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Welcome to another blog from the team at Pontefract Racecourse.

Every fortnight, someone from the team will share their thoughts for your entertainment (or otherwise!):

• Managing Director, Norman Gundill with his trusty PA, Caroline who also looks after the hospitality,
• Accounts Manager, Nicola,
• Admin manager, Carol,
• Marketing exec, Alexia, and,
• Chief Operating Officer, Richard (who is writing today’s blog)

Pontefract Racecourse is not only a Racecourse, but we’re a part of a busy and thriving community. It is important for us to not only offer a fantastic venue for the racing audience, but to be able to support and benefit some of the under represented groups in our area.

We have worked with racing based charities such as Racing Welfare and The Injured Jockeys Fund for several years, but have extended our community based work to groups in the local area who had no particular connection to the Racing Industry and who, perhaps, felt that the Racecourse and what it had to offer, was outside their scope.

We started working with the Into The Sky Theatre Company in 2016. They are a group of young adults with varied special education needs and they meet at the Racecourse each week for a music and drama workshop. Many of the students are based in and around Pontefract and, by using the Racecourse space, they are able to work towards putting on theatre performances throughout Wakefield and the five towns.

The group has a number of neurodivergent students as well as those with accessibility issues and many found themselves at a loss of what to do once they have finished their college courses. Allowing these young people to use a room at the Racecourse has given them the opportunity to thrive as well as celebrate and raise awareness of the creative talents of people with learning disabilities.

The Into The Sky Theatre Group are now an integral part of the Racecourse. Not only do they have a named race and a bucket collection to enable them to raise vital funds, they have been a huge help to the Racecourse in enabling us to upgrade our accessibility facilities – from giving feedback on viewing as well as what is expected of an accessible toilet. At our recent ‘Racing For Everyone’ raceday, we welcomed guests from Autism In Racing on site. They were able to meet some of the team members from Into The Sky to enable us to continue to improve and upgrade our facilities and understand what is needed.

We also have an annual Christmas party for the group and it’s truly one of the highlights of the year for the Admin team. The anticipation of their ever changing version of the Twelve Days of Christmas is truly something to behold.   

We’ve also been able to introduce the group to horse racing as well! The majority had never been to a race meeting before but are now regulars at our family events, as well as the music nights where they’re able to take advantage of the dedicated accessible viewing areas that we have for these events. They were even filmed for the Sky Bet Sunday Series in 2022 and had their own slot on the ITV coverage of the race meeting.

The Into The Sky Group, and their sister group Cross The Sky , go from strength to strength and have performances booked later in the year at Wakefield Theatre Royal and Barnsley Civic. If you get the chance to see any of their shows, make sure to do so. You won’t be disappointed.

Welcome to another blog from the team at Pontefract Racecourse.

Every fortnight, someone from the team will share their thoughts for your entertainment (or otherwise!):

• Managing Director, Norman Gundill with his trusty PA, Caroline who also looks after the hospitality,
• Accounts Manager, Nicola,
• Admin manager, Carol,
• Marketing exec, Alexia, and,
• Chief Operating Officer, Richard

Today we would like to introduce you to a new member of the Pontefract team – Nico!

Pontefract Racecourse are delighted to announce that former racehorse, Nearly Caught (known affectionately as Nico), is to become their first Racehorse Ambassador.

Earning just under £350,000 in prize money, Nearly Caught was a strong stayer who often competed over marathon trips. He won 4 races at Listed level and took the Group 2 Prix Kergolay at Deauville. Partial to a trip to France, he also finished an excellent third in the Group 1 Prix Du Cadran at Longchamp.

Nearly Caught is no stranger to Pontefract either. In 2015 he won the Phil Bull Trophy by an impressive 10 lengths – his biggest winning margin throughout his esteemed career!

