2017 was an incredible year for us all here at Pitchcroft, with a thrilling season of summer jump racing and plenty of horses to watch for the future starting their careers at Worcester Racecourse.
We are proud to offer good summer jumping ground on a fair track as the grassroots of National Hunt racing, and this was proven time and time again with some stars of the future achieving early wins in their careers before going onto bigger and better things.
None more so than Bryony Frost and Black Corton, who won at Worcester on 18th July at our Irish Racenight. This was Bryony’s first winner under rules, and this partnership have since gone on to win a Grade 1 at Kempton on 26th December making Bryony only the second ever female to win a Grade 1 race.
Quality racing made a return to Worcester with the Class 2 Fixed Brush Hurdle Series finale on 25 October, where horses had to qualify either at Worcester or Southwell between May and October by finishing in the top 8 of their qualifying races. The final was won by Psychedelic Rock, trained by Ian Williams and ridden by Tom O’Brien. This race also produced an eventual Cheltenham winner, with second placed Arthur’s Gift going on to win at the home of National Hunt racing.
With two extra fixtures than normal the season was a busy one for the team at Worcester, with two fixtures transferred from our sister Racecourse Hereford. But this gave us extra opportunities to showcase our incredible food in the Severn Restaurant, having been shortlisted for the Final of the RCA Showcase Awards in the Food & Beverage category. Fine dining is something we are passionate about and it is a real honour to be recognized by the leading authorities in horse racing for the quality of our food here.
Finally we were thrilled to continue our charity partnerships throughout the year, raising much-needed funds for fantastic causes both locally and nationally. Thank you to all of our racegoers for giving so generously, at our Macmillan Raceday in September alone we raised over £7,000!
Thank you for your support this season and we look forward to welcoming you back to the racecourse in 2018.
