About half an hour down the road from Bedford lies a hidden gem of sport at Huntingdon Racecourse, the home of the Peterborough Chase and a venue where some of horse racing’s most famous names have competed and won.
From three-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, Best Mate to perhaps racing’s most famous grey in Desert Orchid and more recently, Pic D’Orhy, Huntingdon has seen some of racing’s stars adorn its turf, and it’s a sporting venue on Bedford’s doorstep that is highly recommended as an excellent day out.
Perhaps fittingly, I was joined by my best mate as we took in all that Huntingdon Racecourse has to offer, from the press room to the inner workings of the parade ring, and even its wonderful Peterborough Chase Restaurant.
You don’t have to be a racing fan to come here, as there really is something for everyone.
Looking after the environment
Horse racing has faced its challenges in recent years.
Whether it be the ongoing chatter on welfare, (more on that later), early jump season ground issues or the recent proposed tax rise on betting, the industry continues to face tests, but one venue tackling it head on is Huntingdon.
It’s fair to say that Huntingdon isn’t the first venue rolling off the tongue when it comes to British horse racing, with Cheltenham and Aintree leading the list, but I quickly learnt of the extraordinary ventures that the venue – along with The Jockey Club – are helping to build.
At the centre of it all was Huntingdon Racecourse’s charity partner, Creating Nature’s Corridor, the environmental charity which has transformed the racecourse’s green spaces into living, breathing ecosystems, celebrated at Huntingdon’s recent community day.
Their founder, Vhari Russell is particularly proud of their efforts so far.
“We’re here sharing awareness of how many trees we’ve planted across the site, that now stands at over 14,000, which is incredible. But we’re not stopping there, we’re planting another 2,000 trees and hedging plants later this year”, she says.
In and around the hub of activity in this well presented sporting arena, there are people behind the scenes doing wonderful work for the environment.
The buzz of race day
Personally, I haven’t been to the races since the heady days of pre-Covid, and while I have followed the sport for the last two or three years, I learnt more on one afternoon than I have in the preceding 36 months.
Everything from the care and attention these thoroughbreds get, to how to spot the paddock pick and aid your bet was covered, thanks in large to our wonderful guide, Dara of The Jockey Club who showed us around the venue.
I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of people present for a Tuesday afternoon, and with impressive numbers at the Community Day on Sunday 2 November, Huntingdon Races is bucking the trend and proving to be a popular day out.
My largest shout out of the day must go to the teams surrounding each racehorse, which borders on phenomonal.
According to the British Horseracing Authority, approximately 14,000 racehorses receive daily care from roughly 6,000 dedicated stable staff, and as our colleague from The Jockey Club so rightly says, a lot of the horses simply wouldn’t exist without the sport.
With investment of over £47m over 20 years into veterinary research and education, its safe to say that these horses are genuinely very well looked after.
And they are stunning animals close up and in action.
Wonderful hospitality
We were also very lucky to sample the hospitality on offer, and its something I would highly recommend if you want to treat yourself to the VIP experience.
The team at Huntingdon are exceptionally welcoming, look after your every need and the food, (I had the beef bourguignon if you’re wondering) was scrumptious.
The Banks Suite offers an excellent halfway house if you want something quick to get back out to the action, but for those who want to take in the views and relax, the Peterborough Chase restaurant is the place to be.
Some may think that horse racing is simply about the betting, but there really is so much more than that at Huntingdon Racecourse, including the auctions that were introduced for a couple of the winning horses late in the afternoon.
While owning a racehorse sounds like a wonderful and rewarding journey, the end bid of £8,000 was a touch out of my price range. Maybe one day…
The event also started with a wonderful opportunity for young school children to learn more about the integrity of the sport, the ground and compete in their own running race courtesy of another local initiative, ‘Racing to School’.
I also know you’re desperate to know how I got on when I put my money where my mouth is.
It started well, with victory in the second race, (thank you Tigga Time and jockey, Jamie Gambin) but it was all downhill from there!
The next meeting at Huntingdon is the Beer Festival Race Day on 22 November, followed by the venue’s premier race day, including the aforementioned showpiece of The Peterborough Chase on 7 December, where some of the game’s rising stars and big names will be in attendance.
Tickets for the event can be bought here while VIP options for the day are still available to purchase here.
Bedford Independent’s Sport Editor, Tom Carr was given 2 VIP access tickets
to Huntingdon Racecourse via The Jockey Club to facilitate this piece.
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