Nico spent his racing career in Newbury with trainer Hughie Morrison for whom he ran 40 races. Starting in April 2013, he won on his debut at Windsor and continued his career up until September 2018 when he was retired from racing. He went out on a high with a Listed win at Newmarket under jockey Ryan Moore.

Nico now spends his retirement in Yorkshire with charity New Beginnings, based near York, founded by Kevin and Pam Atkinson. Speaking about Nearly Caught, they said:

‘Nico is an absolute gentleman at home. He loves lots of attention and enjoys nothing more than rolling in the field. We’re really excited to be teaming up with Pontefract Racecourse and to introducing Nico to their racegoers.’

Richard Hammill, Chief Operating Officer for Pontefract Racecourse said:

‘We pride ourselves on providing the highest level of equine welfare at Pontefract when racehorses visit the track. We are delighted to team up with New Beginnings and Nico to showcase the wonderful care that is given to thoroughbreds in the next stage of their career. We have been lucky enough to work with Pam and Kevin for many years and look forward to our racegoers getting to know Nico.’

Since his retirement, not only has Nico been out and about on the Racecourses, but he’s been putting his new skills to the test at dressage competitions. Given his career to date, it will come as no surprise, that he has achieved great results!

New Beginnings rehome and retrain former racehorses. Their mission statement is to provide a safe, supportive environment for former racehorses to adapt and learn new skills after they have finished their first career in racing. They support 25 different retired racehorses in their lives past the post. You can find out more about them, or rehoming a racehorse at https://nbhorses.org.uk/

Racegoers can get to know Nico at each of the family Sunday racedays at Pontefract in 2023. He’ll be visiting with his friend, Remy (who raced as Goldream) and can be found on the Marquee Site overlooking the Parade Ring.

Sunday 25^th June

Sunday 30^th July

Sunday 20^th August.

Welcome to another blog from the team at Pontefract Racecourse.

Every fortnight, someone from the team will share their thoughts for your entertainment (or otherwise!):

• Managing Director, Norman Gundill with his trusty PA, Caroline who also looks after the hospitality,
• Accounts Manager, Nicola,
• Admin manager, Carol,
• Marketing exec, Alexia, and,
• Chief Operating Officer, Richard (who is writing today’s blog)

Will AI change the future of horse racing?

I wear a few different hats at the Racecourse – Clerk of the Course and Chief Operating Officer as well as overseeing the Marketing, Brand and Sponsorship offering at the track. I try to keep track of new trends and developments in the racing world, while also keeping an eye on the broader aspects that the different sides of my role entails.

The marketing world is in continual development – especially when it comes to the digital offering. Once upon a time, the website was the primary digital space available to companies. Now, social media is constantly evolving. Not so long ago, MySpace seemed to be the only site that was available but this has quickly been overtaken with the likes of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, You Tube, TikTok, Snapchat, WhatsApp and Pinterest among many that are easily available to the general public. There’ll be many more derivatives of these sites to follow too in coming years and each will bring their own unique selling point.

The ‘new kid on the block’, perhaps most significant in terms of marketing, is undoubtedly ChatGPT. Artificial Intelligence (or AI) has been around for a while but the speed in which it has developed is frightening. I remember watching a film called ‘I,Robot’ which seemed to be a futuristic experiment that could never really be replicated in real life. Well the future is here! Many websites already have simplified versions of AI in the form of chatbots, who answer basic questions on behalf of the business who deployed them. With the dawning of ChatGPT, there is now huge potential for these to be able to solve most of the problems that the user has. Google and Bing have swiftly launched their own counterparts to ChatGPT and it’s wise to expect newer and more impressive versions to follow soon.

What does ChatGPT do? In the simplest terms, ChatGPT takes on the conversational skills of a person to solve a problem for the user. It uses learnings from all it’s previous conversations to improve the responses which ensures that it is always developing.

However, the data set that it uses currently only goes up to, and includes, 2021, and so there are errors on occasion. The site also does not have live access to the internet and so some of the results can be slightly outdated. The technology, while impressive, is somewhat basic and crude and it might not use the voice and tone that you would expect.

