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ARC - The Silk Series

ARC’s Silk Series celebrates women in racing by heralding their history in the sport and providing an opportunity for female jockeys to ride at some of Britain’s premier days via the bespoke championship that was created.

With a constant stream of publicity, the Silk Series was never far away from the public’s eye throughout the Flat season. The finale at Doncaster provided a fitting climax to the series, with Megan Nicholls claiming the inaugural Meriel Tufnell trophy.

Beverley - Hull FC Family Fun Week

Realising that many racing fans are sports fans (and vice versa), Beverley linked with local Super League side and Challenge Cup winners Hull FC to introduce each other’s fans to their respective sports.

Rugby activities were hosted on a busy family fun day at the racecourse, alongside informative stations to bring the sport of horseracing to this new audience. To compliment the rugby at Hull FC’s next home fixture, pony rides were offered to fans attending the KCOM stadium.

Cheltenham - Junior Jumpers

Junior Jumpers, Cheltenham’s new fan club for children, is all about offering these special fans the best experience on a raceday and developing their interest in the sport from a young age.

The club saw over 2,000 members join in the first few months, with plenty of collateral to help keep young minds occuipied. Parents are not forgotten either, with a KPI of the racecourse to attract more families to the races to enjoy a memorable day out together.

Goodwood - Through The Eyes

As part of Goodwood’s innovative digital strategy, the Through the Eyes series consisted of a number of videos giving the racegoer the chance to experience a raceday through the eyes of numerous different people who are involved in hosting a raceday.

To help maxmise the exposure of the Goodwood brand, an equine theme was given to the motor racing side of the business with Freddy Tylicki taking the wheel of a Jaguar F-Type around the famous Goodwood circuit.

Pontefract - Getting In The Zone

With no Saturday fixtures, Sunday’s at Pontefract are some of the Yorkshire track’s flagship events and provide a great opportunity to welcome newcomers to the sport.Pontefract’s novel ‘Getting in the Zone’ racedays literally segment the experience into specific zones to help maximise the learning opportunity for racegoers- including the ingenious Quiet Zone for those who simply wanted a hot drink and Racing Post to pick their winners.

LOVE OFTHE SPORT

SH OWC A S E AWA R DS

T H E R A C E C O U R S E A S S O C I AT I O N

FINALISTS

2017

Ascot - A World Like Nowhere Else

Ascot’s Royal Ascot campaigns have become synonymous with style and elegance over the years and the 2017 renewal was no exception. Based around the beautiful centrepiece of a handmade Ascot-styled globe, A World Like Nowhere Else is a multi-tiered campaign which reaches out to new and existing customers to share the wonderment of Royal Ascot.

Innovative features include the new Ascot app of which this campaign helped underpin, and in-venue data capture which in turn can help future campaigns.

Musselburgh - Easter Saturday

Fresh from HM The Queen’s visit in 2016, Musselburgh wanted to capitalise on this historic day and set the ambitious target of ensuring their new Easter Saturday fixture was racing’s premium offering on this day to secure ITV coverage. A key feature of Musselburgh’s marketing is to reach out to a social audience with the equine stars retaining centre stage- cue local legend and national treasure Judy Murray and Grand National hero One For Arthur as ambassadors!

Pontefract - The Wall of Fame

Pontefract’s Wall of Fame campaign literally puts the customer at the heart of the racecourse. Throughout 2016, the official racecourse photographer was briefed to take photos of racegoers in order to create a bank of headshots for an exciting new campaign. The result was The Wall of Fame, a physical display at the racecourse which also manifested itself across all marketing collateral for the 2017 season. The experience was furthered with prize giveaways for customers who found themselves on the wall on the day.

Sandown Park - 2016 Betfair Tingle Creek Festival

The campaign behind Sandown Park’s Tingle Creek Festival focused around the customer, with in-depth analysis undertaken to better understand who should be targeted and how. Plenty of innovative and entertaining ecomms accompanied the marketing campaign, which of course played heavily on the tried and tested mantras of ‘first price is best price’ and ‘earlier sales = bigger sales’.

