HORSE-RACING: Half-price entry for young adults on Huntingdon's big day

That’s Betfred Peterborough Chase day, the outstanding fixture of the year.

Young adults are encouraged to register immediately at RacePass18to24.co.uk to receive their free RacePass membership card, which is eligible for use at The Jockey Club’s 15 racecourses in England, including Newmarket too.

With under 18s, accompanied by an adult, offered free admission already and students and senior citizens given discounts, it means a day at the races is becoming even more affordable. With Huntingdon Racecourse’s popular Boxing Day meeting also fast approaching, young adults should not delay in registering.

The dedicated website, RacePass18to24.co.uk, lists all participating fixtures. Getting a RacePass is free and Jockey Club Racecourses is guaranteeing a minimum of 250 tickets will be available for half-price at each of the fixtures involved.

Liam Johnson, general manager of Huntingdon Racecourse, said: “Betfred Peterborough Chase day is our most high profile and prestigious fixture of the year at Huntingdon Racecourse and the early indications are that we are going to have a cracking field of runners for the big race.

“Coming racing at Huntingdon Racecourse is always affordable for families, with accompanied under 18s already offered free admission, so we are delighted to be launching RacePass 18to24 which gives young adults the chance to come racing at half-price.”

Trainers will enter their horses for the £65,000 Grade 2 Betfred Peterborough Chase on Monday (November 28).

The occasion on Sunday, December 4 not only offers families a great racing day out before the Christmas holidays but also the top jockeys in Britain will be riding at the racecourse.

One Peterborough Chase ‘winner’ is former trainer Henrietta Knight, who sent out horses to win the race eight times between 1998 and 2007. She is being honoured for the third time in the Listed £20,000 Betfred Mobile Henrietta Knight Mares’ Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race.

Four horses made up the eight victories that the popular trainer sent out to win the Peterborough Chase. Edredon Bleu (French for ‘blue eiderdown’) won the race in four consecutive years from 1998. Three-times Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Best Mate was victorious in 2002. After a three-year gap in winners for Henrietta, Impek won the two-and-a-half mile race in 2005 and Racing Demon was triumphant in both 2006 and 2007.

Betfred Peterborough Chase fact file

First run – 2nd December 1969; run under today’s conditions since 1978;

Most successful horse – Edredon Bleu with four wins;

Most successful trainer – Henrietta Knight with eight wins;

Most successful jockeys – Richard Dunwoody and Jim Culloty with four wins each;

Abandoned – just once, due to fog in 1982 (2010 and 2012 races were transferred to Newbury and Kempton Park);

Days of the week – run on Tuesday (from 1969), Saturday (from 1998), Thursday (from 2008) and Sunday (from 2014).

Tickets for the Main Enclosure are on sale for Betfred Peterborough Chase Day at http://huntingdon.thejockeyclub.co.uk and on the ticket hotline on 0844 579 3007, starting from £18 in advance (£20 on the day). Accompanied children aged 17 years and under are admitted free of charge.

For those spectators wishing to make their visit to the racecourse extra special, there is a choice of Lentons Package, including a pint of beer or a glass of wine, a race-day programme and a hot home-made pie, which is £27 in advance, or Hurdles Package (dish of the day instead of the pie), which is £31 in advance.

Racing on Sunday, 4th December is between 12.30pm and 3.30pm, with gates open two hours before the first race.

About Huntingdon Racecourse

Huntingdon Racecourse was voted ‘Best Small Racecourse’ in the South Midlands and East Anglia by the Racegoers Club in 2012 and 2014. More information is available at http://huntingdon.thejockeyclub.co.uk.

Huntingdon Racecourse is part of The Jockey Club, which has been at the heart of British racing for more than 260 years. Today the largest commercial group in the sport, The Jockey Club runs the largest racecourse group in the UK by turnover (2015: £183.3m), courses (15) including those at Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs and Newmarket, attendances (2015: 1.95m), total prize money (2015: £43.9m), contribution to prize money (2015: £19.9m) and quality racing (Group and Graded races); more than 3,000 acres of world-class training grounds in Newmarket, Lambourn and Epsom Downs; The National Stud breeding enterprise and education provider; and the charity for racing’s people in need, Racing Welfare. Governed by Royal Charter, every penny The Jockey Club makes it puts back into British racing. More information is available at www.thejockeyclub.co.uk.