Saturday 9th November is a key date in any West Country sports fan’s diary. Badger Beers Chase Day at Wincanton Racecourse sees the Jump racing fraternity descend on Somerset for a quality day of racing on day two of the West Country Weekend, alongside Exeter’s Haldon Gold Cup Day on Friday 8th.
The Badger Beers Chase is a landmark in the racing season, and it has a host of historic winners from Cheltenham Festival winner Frodon to a region favourite Coome Hill. Recent winner Blackjack Magic (above) is trained just down the road by Anthony Honeyball.
Part of the social calendar
General Manager Blaithin Murphy explains of the excitement ahead of the West Country Weekend: ‘Joining together our fixture with the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter Racecourse has been a great success for both courses. We’re heading into our third West Country Weekend now, and we’re delighted with how it is developing. Badger Beers Chase Day is one of my favourite days of the year! We are able to showcase our fantastic racecourse on ITV, and we have been able to build on the day and make racing part of the county’s social calendar.
‘The raceday will have quality action on and off the track – it’s a day packed with fun and entertainment for everyone. Racegoers will be able to try out their jockey skills with the Rodeo Bull challenge and enter the competition to see if they can last longer than a jockey! Or perhaps a trip to the Fun Fair stalls, or the chance to dress to impress and be in with the chance of winning on-the-spot prizes in the Style Awards!’
Racegoers can enjoy live music from the Fat Cats Brass Band as they roam the racecourse, and end the day with an energetic performance by The Show Ponies after learning all about the life of a jockey in the GBR Jockey Hub.
Local stars
Wincanton is considered to be based in the ‘sweet spot’ of British racing. With 14-times Champion Jump trainer, Paul Nicholls based just down the road in Ditcheat and popular former jockey-turned-trainer Joe Tizzard in Sherborne, Wincanton regularly hosts star names at the track and both are likely to have plenty of runners on the card.
Joe Tizzard said: ‘We are West Country trainers and we love the two tracks. It is a big day with the Badger Beer Chase as part of West Country Weekend and it would be a bad job if we couldn’t support it with our best horses. ‘They are in really cracking form at the moment and we are really looking forward to it.’
In the lead up to the big day, Wincanton Racecourse will be welcoming almost 100 children from local primary schools to learn and experience all the racing industry has to offer. From jockey fitness to meeting a retired racehorse, the day will be filled with memorable experiences for the children.
To find out more about Badger Chase Day, and Wincanton’s other fixtures please visit: thejockeyclub.co.uk/wincanton.
