Our summer event this year will be a return visit to the British Racing School (BRS)in Newmarket. It is some years now since our last visit and much has changed. This visit is planned for Sunday 22nd May at 1430. The BRS is situated on the Snailwell Road, Newmarket CB8 7NU. The visit will start with a short presentation by Old Foleyan Peter Williams on The History of Racing in Newmarket (Peter is a member of staff at the BRS). The presentation will be followed by a conducted tour of the facilities by the School’s Operations Director, Duncan Gregory. The visit will conclude with Coffee / Tea and a scone! The visit is open to all and guests are welcome. A £5 charge will be levied. Please complete the application form which can be found below.
The British Racing School is one of the two racing schools in the United Kingdom. Established in 1983, it is a charitable trust providing training for young people working in the horse racing industry. The school offers a wide range of courses for jockeys, trainers, exercise riders, and racing secretaries. It also runs the Pony Racing Academy and bi-annual Pony Racing Camps for children aged between 11 and 16 who wish to compete in the growing sport of Pony Racing. It is accredited by the British Horse Society.
History – The British Racing School started in 1969 at Great Bookham in Surrey before moving to the National Equestrian Centre at Stoneleigh, Warwickshire. In 1979 it moved again to the Earl of March’s Goodwood Estate until finally a permanent base was set up in Newmarket at the 120-acre site just north of the town centre.
Funding – The school costs around £3 million per year to run and relies on charitable donations and government funding via the Skills Funding Agency and the Education Funding Agency (EFA), which accounts for approximately 65 per cent of income for delivering the Apprenticeship in Racehorse Care and Advanced Apprenticeship in Racehorse Care and Management. Twenty per cent of funding is generated from course fees, including courses for jockeys, racehorse trainers, racing secretaries, management training and Pony Racing, as well as training courses for jockeys from overseas. The remainder of the income is generated from the trading arm, BRS Training Limited, a 100 per cent-owned subsidiary of the British Racing School which operates a conference facility from its site in Newmarket.
Notable alumni – Graduates of the British Racing School include:
Click the button below to view / print / download the booking form for our visit to the British Racing School on Sunday 22nd May 2022.