For example, this is the response that was generated when I asked how to book tickets.

However, as a prototype for a tool, the potential is enormous and will undoubtedly get bigger and better.  

Will AI take over the future of horse racing?

I decided to ask ChatGPT just that. The response is here

While the algorithms are developing rapidly, there is still no way to predict what will win the 6.30pm at Ponte next week and so, from that point of view, human input will always be required. They’re unlikely to ever be able to ride or train a horse and put tactics in to play either. However, from a Clerking perspective, the Going Stick that is currently widely in use offers the first glimpse of technology in determining the state of the ground. It’s not such a huge leap of faith to imagine that one day in the future, AI will be used in turf care.

For now, the human touch is still required. But the future is not far away.

Welcome to another blog from the team at Pontefract Racecourse.

Every fortnight, someone from the team will share their thoughts for your entertainment (or otherwise!):

• Managing Director, Norman Gundill with his trusty PA, Caroline who also looks after the hospitality,
• Accounts Manager, Nicola,
• Admin manager, Carol,
• Marketing exec, Alexia, and,
• Chief Operating Officer, Richard (who is writing today’s blog)

The Music Night Countdown

The countdown is well and truly on for the first of our music nights at Ponte (26^th May).

It’s a busy, but slightly stressful, time for the team as we make sure that everything is in place. All Racecourses approach their music events from different viewpoints. But for us, with strict budget constraints, we try and cut out as many third parties as possible and, where we can, we deal directly with the artist(e)’s management team, arrange the stage directly with Event Equipment Hire and manage the sound and lighting production with John who knows the layout of the Racecourse well and knows the type of show that the audience respond to.

There is a huge amount of planning and preparation that goes on behind the scenes – with additional toilet facilities, bar marquees, extra furniture, new catering outlets, security planning meetings, back up generators, medical and veterinary requirements etc – no stone is left unturned.

Purist racegoers are often critical of racecourses who stage music events but, for us, we think that they provide a great way to introduce a new crowd to Pontefract. We’re very lucky to be so well supported by racegoers throughout Yorkshire and we want to be able to showcase the racecourse as both a corporate and a social venue so that these racegoers have us in mind when they are looking for options for days out with their family, or for somewhere to go with work colleagues or a destination that they might consider entertaining clients.  By seeing the Racecourse host a music act, we hope that they might return to us at a later date with their friends. But the racing should always be the focus of the event. At Pontefract, it is not by accident that the music forms an arena around the Parade Ring where the equine stars take centre stage. When marketing the racecourse, I have always believed that no matter what the theme of the day, we should arrange attractions for the customer but must always keep the horse at the very heart of everything we do. You cannot get away from the main event stars, the horses, when you attend a music night with us.

As a child of the 80s, it will come as no surprise that I have quite a big part to play when it comes to choosing the musical choices each year! We’ve been lucky to welcome some really incredible acts over the years – Cheryl, Mike & Jay (formerly of Bucks Fizz), Bananarama, Belinda Carlisle, Billy Ocean and, last year, Sister Sledge. And this year it’s the turn of Kim Wilde. The youngest member of our team, Alexia, nods her head politely when we talk about the performers, most of whom were topping the charts well before she was born. It’ll be Alexia’s first experience of a music night at Pontefract – as a child of the 00s, perhaps we’ll let her choose the artists for 2024!

Welcome to another blog from the team at Pontefract Racecourse.

Every fortnight, someone from the team will share their thoughts for your entertainment (or otherwise!):

• Managing Director, Norman Gundill with his trusty PA, Caroline who also looks after the hospitality,
• Accounts Manager, Nicola,
• Admin manager, Carol,
• Marketing exec, Alexia, and,
• Chief Operating Officer, Richard (who is writing today’s blog)

NATIONAL HORSERACING COLLEGE CHARITY DAY AT PONTEFRACT

Wednesday 3^rd May marked the 34^th running of the National Horseracing College Charity Day at Pontefract.

