£90,000 raised at Newbury Racecourse's Greatwood charity raceday

Written by Tony Millett.

Riders in the Bloor Homes Supporting Greatwood Charity Race: Lisa Kozak, Sheikh Fahad Al Thani, David Dennis, Simon Cross, Hannah Bishop, Georgie Norton (winner), Richard Marks, Steph Cameron, Sarah Milsom & Polly-Anna Greco

The annual Greatwood race day at Newbury Racecourse was held last Saturday (March 4), raising in excess of £90,000 (net) for the charity which is based at Clench Common, just south of Marlborough. In addition to a card of sponsored 'Supporting Greatwood' races, 360 guests attended a lunch at the racecourse. There was a silent auction with a vast array of valuable lots.

The last race on the card was a special charity race sponsored by Bloor Homes with ten amateur riders giving it their all. It was won by Georgie Norton riding Eddiemaurice - owned by Mel Mathias and trained by John Flint.

A Greatwood spokesperson told Marlborough.News: "This is an astonishing amount of money, which will have a hugely positive impact on the charity in helping to continue to care for ex-racehorses as well as educating young people with additional educational needs and disabilities."

Greatwood’s Managing Director & Co-Founder, Helen Yeadon, said: “Now in its tenth year and a firm fixture in the racing diary, the raceday was a resounding success. I would like to thank all of our sponsors: William Hill, Betway, BetVictor, Moore of Devizes Ltd, Bloor Homes, and Irish Thoroughbred Marketing for their immense support of the day. The silent auction contributes to a large proportion of our fundraising efforts and I must thank all those who contributed and placed bids."

"Finally a big thank you to the intrepid riders in the charity race, for training so hard and raising the most fantastic amount of money (£40,000) in the process. Along with the Stewards, Clerk of the Course Richard Osgood, Sarah Oliver of the Amateur Jockeys Association, we are hugely grateful to the chairman, directors and all the staff at Newbury Racecourse for helping make the day such a triumph.”

Established in 1993, Greatwood is the first organisation to use ex-racehorses to help educate disadvantaged young people aged 5-24 with additional educational needs & disabilities.

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