WellChild named as official charity partner for 2022 Cheltenham Festival

Cheltenham will once again team up with WellChild at this year's festival with the charity, which supports seriously ill children, confirmed as an official partner.

WellChild sponsored the Gold Cup when the meeting was held behind closed doors in 2021 in a fund-raising drive that raised close to a quarter of a million.

Boodles has been confirmed as the new sponsor of the Gold Cup this year but WellChild will still be involved at the festival.

The horse walkway has been named after the Cheltenham-based charity and will be opened by ambassadors Sir AP McCoy and Ed Chamberlin and chief executive Colin Dyer on the first day of the festival on March 15.

Hollie Doyle leads the way with three Lesters nominations

Hollie Doyle led the way with three nominations as the shortlists for the 2021 Lesters were announced on Sky Sports Racing on Friday.

The rider, who scooped three awards in 2020, including Flat jockey of the year, was again nominated in that category alongside William Buick, Tom Marquand and last year's champion jockey Oisin Murphy.

She was also nominated for female jockey of the year and a special Flat recognition award, alongside Buick, Joe Fanning and Adam Kirby.

The award for jump jockey of the year will be fought out between champion jockey Harry Skelton, Brian Hughes, Sean Bowen and Richard Johnson, while there will also be awards for rides of the year.

Sky Sports Racing will broadcast the awards presentation live on the evening of February 25, with winners and special guests set to be joined in the studio by presenters Luke Harvey and Jason Weaver.

ITV Racing wins broadcast award

ITV Racing won the Best Sports Programme for its coverage of the Grand National at the British Broadcast Awards on Thursday night.

Last season, Rachael Blackmore became the first female jockey to win the historic race and ITV Racing presenter Ed Chamberlin paid tribute to her after winning the award at Grosvenor House in London.

It was in the same category as coverage of the European Super League, The Hundred, the Olympics and Paralympics and Euro 2020.

Chamberlin said: "We were thrilled simply to be nominated after an epic year of sport in the most difficult of circumstances alongside the likes of the Olympics, Paralympics and Euros. To win is very special for horse racing indeed and a credit to the wonderful hard work of the whole ITV Racing team as well as Aintree."

Man in 'serious but stable condition' after fall at Cheltenham

A workplace fall at Cheltenham racecourse on Wednesday resulted in a man in his twenties being airlifted to hospital with serious injuries.

Police and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) confirmed they were investigating the incident. The man remains in hospital in what a communications officer for Gloucestershire Constabulary described as "a serious but stable condition".

The full police statement read: "Shortly before 3.30pm on Wednesday we received a report of a suspected workplace incident at Cheltenham racecourse. A man in his twenties had suffered serious injuries following a fall and was taken to Southmead Hospital in Bristol by air ambulance.

"Officers carried out inquiries at the scene and liaised with the Health and Safety Executive. The man remains in a serious but stable condition in hospital."

A spokesperson for HSE added: "HSE are aware of the incident, having been in consultation with the police, and are on site today to make enquiries with a view to assessing the arrangements for managing Health and Safety."

Cheltenham declined to comment.

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