Royal Windsor - SkyBet Windsor Sprint Series

With a multitude of Monday fixtures, Royal Windsor and SkyBet joined forces to create the Summer Sprint Series to provide a narrative for the season. KPIs concerning both the sport and attendance were set with the view to increase the number and quality of runners. Innovative customer experience initiatives, such as a special 1866 brew from the local Windsor & Eton brewery, helped to bring even more customers to Windsor’s famous Monday night club.

BESTCAMPAIGN



FINALISTS

2017

Aintree - Aintree Community Programme - Impact & Innovation

Already two-time winners of this Award, Aintree’s Community Programme continues to deliver real and meaningful impact through their many initiatives and local partnerships.

The new Peter O’Sullevan Community Hub has provided a unique space for local partners and charities to make use of and will continue to do so for years to come.

Beverley - Sun’s Out, Guns Out (but be responsible) at Beverley Racecourse

In partnership with Yorkshire Cancer Research, Beverley Racecourse invested in and installed sun cream dispensers for the bathrooms in all enclosures and encouraged racegoers to use it.

Tailored marketing material encouraged racegoers to use the sun cream while mini-sun safety packs were given out to stable staff during Racing Staff Week.

Lingfield Park - Take The Reins

Lingfield Park has partnered with Active Communities Network (ACN) to reach disadvantaged young people through the Take The Reins initiative.

Officially launched on a race day in May 2017, with ambassador Hayley Turner in attendance, the campaign gives young people the chance to visit and achieve a qualification in Employability and Enterprise.

Newbury - The Arabian Rainbow Project

The Arabian Rainbow Project is part of Newbury’s on-going community engagement strategy aimed at inspiring primary school pupils to engage with the racecourse, Arabian racing and horses generally.

It is part of a long term initiative to build closer ties with, and make the Racecourse more accessible to, the West Berkshire community.

Warwick - St Mary’s Land Masterplan

St Mary’s Lands, is a 60 hectare open parkland that contains Warwick Racecourse and many other community assets. Historically, management of St Mary’s Land was far from a collaborative effort, there was no real concerted desire to make improvements to the whole space.

Warwick recognised the need to future proof this wonderful asset because it was apparent so many opportunities existed and they have been at the forefront developing a plan that will manage, enhance and promote the landscape for many years to come.

COMMUNITY & CORPORATE

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY



FINALISTS

2017

ARC - Sectional Timing & In-race Data Provision

Alongside Total Performance Data and At The Races, ARC has offered customers a vast stream of data to help further their experience and betting opportunities.

Using GPS technology, the trackers are fitted perfectly behind the saddle and boast an impressive accuracy of ±0.08 s(1sigma). The technology has been well received throughout the All-Weather Championships with plenty of exciting innovations still to come.

Chelmsford City - #ThePlaceToBe

As a new racecourse, Chelmsford City has been making its voice heard throughout the digital world to let customers know the fun they could be having at the Essex track.

Chelmsford City set ambitious KPIs to raise the number of followers across key social media platforms whilst also having a bit of fun along the way. Entering into almost all industry conversations, Chelmsford City’s strategy of awareness, rooted in strong and memorable hashtags, has been a success story recognised by a Gold Award at the 2017 Essex Digital Awards.

Chester - Innovative Raceday Social Engagement

With innovative, engaging content, Chester set out to attract new followers across a number of channels and subsequently turn these followers into racegoers in 2018.

Chester’s simple-to-remember hashtag has become a must-have photo as racegoers flock to the giant white sculpture and then share their photos online. Life size snapchat frames, as well as digital filters, help spread the Chester Racecourse message even further and ensure that with every like and share, more people are hearing about what a fantastic time they could have at Chester Races.

Goodwood - Content Is King

Goodwood’s digital strategy in 2017 revolved around the use of quality, engaging video content that was appropriate to their fan base.