The National Horseracing College , based just outside Doncaster, was set up in 1984 and provides a range of courses at all levels for people who are looking at the horseracing industry as a future career. It also offers those currently in the business the chance to develop their qualifications and skills and provides the ideal opportunity to nurture the grass roots and future of the sport. On the 3^rd May, we welcome several of the learners and instructors to the course to gain some hands on experience of a day at the races. Under the brilliant leadership of the Chief Executive, Colonel Padgett, there is no better place to learn for those who are wanting to get involved in the racing industry.

Fittingly, the Apprentices kicked proceedings off with the 3^rd round of the Go Racing In Yorkshire Future Stars series. It was a special race in more ways than one with Reigning Profit making a little bit of Ponte history by becoming the first horse to win consecutive races at the track! He had won the final race at the previous race meeting and followed up in some style under Christian Howarth for trainer Ruth Carr . Once again, he was bounced out of the stalls and made all the running to win, going away, by 2 lengths. Have we got another Ponte specialist on our hands?

On the same card, there was finally something for Leeds United fans to cheer about when The Cookstown Cafu, who is named after Leeds United fan favourite Stuart Dallas, followed up his recent win at Redcar. Kevin Ryan’s winner looks as though he’s definitely one who’ll be stepping up to the premier league.

It was also fantastic to welcome local artist, James Owen Thomas back to Pontefract. James had been commissioned by the Racecourse to create 4 pieces of artwork for a recycling campaign in 2019, using materials that were destined for the bin. Using old racecourse badges, brochures and tickets etc, he created some wonderful artwork that can be seen at the Racecourse on a raceday.

As part of the celebrations for the Coronation of King Charles III, Great British Racing had commissioned a piece by James to highlight the Royal Family’s long standing engagement with the sport. One of the King’s big passions is sustainability, meaning that there was a fantastic opportunity for James to be involved in such a momentous occasion. We were honoured that James chose to unveil his new artwork at Pontefract and it was wonderful to welcome him and his family back to the course. His incredible art can be seen in Pateley Bridge, with this particular piece touring round a number of racecourses in the coming months.

This week we have a blog to bring you from the team at Experience Wakefield –

Explore Historic Pontefract

Pontefract is a charming historic market town, home to the picturesque ruins of one of England’s most important castles and, of course, Europe’s longest continuous flat racing circuit (ahem, you may already be aware of that one!). If you’re planning a trip to the races, you may want to stay a little while longer and explore some of the remarkable things to see and do in Pontefract.

Here are a few ideas to help you get started:

Farmer Copleys

A short drive from Pontefract Racecourse you’ll find Farmer Copleys, an award-winning farm shop and café that is definitely worth a visit. Experience field to fork goodness in the Moo Café and stock up on locally produced goodies in the well-stocked farm shop. Look out for special seasonal events such as the Strawberry Experience, Craft and Artisan Markets and Barn Dances to the magnificent annual Pumpkin Festival.

Pontefract Castle

From its construction in 1070 to its demise following the Civil Wars, this once fearsome fortress earned itself the name ‘Key to the North’ thanks to its strategic position and importance in Yorkshire and beyond. Today, the castle is a place of family friendly adventure with historic ruins and dark dungeons to explore as well as magnificent views of the surrounding countryside from the top of the Keep. Don’t forget to pop into the Castle Coffee Shop for coffee and a light bite or a souvenir from the gift shop – the traditional Pontefract Cake is a firm favourite!

Pontefract Museum

The beautiful Art Nouveau museum is home to a world of discovery, where liquorice and voting collide, and fascinating exhibitions celebrate the captivating stories of Pontefract, its people, and the history of its once mighty castle. Highlights include: The Ackworth Hoard (made up of 52 gold coins, 539 silver coins and a gold ring, all dating from the Civil War) and The Pontefract Gallery, which boasts the world’s first secret ballot box and a unique display of objects related to the town’s historic link with liquorice.

