30 March 2006
The Brooke, Britain’s largest equine welfare charity, has launched a Courses for Horses Racecourse Club, and invited all 59 UK racecourses to join. This initiative forms part of the Brooke’s highly successful 2006 Courses for Horses fundraising campaign to help horses suffering most in the world. Racecourses joining the club will be pledging to raise a minimum of £1,000 each throughout the year for the Brooke.
Already, over three-quarters of the UK’s racecourses have signed up, with Bangor-on-Dee agreeing within days of hearing of the initiative. This was quickly followed by all of Scottish Racing, Arena Leisure, Northern Racing and Racecourse Holdings Trust racecourses. In addition, so far, 14 independents have also joined the Courses for Horses Racecourse Club*
And in a new partnership deal the Brooke’s headline Courses for Horses sponsor - Betfair - has generously pledged to match each pound generated by racecourses. By the end of the year, Betfair - the UK’s leading online gaming exchange - hopes to raise a total of £250,000 for the Brooke from this and other fundraising activities.**
As an added bonus, all participating racecourses will be invited to attend a Courses for Horses headline day at Haydock Park on 18 November, where a Brooke Courses for Horses Racecourse Award will be announced.
“So far we’ve had an overwhelming response from racecourses,” says Mike Baker, Chief Executive of the Brooke. “Last year Courses for Horses raised over £134,000, which helped us reach a further 26,000 horses, animals that support the livelihoods of over 150,000 people overseas. We urge all racecourses to sign up to this important campaign, and do what they can to help suffering horses overseas. If every racecourse signs up that would generate a minimum of £59,000, which Betfair will double.”
To kick off the 2006 racecourse initiative Triple Gold Cup-winning jockey Jim Culloty, a staunch Brooke supporter, has just returned from Delhi, India, where he saw for himself the brutal day-to-day suffering of thousands of horses toiling on the streets of India. Jim has now embarked on a publicity campaign to promote how the money raised by the racecourses will be put to good use.
The Brooke helps half a million horses, donkeys and mules tirelessly working for some of the poorest communities in the world. From Afghanistan to Jordan, Kenya to Guatemala, the Brooke’s teams of mobile veterinary units reach the most vulnerable equine animals providing help where it is most needed.
To view pictures of Jim Culloty's trip to Delhi, India click here
Editors notes:
* Racecourses signed up (as of 30 March 2006)
Arena: Folkstone, Lingfield, Southwell, Windsor, Wolverhampton, Worcester
Scottish racing: Perth, Ayr, Hamilton Park, Kelso, Musselburgh, Perth
Northern Racing Group – Bath, Brighton, Chepstow, Fontwell Park, Great Yarmouth, Hereford, Newcastle, Sedgefield, Uttoxeter
Independent: Ascot, Goodwood, Newbury, Bangor-on-Dee, Cartmel, Thirsk, Chester, Goodwood, Hexham, Newbury, Plumpton, Newton Abott, Redcar, Taunton
Racecourse Holdings Trust: Aintree, Carlisle, Cheltenham, Epsom, Haydock Park, Huntingdon, Kempton Park, Market Rasen, Newmarket, Nottingham, Sandown Park, Warwick, Wincanton
** The 2006 partnership between Betfair/Brooke aims to raise £250,000 by Betfair promising to match – up to a total of £125,000 – all the money raised in a series of innovative fundraising activities throughout the year, including:
Courses for Horses Racecourse Club
Betfair account holders donating online to the Brooke
Sponsorship raised by racing people participating in the Brooke’s overseas challenge rides in Kenya
A Charity Golf Day
Fundraising activities generated by the National Trainers Federation throughout the year
'Donate the Last hour of your Work' and the 'Highest World Cup Goalscorer Sweepstake' involving Betfair's 650 emplyees
Background on Betfair and Brooke
Betfair (www.betfair.com) was the first person-to-person betting exchange. A betting exchange allows punters to bet on prices set by punters themselves rather than by a bookmaker, which, by one independent study, results in Betfair’s odds being 20% better than bookmakers’ starting prices. Betfair was launched in June 2000 and is already the UK’s No 1 online betting company. At peak times the exchange – based on the NYSE - matches up to 12,000 bets a minute.
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