WE WERE really blessed with the weather at our Easter race meeting - which was a nice surprise as the forecast was just horrendous, writes Fontwell Park general manager Holly Glover.
Having been expecting rain all day, the fact it stayed nice was delightful and meant we were able to have our Easter egg hunt for the kids and other activities as well as all the racing.
It was a great turnout and we had loads of people on site, which for a smallish course like Fontwell on a Tuesday is brilliant.
The weather makes for a better atmosphere as well. I even saw people enjoying picnics in certain parts of the course, which just makes for look forward to the summer even more!
Decent weather drives our pre-sales and generally just puts everyone in a much better mood.
Try Catch Me is a horse I must mention from the card. It secured its second win at the course in only its second appearance.
The fact it’s a local horse as well being trained by Alison Batchelor in Petworth is nice, and Alison said she’d definitely be bringing the horse back – so it looks like we have a local course specialist emerging there.
We have a couple of big dates coming up within the next month which we are all very much looking forward to.
The first is on Friday, April 20, when we are hosting a charity race evening in aid of the Crohn’s in Childhood Research Association (CICRA).
We are expecting a phenomenal day with over 300 people already in the hospitality lounge as we raise money for this exceptional charity.
All our sponsors will be supporting them and there are loads of exciting activities planned.
The second date for your diary is Friday, May 4, when we will be hosting our first feature night of the year.
Last year we had over 6,000 in and we are expecting the same again for our Funk & Soul Racenight.
It’ll be a great start the bank holiday weekend with a fantastic evening at the races followed by live music.
When have a ten-piece band playing called the Reel Deal, who are fronted by the lead singer of Basement Jaxx.
Generally speaking, it’s currently a nice time of year for the smaller yards at the moment.
As we are just coming out of the jump season some of the bigger yards are holding back their horses for the summer - they are battening down the hatches, if you will, before the likes of Aintree.
Obviously, this isn’t the case for everyone as many horses are still racing, and it gives a great opportunity for the smaller yards to finish well.
For more information, or to book tickets for any of our upcoming events visiting www.fontwellpark.co.uk or call 01243 543335.