Shop till you drop in Pontefract town centre

Pontefract has a colourful marketplace, chock full of outstanding examples of Georgian architecture and winding medieval ginnels. Home to a superb indoor and outdoor market that sells anything from the best quality local produce to the latest fashion and vinyl, you’ll also find a delightful range of independent boutiques dotted around the town centre. A must see is the Magistrate’s Market, a treasure trove for antique and vintage shoppers selling mid-century modern furniture, vintage clothes, local Bagley’s glassware and classic Americana, there’s something for everyone. Head upstairs to Forever After – a collective of local creatives selling an eclectic range of hand-crafted gifts.

Friarwood Valley Gardens

If the marketplace is a little busy for your taste and you’re looking for a peaceful haven, take a short walk down to Friarwood Valley Gardens, a site originally associated with the town’s medieval monastery. Nowadays the gardens feature stunning blossoms, a rose garden and historic pinhole camera. Look out for special events held at Friarwood Valley Gardens throughout the year.

Relax and refuel

After all of that exploring you may be ready to take the load off your feet and in need of some light refreshment. You are guaranteed a warm Yorkshire welcome at any of the town’s delectable food and drink venues, whether it’s a delicious afternoon tea in a quirky café, a classic cocktail in one the local heritage bars or a pint of locally brewed ale in a cosy pub. You’ll find plenty to choose from!

As well as interesting places to visit, Pontefract plays host to a year long programme of exciting festivals and events, here are a few coming up over the next few weeks:

King’s Coronation Weekend at Pontefract Castle

Saturday 6 & Sunday 7 May

Visit Pontefract Castle on Saturday 6 May for a live screening of the King’s Coronation before celebrating in style on Sunday 7 May at A Right Royal Day Out. Expect a full day of family fun including free entertainment, craft workshops, walkabout entertainers and the live screening of the Coronation Concert.

WheelFest 2023 at Pontefract Town Centre

Saturday 10 June

A car meeting with a difference, including anything with a wheel: from vintage, classic and American vehicles to bikes, scooters, and even a model railway! The event run by Pontefract Civic Society, will feature an entertainment stage, craft fair, children’s activities, scavenger hunt, workshops, face painting and more!

Wakefield Armed Forces Day at Pontefract Park

Saturday 17 June

Wakefield Armed Forces Day is an action-packed day of celebration to say a big thank you to our military personnel and their families, along with Veterans and Cadet Forces.

This hugely popular, free event takes place in the beautiful grounds of Pontefract Park and Race Course. Expect military vehicles and displays, live music, children’s rides and activities, craft market, street food and a special Battle of Britain Memorial Flight fly-past.

Pontefract Liquorice Festival at Pontefract Town Centre

Sunday 9 July

Visitors come from far and wide to visit Pontefract Liquorice Festival. A sweet-themed celebration of the town’s liquorice heritage which centres on a colourful market selling tasty treats to tempt the taste buds, quirky gifts and homeware that you just won’t find anywhere else. Explore the market whilst listening to live music from talented local musicians, enjoy fun family activities, live street entertainment and make your way around the liquorice food and drink trail to try out the liquorice creations offered in local cafés and bars. If you’re here for the full weekend, be sure to visit the warmup event for the festival Liquorice Shoots on Saturday 8 July. This fun family day out features an artisan market, dog show, scavenger hunt, face painting, community art trail, food stalls and more.

For more ideas of things to see and do in Pontefract and the wider Wakefield district visit www.experiencewakefield.co.uk or better still, be the first to find out What’s On by signing up to our monthly newsletter expwake.co/enews

Welcome to another blog from the team at Pontefract Racecourse.

