Tuesday 1st September 2009
July Course receives ROA Gold Standard
Newmarket’s July Course has become the latest course to achieve ROA Gold Standard Award status, with a formal presentation during racing on Saturday, 29th August. The Award recognises overall excellence in the raceday experience for owners, their horses and stable staff.
The Cambridgeshire course joins fourteen other current holders of the coveted Award, each of which is reviewed annually.
ROA Council member and Gold Standard Committee member, Dena Arstall, presented the commemorative plaque to the racecourse executive on the final meeting of the season at the July Course.
Newmarket’s combined prize-money for both its courses for the past twelve months stands at over £11.9 million. Executive and sponsorship contributions for the same period amount to 27.5% of their overall prize-money pool. Average prize-money per fixture for the past twelve months, as listed in the Racing Post’s statistical tables, is £297,252, putting Newmarket third among the Category A courses.
Dena Arstall said: “We are thrilled to be able to award the Gold Standard to Newmarket’s July Course. As Newmarket is the headquarters of Flat racing and the focus of a global bloodstock industry, it is entirely fitting that Gold Standard status has now been achieved there. Stephen Wallis and his team have worked very hard in consultation with the Gold Standard Committee to offer a first class raceday experience for owners with runners.
“In particular, Stephen has achieved the commendable feat of becoming the first racecourse managing director to attain the Gold Standard for two different courses, having secured the award at Epsom during his previous tenure there. We hope he will be able to achieve a notable treble, in working towards the Rowley Mile course joining the Gold Standard ranks in the future.”
Stephen Wallis, Managing Director of Newmarket Racecourses, said: “The whole team is very pleased that the July Course has been awarded the Gold Standard. We greatly value its recognition of the high quality of facilities and services that we strive to offer owners and we now look forward to working with the Gold Standard Committee to achieve the award for the Rowley Mile.”