The result was a series of beautifully choreographed and informative videos which provided a fitting narrative to the season as it played out. The results were nothing short of exceptional, with over 1.5m accumulative views and a 460% increase in audience engagement year on year.

Sandown Park - Creating Engaging Content

For Sandown Park’s busy summer Flat season, the racecourse targeted customers who were looking for a fantastic day out as a primary audience for its social channels.

The racecourse adopted a friendly, amusing tone of voice for its digital communication and produced a series of eye-catching infographics. A Moore vs Moore video with jockey brothers Josh and Jamie was a fine segway back into the Jumps season in time for the feature Tingle Creek Festival.

DIGITAL &SOCIAL MEDIA



FINALISTS

2017

Beverley - The Bark deTriomphe

Beverley’s inaugural running of the Bark de Triomphe proved a remarkable success as the Danielle Mooeny-trained Beau sprinted clear in August to claim victory.

A comedy race for jockeys’ dogs, the event raised more than £3,700 for the Antibiotic Research UK charity and looks set to have a permanent place in the calendar for many years to come.

Hamilton Park - Winners Wall

The Hamilton Park Winners Wall is a special way of remembering all the jockeys and horses who have delivered winning performances at the racecourse in 2017.

Available for all to see and signed by many of the jockeys who have past the post first it will provide a special piece of memorabilia for the racecourse to treasure in future.

Newbury - Newbury Poppy Appeal

Newbury Racecourse’s traditional West Berks Poppy Appeal forms the basis of their Armed Forces Raceday.

The day honours the efforts of our Armed Forces personnel and is hugely popular with families as well as providing free entry to current serving members of the Armed Forces, Ministry of Defence civil servants as well as Royal British Legion members.

Pontefract - The Wall of Fame

Pontefract’s Wall of Fame puts the customer at the very heart of the racecourse, forming a physical display on the racecourse itself as well being the focus of the racecourse’s marketing campaigns.

Prize draws and social media engagement have helped fans interact with the wall throughout the year.

Ripon - Heck! Pop-up BBQ

Ripon Racecourse impressed with their Heck Pop-Up BBQ initiative which has seen the Racecourse working with Theakston Brewery and Heck Food.

Bringing together the best of Yorkshire produce with the ‘BBQ n Beer Fest’ season finale, racegoers were offered an upgrade option that showcased local produce.

#TOPSPOT



FINALISTS

2017

Ascot - Raising The Standard of our Food Concessions in The Queen Anne Enclosure at Royal Ascot

Based on customer feedback, Ascot took the bold decision to deliver a new Food & Beverage experience in the Queen Anne Enclosure at this year’s Royal Ascot. New menus, innovative service and celebrity chefs were brought in much to the delight of customers in keeping with the mantra ‘Like Nowhere Else’.

Beverley - Winteringham Fields at Beverley Racecourse

Beverley’s stunning new Attraction Restaurant had proved popular with customers, yet the racecourse team demanded more. Cue the Winteringham Fields partnership- a fine dining experience with the team from locally renowned Winteringham Fields led by Colin McGurran, culminating in a sell-out end of season finale with a signature seven course tasting menu.

Goodwood - The Drunken Botanist Comes Alive

Taking a space that had fallen behind Goodwood’s signature flair and panache, the Drunken Botanist was born to satisfy the needs of the millennial customer in search of a delicious cocktail. With a wide variety of exclusive drinks, the option to self-mix, and magical surroundings, this cocktail bar epitomises the Goodwood experience.

Worcester - The Severn Restaurant - Fine Dining at a Small Racecourse

Worcester’s Severn Restaurant is a fantastic example of a racecourse restaurant pushing boundaries.

With innovative dishes, delicious local produce and arguably the best ‘insta-food’ of any racecourse, it is clear to see why this restaurant has been so popular with racegoers in 2017.

York - EBOR - Eat Between Our Races

Taking on board best practice from a range of sources, EBOR is all about good, fresh food served quickly to allow racegoers the opportunity to satisfy their stomachs and not miss any of the action on the track. With state of the art facilities and digital signage, this is very much straight from the high street and onto the Knavesmire.

