Salisbury charity auction winner will appear in future Guy Ritchie film

The chance to appear in a Guy Ritchie film is one of the more unusual prizes on offer in an online silent auction being conducted in conjunction with a charity raceday at Salisbury on September 9.

Hollywood director Ritchie is a patron of Julia's House, a local charity dedicated to supporting the families of children with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions in Wiltshire and Dorset.

The organisation, which runs two hospices, is also offering a bespoke F1 trip to next year's Bahrain Grand Prix and four directors' box tickets to this season's September 17 Premier League match between Newcastle and Bournemouth, donated by home team manager and Julia's House patron Eddie Howe.

Salisbury racegoers will also be able to buy tickets for a fundraising raffle, while £150 VIP badges can still be bought, with admission including a barbecue lunch from a private viewing terrace.

More information can be found at juliashouse.org/raceday. The silent auction is live now at https://www.jumblebee.co.uk/juliashousesalisburyraceday2022

Two more Bath fixtures moved as long dry summer goes on

Two additional Bath fixtures have been transferred to other tracks as the long dry summer continues.

Racing last took place at the Somerset course, which doesn’t have an irrigation system, on July 12, as the ground has been considered too firm. The going on some areas of the track is described as hard.

The meetings which were scheduled for Bath on September 10 and 11 have been moved to Ffos Las and Chepstow respectively.

The two Class 2 events originally scheduled for September 11 will go ahead. The Bath Summer Sprint Series Final Handicap will be run at Chepstow, and the Bath Summer Series Stayers' Final Handicap taking place the previous day at Ffos Las.

Mark Spincer, racing director of Arena Racing Company’s racing division, said: “For obvious reasons it has been an incredibly difficult summer at Bath, and with very little further rain forecast, we have once again taken the decision to move September fixtures to alternative venues.

“The finals of the Bath Sprint and Stayers’ Series, both worth £25,000, are popular races which a large number of horses have qualified for, so we wanted to make sure we could reschedule them at Chepstow and Ffos Las and give connections certainty and appropriate preparation time.

“We will be in touch with trainers and owners of qualified runners in both races at the beginning of next week with more details.”

Coral announced as official betting partner for St Leger festival

Arena Racing Company (Arc) has announced Coral as the official betting partner of the Cazoo St Leger festival after the two agreed a three-year deal.

Coral will also claim the naming rights to some of the festival’s feature races. Three Group 2 races will now bear Coral’s name – the Coral Park Hill Stakes, the Coral Doncaster Cup and the Coral Champagne Stakes – as well as the Coral Portland and Coral Mallard handicaps.

Simon Clare, PR director for Coral, said: “We are delighted to be sponsoring five top-class contests, including the Coral Doncaster Cup where we hope to see the brilliant Stradivarius.”

Coleman to retire from Laytown role after 25 years

Laytown is on the lookout for a new manager/secretary after Kevin Coleman announced he would retire from his 25-year spell in charge of the beach venue this year.

Next month's seaside meeting on September 8 will be the final Laytown fixture under Coleman's management.

He said: "It has been an absolute privilege and honour to serve as secretary/manager at Laytown races for the last 25 years. I grew up and lived in Laytown for 30 years, so the village and the race meeting are very close to my heart.

"I've met some lovely people and made some lifetime acquaintances. It was a pleasure to serve under two chairmen, Niall Delaney and Joe Collins and work together to improve the facilities and race day experience for all our patrons. I'm looking forward to going racing to Laytown in a much more relaxed manner."

Laytown chairman Joe Collins added: "I would like to sincerely thank Kevin for his 25 years’ service and commitment to Laytown. During his time, Kevin has played a pivotal role in the success of our unique beach race meeting and we wish him and his family all the best."

Stay ahead of the field with 50 per cent off the ultimate racing subscription. Enjoy the Racing Post digital newspaper and award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing. Plus, make informed betting decisions with our expert tips and form study tools. Head to the subscription page and select 'Get Ultimate Monthly', then enter the code WELCOME22 to get 50 per cent off your first three months.

First three payments will be charged at £17.48, subscription renews at full monthly price thereafter.

Customers wishing to cancel will need to contact us at least seven days before their subscription is due to renew.