally down our bars, restaurants and corporate areas all increased their takings over the three days year on year.”
Iris De Balme Bags Shock Scottish National Win
19/04/08
Iris De Balme produced an extraordinary performance to land the Coral Scottish
Grand National at Ayr. [more]
Racecourse Welcomes in 2008 but 2007 was a Bumper Year for Ayr 21/12/07
AYR Racecourse heralds in 2008 with its traditional January 2 meeting which should attract a crowd of around 3500.
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are seven races scheduled – five hurdles and two chases with the
action starting at 12.40 pm with the Book Now For The Coral Scottish
National Juvenile Novice Hurdle.
Feature race on the day is the Happy New Year From Ayr Handicap Chase
over two miles four furlongs at 2.45 pm and recent Ayr winner Endless
Power from the Jim Goldie stable could well go for this.
Advance tickets are on sale with 10 % discount for single bookings or
20 % for parties of 20 or more. Both offers are subject to bookings being
made seven or more days in advance. Simply go online at www.ayr-racecourse.co.uk or call 0870-8505666.
And for those wanting to join in the festive fun disc jockey Tom Jones
will be playing for three hours after racing.
As Ayr Racecourse looks ahead to what should be an exciting 2008 its
also time to reflect on a highly successful 2007 at the course with a
classic Coral Scottish Grand National, mouth watering totesport.com Ayr
Gold Cup and the finest ever Doonside Cup in living memory.
Who can forget the look on Ferdy Murphy’s face as his horses Hot
Weld, ridden by PJ McDonald and the Graham Lee partnered Nine de Sivola
crossed the line first and second in the Scottish
National.
The former’s performance was stunning, making most of the running
before being headed just before two out then getting up again to hold
on from his stablemate. PJ was understandably delighted and it was fitting
that this race put him firmly on the map, even though he later quit the
jumps game for flat racing.
In between the Scottish National and Gold Cup we had a fantastic Scottish
Sun Raceday the highlight of which was the performance of the Luca Cumani
trained, Nicky Mackay ridden Samira Gold in winning the Scottish Sun
Stakes at odds of 7/2.
The totesport.com Ayr Gold Cup went to 20/1 shot Advanced, trained by
Kevin Ryan and ridden by joint champion jockey Jamie Spencer. To underline
the quality of the race the winner was rated 109, the third highest rated
horse in the history of the race to win it.
First Minister Alex Salmond presented the Gold Cup to winning connections
and later he said : “The Ayr Gold Cup is one of my favourite sporting
occasions. It was a great day and Ayr Racecourse looks magnificent.”
Later on Gold Cup day the Doonside Cup was run and it was undoubtedly
the classiest race of the day and won by one classy filly in Anna Pavlova
(4/1), trained by Richard Fahey and ridden by Paul Hanagan. The filly
came with a wet sail to win by a length and three quarters from Dunaskin
(50/1).
2007 will also be remembered at Ayr as the year there was huge increases
in attendances with the Scottish National, Gold Cup, Scottish Sun Raceday
and Ladies Day all being significantly up on previous years.
With the continuing multi million pound development of the track there’s
plenty to look forward to in 2008.