FOOD &BEVERAGE



FINALISTS

2017

Ascot - Introducing The Village Enclosure at Royal Ascot 2017

Any change to Royal Ascot demonstrated a serious undertaking for the Ascot team and one that simply had to deliver. Using customer data, Ascot saw an opportunity to create a new enclosure which would cater for a gap in the market whilst enhancing the experience in other enclosures by allowing them to reduce capacity. The result was the Village Enclosure, a space more reminiscent of a Great British music festival than a racecourse. Customers were treated to the latest street food trends, live music across a number of stages and a fantastic view of the racing from the course enclosure.

Hamilton Park - Bringing the High Street Experience to Hamilton Park

The Hamilton Park team set about making the racecourse an even better day out by transforming many of the facilities with a simple benchmark of meeting, and exceeding, expectations based on the best of the high street.

New bars, restaurants and cafés were introduced in customer-friendly layouts with chic, modern décor. The smallest of details were attended to, from the design and colour palette of the crockery to the racing images used in the café which show the racecourse and sport in a new and exciting way.

Hereford - From Rundown to Racing in four months

Hereford Racecourse had perhaps the most difficult operational challenge in 2017 in that they had to renovate and reopen a racecourse.

A huge team effort from the team at Hereford and their colleagues within the ARC group ensured the racecourse looked at its best for the big day. The main public bar and hospitality areas underwent complete refurbishments, providing customers with a wonderful experience back at Hereford.

Newbury - Raising the Game in Equine & Stable Staff Welfare Facilities

With the investment secured as part of the landscape change, Newbury Racecourse, made a commitment to provide the highest levels of care for participants, both human and equine, for the long-term good of the sport.

Having consulted industry stakeholders, Newbury developed state of the art stabling and wash down facilities and a new, calmer pre-parade ring which have since received glowing feedback from horsemen.

Pontefract - Capturing Data

Fresh from the Insight=Growth programme, Pontefract took the decision to re-focus efforts on data collection and subsequently using this data to enhance the experience for their different types of customer.

A strategy was put in place to increase the levels of data collated, with competitions, experiential rewards and lower prices just some of the incentives used. The results for the Yorkshire track have been fantastic—a 22.5% increase in advance sales, and swathes of eager racegoers checking out the official website for news of the latest competition; 87% more to be precise.

OPERATIONALEXCELLENCE

£2.30Thursday, October 6, 2016 Issue No. 10,296 racingpost.com/mobile

HEREWE GO

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special on the racethat stops a nation,pages 18-20

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HEREHEREHEREWE GOWE GOWE GOHERE By Jon Lees

R I C H A R D J O H N S O N , N i ge l Twiston-Davies and the Scudamore family, some of the giants of jump racing in Britain whose roots are based in Herefordshire, are granted a wish they had long hoped for today with the reopening of the racetrack they once called a home.

When Arena Racing Company shut the gates on Hereford racecourse on

December 16, 2012, amid anger and f r u s t r a t i o n f r o m t h e r a c i n g community there was little sign the sport would ever return.

Yet nearly four years later the course will emerge into a fresh new era as a fully restored member of Arc’s racecourse portfolio as it hosts the first of four fixtures in 2016.

Seven races have attracted 64 runners, including representatives from the major stables of Philip

Hobbs, David Pipe, Dan Skelton, Jonjo O’Neill and Nicky Henderson, plus Martin Keighley, who saddled Seymour Eric to win the last jumps race staged on the course.

Also present will be Johnson, Twiston-Davies and Peter and Tom Scudamore to renew acquaintance w i t h a c o u r s e t h a t w a s s o instrumental in their careers.

