Officials at Racing Welfare have been left overwhelmed after securing their biggest total from a single fundraising event after collecting more than £150,000 from a charity race day staged at Wincanton on Sunday 24th October.
The six-figure total was collected through a variety of methods including race sponsorship, hospitality packages, bucket collections, plus both a live and silent auction at the Somerset track’s Fitzdares Racing Welfare Charity Raceday.
Funds were also raised from a 12-runner charity race featuring stable staff including former Ipswich Town, Coventry City, Brentford and Reading midfielder Jay Tabb, who now works for Philip Hobbs.
The mile and a quarter contest was won by Sarah West and Celestial Force, who led home a one-two for champion trainer Paul Nicholls when getting the better of her colleague at the Ditcheat yard, Hannah Roche, and Wise Glory by a nose. You can watch the race back here.
More than £40,000 was raised from the silent auction which saw 82 lots up for grabs, including a five-night stay at a country house in South Africa. The live auction made £35,000, the top lot being a week at Umndeni Lodge, South African Riding Safari which made £14,000.