Racing For Change Offers Free Racing
25 of Britain’s biggest racecourses, including Ascot and Newbury, are to offer spectators the chance to watch racing free of charge, on specific days, during the month of April – in a venture created by ‘Racing for Change’, the racecourses and lovetheraces.com.
After a success of last year’s ‘free racing week’, which saw an additional 40,000 spectators visit the races, the 2011 season will see the period extended to a full month.
In total 17 race meetings are entirely free in at least one major enclosure at each racecourse, while a further 5,500 free tickets are available in advance at 11 fixtures.
Horse racing is currently the second most popular spectator sport in Britain, with only football watched by more people.
Rod Street, chief executive of Racing for Change, said: ‘This ground breaking move in April is being organised in a bid to attract record numbers of new customers to the fun and exciting sport of horse racing. It’s also a great way to reward existing fans of the sport’.
Amongst the free racing available to the public is the opening day of Newmarket’s Craven meeting, the Easter Day fixture at Sandown Park, the Dubai Duty Free Spring Trials weekend at Newbury, a Saturday afternoon fixture at Kempton Park, and the ‘Royal Wedding meeting’ at Perth.