Every fortnight, someone from the team will share their thoughts for your entertainment (or otherwise!):

• Managing Director, Norman Gundill with his trusty PA, Caroline who also looks after the hospitality,
• Accounts Manager, Nicola,
• Admin manager, Carol,
• Marketing exec, Alexia, and,
• Chief Operating Officer, Richard (who is writing today’s blog)

The lead up to the first race meeting of the year is always a hectic time. But being busy brings out the best in the team at Ponte and I couldn’t be prouder of the way that the whole team has knuckled down to get everything done and the place looking ship shape for the new season.

It’s a credit to the team just how much they’ve done in the last two weeks. Tackling decorating schemes in the toilets and finishing off improvement works to all the facilities for those with special accessibility requirements has taken a herculean effort but everything looks great ahead of racing on the 11^th April.

The works to the accessible viewing areas and toilets has all been done in house by the Groundstaff team. Jacob and Mandy from Live Tourism carried out an assessment on the Racecourse at the end of 2022 and gave us so many ideas as to how we could make big improvements with some small steps. We’ve revamped all the accessible toilet areas, painting walls and grab rails in contrasting colours, installing mirrors, privacy areas and new RADAR keys. The viewing areas have all been enlarged, concreted and the access to them has been upgraded.

We’ve also installed Hearing Loops in a number of areas and, with the help of Go Racing in Yorkshire installed sunflower benches in quiet spots around the Racecourse to enable those who need a little bit of peace and quiet, to have the space they require.  

We’re not the biggest Racecourse in the country, we don’t have the biggest team and we certainly don’t have the biggest budgets. But we have success. And the reason we have that is the sense of belonging, the camaraderie and the desire to get things done. A sense of pride and the will to succeed.

As everyone enjoys the long Bank Holiday, we’d like to give a massive shout out to Racing Staff from every corner of the industry up and down the country who work such unsociable hours: early mornings, late nights, Bank Holidays and weekends – they’re all the same. There’s a great support network via Racing Welfare .

There are times when it feels like the job takes over. And that’s when you need your racing family – it’s a tight bond but it means that we have a great sport.

24th March

This weeks blog is brought to you courtesy of the Racecourse Association, who kindly wrote a piece on our grounds team to highlight the hard work they carry out all year round as part of the Grounds Management Association #GroundsWeek campaign!

#GroundsWeek2023 – Turf and More at Pontefract Racecourse

The Racecourse Association (RCA) is proud to once again be joining the Grounds Management Association (GMA) to celebrate #GroundsWeek, a campaign dedicated to recognising the hard work and commitment of grounds teams across the country.

As part of #GroundsWeek Richard Hammill, Chief Operating Officer and Clerk of the Course at Pontefract Racecourse, discusses how the grounds team have come together to tackle more than just turf in the run up to their 2023 season opener on Tuesday 11^th April.

“We have always had a strong sense of togetherness and local pride amongst the team at Pontefract. The office staff are always happy to pitch in and get involved on racedays and this sense of responsibility and ownership is something we wanted to extend to our ground staff too.

“In 2022 we hosted the RCA Showcase & Awards. To host a major industry awards was a significant undertaking for us and required a complete transformation of the site, including a marquee build on the track itself! Our hard-working grounds team played a vital role in this process and we wanted them to continue to get involved across the wider site as we prepared to welcome racegoers in 2023.

“Naturally, turf management is at the heart of what our ground staff do. Pontefract is the longest continuous flat racing circuit in Europe so there is plenty of turf for the team to manage! After our season closer we always welcome national hunt gallopers to the track, with so many horses working on the racecourse the grounds team have to put in some intensive work to get it back in order and ready for racing.

