'We need to show how they can help society' - National Racehorse Week gets under way

National Racehorse Week's founder Richard Phillips hopes a new generation of racing fans can be found after he opened his yard up to to 300 members of the public on Saturday morning in Gloucestershire. 

The annual event kicked off on Saturday for the third year after Phillips came up with the idea in 2019 as a way of celebrating the racehorse and endearing new followers to the sport by showcasing the behind-the-scenes care at training yards, studs and aftercare centres. 

"All we want to do is show everyone all the wonderful things people do for racehorses and all the wonderful things racehorses do for us in turn," Phillips said. 

"I always wanted it to be a celebration of the racehorse and since we have such a story to tell, it's grown from a day to a week to nine days. I'm delighted the way the industry has grabbed hold of it. 

"Trainers have been fantastic and there are so many yards, studs and rehoming centres open to the public alongside 60 community engagement events. While it's not possible for everyone to open their doors, it's so good to see all in the sport finding some way to get involved and get the message across to the public that if they had any worries about how racehorses were looked after, then National Racehorse Week would allay any fears."

As well as being a chance for racing fans to visit their favourite runners and yards, the event plays an important role in attracting new followers to the sport, with Great British Racing reporting that 87 per cent of last year's attendees were not regular racegoers but 97 per cent were likely to promote National Racehorse Week to a friend. 

Phillips said: "Those are great statistics which show that it's not just racing people that come along and we're very keen to get newcomers to attend.

"Sometimes in racing we think everyone knows who won the Derby or where the National is run, but the general public don't always know. What they do care about is that animals are well cared for, and this week can prove that point by opening its doors and being transparent.

 "The racing industry contributes about £4 billion to the economy – it's a huge world but it surprises a lot of people how much effort and care goes into training a racehorse. It's something everyone involved in should be proud of, and we need to show how the racehorse can help society and help people as well."

Youngsters get up close to the horses at Richard Phillips yard during National Racehorse WeekCredit: Steve Davies

Phillips' open yard was one of several already fully booked on the eve of National Racehorse week, which runs until September 17, and the trainer has changed his approach in order to pull out all the stops for the attendees. 

"We usually get around 300 guests looking round the yard but we wanted to do something different this year," he said. "We wanted to show how much effort goes into getting a racehorse onto the course fit and healthy. 

"We've got Dr George Wilson here to give a talk on exercise physiology, so people can watch horses on the gallops with heart monitors and he'll explain how we measure their fitness. We've got dentistry, massage and therapy experts here too – all the skillsets you need to make a happy horse. 

"It's a great day and it's especially good to see so many young people come along. I was lucky enough to catch the racing bug when I was six and I'm hoping a lot of young people will be coming to racing yards this week and forge new career ambitions from it. 

"Ultimately it's a week where we don't have to argue among ourselves and can celebrate the life of the racehorse. If you can't get behind that concept then you shouldn't be in racing."

Read more: 

'It's a lot of fun' - Nicky Henderson primed for full crowds as National Racehorse Week begins 

'Extra ice, extra water, extra manpower' - the mitigations put in place by racing during hot weather 

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