Reigning champion jump jockey vvContinues page 2

Track returns from four years in wilderness

TODAY’S CARDS vvHereford 2.00 50 vvAyr 1.40 24 vvExeter 2.20 38 vvChelmsford City 5.55 44 vvTramore 2.15 58



FINALISTS

2017

Bangor-on-Dee - Developing an Attractive Offering Through New Development & Delivery of an Industry-leading Experience

Bangor-on-Dee Racecourse constructed their new Owners & Trainers suite and added finishing touches which make their customer experience as renowned as it is. A dedicated Owners’ Liaison Officer ensures any request is dealt with efficiently, leaving Owners to simply enjoy their day.

Cheltenham - The Heart of Our Sport

Hosting one of the greatest sporting events in the calendar, Cheltenham’s offering to Owners has high expectations to meet. A dedicated Owners’ Liaison Team, is on hand to assure a top-class experience. Mouth-watering spreads are on offer in the dedicated Owners’ facilities on the course, whilst winning and placed connections are invited to enjoy their race again over a glass of champagne and take home a stunning video in a card replay amongst other mementos.

Hamilton Park - Exceeding Expectations

Record prize money at Hamilton Park helped kick off the 2017 season with a bang, and a refresh on all Owners’ facilities welcomed old and new faces to the racecourse.

A restaurant-quality complimentary meal is provided at the bespoke Owners’ dining facility ‘Sprinters’ and for those lucky enough to go on and win, a bespoke Hamilton Park prize bag is awarded including Moët Chandon champagne and a personal note from Chief Executive Vivien Currie.

Newcastle - A Sustainably Improved Owners Experience

Starting its new chapter as an all-weather venue with significantly more fixtures, the Owners’ experience at Newcastle required a refresh. Owners’ Liaison Officers were on-hand at each fixture, whilst a new bespoke restaurant and winning connections room were installed to further enhance the experience. The results of the first year have been most pleasing for all involved, with Owners attendance and average field sizes performing above average.

Redcar - The Winning Experience For All

Redcar have invested considerable time and effort into making the Owners’ experience a memorable one. Taking a mantra of ‘you said, we did’, key elements of the enhanced experience include a much-improved communications strategy with Owners, as well as a refurbished entrance and welcome including premium car parking. A private dining room offers complimentary lunch and winning/placed connections are congratulated with Redcar’s own branded fizz to celebrate their moment.

OWNERS’ EXPERIENCE



FINALISTS

2017

Aintree - Red Rum at 40

A celebration of the most famous Grand National winner of all time, Aintree’s Red Rum at 40 literally brought the sights, sounds and smells of Red Rum’s life to the contemporary racegoer. A stunning 4D exhibition was operational throughout the 2017 Randox Health Grand National Festival as a reminder of the race’s special heritage.

Catterick - Racing Recruitment Day

Catterick Racecourse’s commitment to the next generation of racegoer was evident in their Racing Recruitment Day. Working with specially selected partners, Catterick demonstrated the multitude of career options available in the sport whilst not losing the fun and excitement of a day’s racing.

Chelmsford City - Ladies Day 2017

The must-attend event of the summer in Essex, Chelmsford City’s Ladies Day has seen a meteoric rise in popularity ever since the racecourse reopened in 2015. Thousands of racegoers attended the day this year, with glamour, excitement and elegance on show with a live performance from Blue to bring the day to a fitting end.

Cheltenham - The McCoys

The inaugural McCoys Awards at Cheltenham were a celebration of the best of racing in the South West over the past 12 months. Attended by the great and good of the sport, the event was a marked success in recognising excellence played out on the turf and demonstrated Cheltenham’s versatility as a leading venue.

York - Jump Jockeys & Olly Murs Play Our 18th

A new Saturday fixture at York required a suitably epic launch. Cue York’s 18th Raceday, with a headline concert from Olly Murs and an even more exciting moment on the track as Jump jockeys swapped codes for a try at the famous five furlong Nunthorpe Course.

The results were thousands of delighted customers and a high bar set for this event in years to come.

EVENTS

FRIDAY 29th SEPTEMBER

THE McCOYS

SOUTH WEST JUMPS AWARDS



FINALISTS

2017

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showcase finalists preview booklet · goodwood - through the eyes as part of goodwood’s...

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