Champions saddle up for Cheltenham challenge in aid of Racing Welfare

Any event which gets Sir Anthony McCoy, Oisin Murphy and Matt Chapman into the saddle ought to be worth supporting, or that is what Racing Welfare is hoping.

Places for teams of four are still available at the charity's 24-hour cycling challenge at Cheltenham on July 16-17.

Others already booked to take part in the fundraiser, which starts with a lap of the parade ring at Cheltenham before heading out on to a 30km route in the Cotswolds, are TV presenters Luke Harvey, Vanessa Binnie Ryle and Rosie Tapner.

Murphy, who is on Chapman's team, said: "I'm not a very talented cyclist but I can get from A to B and it's for a great cause so I look forward to taking part."

The challenge is sponsored by Tattersalls, Unibet, the Racehorse Lotto and the Jockey Club, whose chief executive Nevin Truesdale said: "This is a brilliant initiative and yet another example of the sport coming together to raise funds and awareness for our charity, which offers support to all of British racing's people. We're delighted to be pledging our support."

Racing Welfare hopes to beat the total of more than £85,000 raised from last year's event, which was staged in a different format over five days. Places can be booked before the end of May here.

Change of name for Horsemen's Group

The Horsemen's Group has a new brand and identity and will now be known as the Thoroughbred Group.

It states that its changed name reflects its vision and ambition for a more inclusive industry, driven by its members' commitment for racing to be a diverse and welcoming sport.

Charlie Parker, who chairs the body, said: "In this age of diversity and inclusivity, 'horsemen' has grated for some time and the general view was that it needed to be changed."

The group represents the Racehorse Owners Association, National Trainers Federation, Professional Jockeys Association, the National Association of Racing Staff and the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association.

It was originally set up in 2005 to provide a single voice to fight to protect its members' commercial interests, campaigning for courses to offer as much prize-money as possible.

New sponsor for Coronation Cup

The 120th edition of the Coronation Cup will have a new sponsor after DahlBury signed a one-year deal to attach its name to the Epsom Group 1 that takes place on the same day as the Cazoo Oaks.

The race which is restricted to older horses and run over the same course and distance as the Derby, which this year forms part of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations, has its third sponsor in as many years since the Investec deal ended in 2019 – with Hurworth Bloodstock and Coral backing the last two runnings.

Simon Davies, the owner-breeder behind DahlBury, said: "We are delighted to be sponsoring the Coronation Cup, which is one of the top races of its kind and is the ideal showcase of what we're trying to achieve with DahlBury. We want to help break the myth that middle-distance racehorses can't retire to stud, stand under both codes and be commercial."

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