About the Club

Who We Are

West Berkshire Racing Club is one of the original racing clubs set up in the 1980s to encourage participation and involvement in horse racing. There were approximately 30 clubs across the country at that time but this has sadly reduced to about five today

We have approximately 180 members (slightly more female than male). The annual subscription is only £15 and we want to encourage enthusiasts. As the name suggests, we are based in West Berkshire, however, we have members across many counties.

Our President is Jamie Snowden and our Vice President is Lizzie Kelly.

We organises a broad range of exciting events appealing to anyone with an interest in horse racing, including visits to racing stables, studs and race meetings as well as evening social events giving members the opportunity to meet racing personalities.  We also have regular competitions such as ITV 7 league, Ten to Follow, and tipping competitions for the Cheltenham Festival and Royal Ascot.

Stable visits
We aim to visit a cross section of both small and larger trainers representing both flat and national hunt, so that our members get a good insight into different trainers’ approaches and facilities.  We meet the trainers, tour the stables, see the horses on the gallops and learn about how the horses are trained. Some visits are planned to coincide with a local race meeting. Brunch at a nearby pub is a regular feature!
During 2023 we visited Warren Greatrex, Richard Phillips, Oliver Signy, Chris Gordon, Henry Candy, Tom Ward, Owen Burrows, Richard Bandy and Harry Derham. 

Stud Visits
Usually timed so we can see the mares with their newly-born foals, providing a fascinating insight into the world of breeding and the challenges involved. During 2024 we visited Hillwood Stud in Aldbourne.  

Visit to Hillwood Stud, Aldbourne. June 2024

Competitions
The club runs regular competitions, such as ‘Ten to Follow’ for both the Flat and National Hunt seasons. Members can compete in an ongoing ITV 7 league and tipping competitions for major race meetings, such as Cheltenham and Royal Ascot. Trophies are awarded for our competition winners.

Guest and Preview Evenings
The Club holds a series of discussion evenings with guest speakers from the world of racing. In the past year these have included Champion Trainer Nicky Henderson; Grand National winning jockeys Daryl Jacob and Brendan Powell Snr; Gold Cup winning jockey Andrew Thornton; TV presenters Tanya Stevenson, Luke Harvey and “Aussie” Jim McGrath; 2YO Handicapper Matthew Tester; trainers Eve Johnson Houghton, Jamie Osborne, Richard Phillips and Jamie Snowden. The Preview evenings at which top jockeys, trainers and media pundits point the way to ‘horses to follow’ at the Cheltenham Festival.

Going to the races
Many Club members also belong to Newbury or other racecourses. The Club arranges a few raceday visits, sometimes preceded by a nearby stable visit.

Social Events
Additional social events include a Christmas lunch – in 2023 this was held at The Pheasant after our visit to Harry Derham Racing.  An annual team quiz gives members a chance to pit their racing knowledge against the professionals. There is also an annual picnic at Windsor Racecourse prior to the Newbury reciprocal meeting.

What We Do Not Do

We do not own or run syndicates, however many of our members are in either partnerships or syndicates.