Taking Ownership of the Wider Site

“Away from the track we’ve been implementing a number of improvements and upgrades ahead of our opening fixture and we were keen for our grounds team to take ownership of some of these projects. A big focus for us has been improving the on-course experience for racegoers with access requirements. In 2022 one of our racedays was assessed from an accessibility perspective as part of the RCA Access Project. A trained assessor, with lived experience of disability, attended one of our fixtures and created a report with feedback on what we were doing well and where we could improve things. As a result of this report our grounds team have transformed our accessible viewing platforms, making them bigger and laying hardstanding paths to remove the need for racegoers using wheelchairs to traverse across grass. They have also refurbished all of our accessible toilets, adding in colour contrasting facilities, new mirrors and shelves so the toilets meet the requirements of more racegoers. “

The Head Groundsman, Martin Follows, has been with the Racecourse since 1990 and he oversaw the work to the accessible viewing areas, carrying out the work to ensure that the new platforms blended in seamlessly with the existing Pontefract grounds. Other members of his team, including father and son Rob and Tom Pemberton, undertook the improvements to the accessible toilets.

Martin said: “It’s great to be able to work on a different aspect of the Racecourse Enclosures and the team were all excited to be able to play such an integral role in improving the facilities for those racegoers with special access needs. It goes to show that no two days are really the same at Pontefract and it’s one of the reasons I’ve been here for more than 30 years.”

With a brilliantly maintained racing surface, record prize money in excess of £1.45 million and upgraded facilities across the course it’s safe to say that Pontefract Racecourse is the place to be for horses, owners, trainers and racegoers alike this season, thanks in part to the hard work and dedication of the grounds team.

You can find out more about the GMA’s #GroundsWeek here, and you can book your tickets to Pontefract here.

About #GroundsWeek

#GroundsWeek is an interactive campaign run by the Grounds Management Association (GMA) and is built on the involvement of the groundscare community – with support from the community and our sponsors, which are listed below, we will be putting our sector in the spotlight once again and celebrating the impact of groundscare on sport and green spaces. 

In 2023 the week runs from Monday 20^th March—Sunday 26^th March. Throughout the week the RCA is exploring the art of racecourse grounds management, highlighting examples from across the sport and sharing case studies of industry personnel.

About the Racecourse Association

The Racecourse Association (RCA), formed in 1907, is the trade association for British racecourses. 59 racecourses are members and have equal voting rights.

The RCA has owned RaceTech since March 1998. The RCA serves the interests of its 59 British racecourse members both inside and outside the sport, empowering them to be the best venues that they can be.

The RCA works on behalf of racecourses to represent their views within the sport through the tripartite structure of the Members’ Agreement alongside BHA and The Horsemen’s Group. Outside of horseracing, the RCA works alongside the Government, other sports and leisure venues, and national charities to meet the needs of racecourses.

Additionally, the RCA encourages and facilitates racecourse community engagement, involvement in horse welfare initiatives, responsible drinking campaigns, and various other partnerships within the sport. The Showcase & Awards, the marquee event of British Racecourses to celebrate and reward excellence and innovation, is hosted by the RCA annually in November.

www.racecourseassociation.co.uk

Welcome to another blog from the team at Pontefract Racecourse.

Every fortnight, someone from the team will share their thoughts for your entertainment (or otherwise!):

• Managing Director, Norman Gundill with his trusty PA, Caroline who also looks after the hospitality,
• Accounts Manager, Nicola,
• Admin manager, Carol,
• Marketing exec, Alexia, and,
• Chief Operating Officer, Richard (who is writing today’s blog)

It’s been a busy but rewarding week at Ponte Towers.

We view Staff Training as one of the most essential parts of our business and we spent much of Wednesday briefing existing, and new, raceday staff ahead of the start of the 2023 racing season.

For a Racecourse, the team of casual raceday staff can often be the first part of the racegoer journey on a day at the races and so it is imperative that the customer facing team know and understand both the layout of the Racecourse AND the brand and the core values of what Pontefract stand for. We want them to embrace the true Yorkshire spirit that the Racecourse embodies and exude Yorkshire hospitality from the moment that customers arrive.

We want our Staff to feel valued and a full part of the Pontefract family. We want them to know how we’ve responded to their feedback from last season, what improvements we’ve made to make their roles easier as well as keep them up to date with the latest health and safety guidance and ‘hot topics’ that they may need to address.

Inspection reports from the like of AA , Visit England and Live Tourism form a vital part of our Staff training and help us to build a better team to ensure that we can offer the best possible service to our racegoers.

No good staff training day is complete without a tour of the Racecourse to maximise orientation knowledge but by far the most important part is a good catch with their friends and colleagues over a big lunch – thanks to Jo and Andy at Huggamug for providing an incredible spread!

From Staff Training on Wednesday to our ‘Welcome to 2023’ Pre Season Launch on Thursday – no rest for the wicked.

There was an extensive guest list with invitees from across the industry (ROA, PJA, owners, trainers, sponsors, Press) and it was great to see such a brilliant turnout to learn about some of the fantastic events we have in store in 2023.

We also handed out a few very special awards for the first time too. Most people know that we like to do things the ‘Ponte’ way and so there was never going to be recognition of those who receive it regularly. Instead, we wanted to highlight some of our true Ponte heroes and Flint Hill , Round The Island, Corinthia Knight and Mr Orange were very worthy recipients. While the last named is enjoying a long and happy retirement, the first three will reportedly be back in action in April at Ponte. We shouldn’t have favourites, but we’ll definitely be cheering them on!  

Welcome to another blog from the team at Pontefract Racecourse.

Every fortnight, someone from the team will share their thoughts for your entertainment (or otherwise!):

• Managing Director, Norman Gundill with his trusty PA, Caroline who also looks after the hospitality,
• Accounts Manager, Nicola, who is writing todays blog,
• Admin manager, Carol,
• Marketing exec, Alexia, and,
• Chief Operating Officer, Richard.

Meet Nicola – 3rd February 2023

Hello my name is Nicola.

I started work at the Racecourse in May 1994 – I know – I don’t look old enough!  I had 2 interviews in one week – one for Pontefract Racecourse and the other for British Airways cabin crew – and here I am (sorry BA)!

The Racecourse team was considerably smaller in 1994 and there were only three of us to run the administration including Mr Gundill!  It had its advantages though and I was able to learn every aspect of the administration of the Racecourse. 

As the Racecourse Stands and facilities grew over the years, we employed more staff and I was appointed as the Accounts Manager in September 2011.

I have always lived in and around Doncaster.  I have 2 children, Oliver 21, Lucy 18 and a 6 year old Beagle called Ruby! They all keep me on my toes! Ruby comes to work with me every day and she is one of the much loved office dogs we have here.

I have always loved animals from a very young age, especially horses.  At age 11 I was lucky enough to own my own horse called Merrylegs.  Due to time and money constraints unfortunately I don’t have my own horse anymore but I have carried on riding and have taken my daughter for lessons since she was 8 years old.  It would be my dream come true to ride around the track here at Pontefract – so if anyone can make that happen I’ll dust off my jodhpurs!

Through my time at Pontefract, I’ve grown to love racing and, when I get the time, I love a day at the races in Yorkshire – the office day out to York Races (link to https://www.yorkracecourse.co.uk/ ) is always memorable! I love a flutter and can occasionally be found at the casino as well.

We have a great team here at the Racecourse and I really enjoy working with them.  A normal working day for me consists of inputting invoices, making payments (I don’t like this part much), reconciling bank accounts, processing payroll, answering telephone queries and lots of calculator tapping. It all sounds very boring but I enjoy it!  Racedays are, however, very different and hectic for us all and it’s all hands on deck and you have to be able to turn your attention to any issue at short notice! You will usually find me based in the Raceday office, adding up, or answering the phone or helping out with customers.  But occasionally if short staffed or exceptionally busy you might see me operating a turnstile!  Come and say hello if you see me dashing by! 😊