Our annual visit to the Cheltenham Festival Trials meeting coupled with a stable visit to Martin Keighley, at Luckley, near Moreton in Marsh

Coach will depart from Newbury Racecourse. Departure time: 8am

Price: £23 per member. This will include coach, drivers tips and gift to stable staff. Entrance to Cheltenham racecourse is not covered in the above price.

More information can be found in December's newsletter. Bookings can be made in the usual way.

Update: Seats are still available for this trip. If you would like to book yourself on this trip, please use the booking form within December's newsletter.

The 2015 renewal of our popular team quiz will take place on Tuesday, 10th February.

We hope to field several West Berkshire teams so if anyone wishes to take part please get in touch with Stewart Nash. 

The quiz is designed to have graduated questions and all teams will continue for all rounds. The quiz is being held at Oaksey House and we hope that there will be a good number of teams from the local racing community (AP McCoy was in a team last year!) as well as old established favourites returning.

The proceeds from the evening will be donated to the Injured Jockeys Fund.  Admission is free and cash bar will be in operation.

Venue: Oaksey House, Lambourn. Start Time: 19:30pm

If you would like to enter a team, please email enquiries@westberksracingclub.org.uk

Team details: Max number of 4 people. Entrance fee: £10 (per team). This will be donated to the Injured Jockeys Fund.

We our pleased to announce that we will be visiting Alan King and his team at Barbury Castle on Tuesday, 17th February 2015 with a start time of 8:45am.

We will be organising a trip to a local pub for food after the trip.

If you would like to book your place on this trip, please contact Rob in the usual way.

The Club will once again be sponsoring the National Hunt Flat Race at the Newbury Meeting on Saturday, 28th February 2015. The race will start at 5pm.

*PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE OF VENUE FOR THE CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL PREVIEW EVENING - VENUE: Hilton Central Hotel, Pinchington Lane, Newbury, RG14 7HL*

The Cheltenham Festival Preview Evening will take place on Thursday, 05th March 2015. The doors will open at 7pm with the event starting at 8pm.

On the panel will be: Lee McKenzie (chairperson), Warren Greatrex, David Bass, Brendan Powell JNR and Kate Miller from William Hill

Venue: Hilton Central Hotel, Pinchington Lane, Newbury, RG14 7HL

Members, guests of members and non-members are all welcome. There is a charge of £3 per member and £7 per non-member to be paid on the door. No prior booking needed.

A pay bar will be in operation and a raffle in support of the Injured Jockey Fund.

Special Offer from William Hill. FREE entry to Imperial Cup day at Sandown on Saturday for everyone attending WBRC Cheltenham Preview at Newbury Racecourse this Thursday, at 8pm

 The WBRC will again be amongst the sponsors for this meeting and a special discount car parking offer will appear in the next newsletter along with details of how to get there.  As well as an exciting programme of seven races this meeting has in the last two years featured several horses that have gone onto win at the Hunter Chase evening at Cheltenham.  With four races supported by National Series Sponsors in Bonhams, Subaru, Aga and Connolly’s Red Mills prospects are good for another great day.  And remember Kingston Blount is also home of the point to point featured on Downton Abbey.

Oliver Sherwood needs little introduction especially after his win in the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury with MANY CLOUDS, the stable star and by the time of our visit who knows he may also be the Cheltenham Gold Cup winner.

Date/Time: 31st March at 8:45am

If you would like to book your place on this trip, please use the booking form in March's newsletter.

VISIT TO SEAMUS MULLINS, WILSFORD STABLES at WILSFORD CUM LAKE near AMESBURY on Wednesday 22 April – start time 10:00 am.

Seamus Mullins has been a regular visitor to the Club’s social evenings and he has very kindly agreed to the Club paying a return visit. Seamus trains a string of around 45 National Hunt horses and there should be plenty of well known names on show.

The visit will be followed by lunch at The Wheatsheaf in Lower Woodford.  If you wish to join our party for lunch please indicate this on the booking form below.  Payment to be made in person on the day.

Venue: Seamus Mullins yard, Wilsford (near Amesbury)

You can book your place on this trip by using the booking form in the latest newsletter.

The Club’s AGM will take place at Newbury racecourse at 7.30 pm on Wednesday, 20 May. As previously mentioned both Terry Knight (Chairman) and Stewart Nash (Vice-Chairman and Newsletter Editor) have decided to stand down.  This is therefore an important meeting with changes in the Club’s management taking place so do please make every effort to attend.

Following the AGM, Stewart Nash will chair his last Club event and will be having an open discussion with a family steeped in horse racing.  Trainer Lawney Hill her husband champion point to point trainer Alan Hill and their amateur rider son Joe.  Those with a long memory will remember Alan and Lawney previously visiting the Club for one of our Grand National Previews as they both rode over the National Fences a feat now achieved by Joe this year.

Admission to the AGM is free but a charge of £2 members and £5 non-members applies for the social evening to defray costs.  A pay bar will be available.

Start Time: 7:30pm

Venue: Paddock View / Long Room, Newbury Racecourse

Parking is available in car park 2. (Entrance is on the right before the Grandstand).

We will be visiting John Bridger stable at Liphook, Hants followed by our annual visit to Goodwood racecourse on Thursday, 21st May 2015. This is a Newbury reciprocal meeting.

Coach will depart Newbury Racecourse at 8am.

Cost: £26. This will include coach, driver tip and stable visit. This does not include entrance fee to Goodwood

More details will follow shortly.

We our pleased to announce that we will be visiting Eve Johnson Houghton and her team at Blewbury on Wednesday, 10th June 2015 with a start time of 9:30am.

If you would like to book your place on this trip, please contact Rob in the usual way

We now have a quorum in terms of the numbers of members who are willing to invest in a car park badge for 16 June, so this event will definitely be going ahead. If you don’t want to commit to bringing your car or to buying a car park badge in advance then they say that car park badges will be available right up to the day. It’s going to be Car Park 8, which is in the centre of the course.

In terms of admission, it’s up to you to buy your own tickets for admission. Racing UK is offering Tattersalls admission for £49 (reduced from £67) to its subscribers. Ring 0844 3463000 and quote ‘Racing UK’. If you hear of any other offers then please let Terry Knight know.

The plan is to get there early and set up enough space for a picnic to which all members and their friends are invited. The club isn’t providing the food and drink so you need to come prepared, but it should be a nice way to prepare for the first day of Royal Ascot in good company. We’ll try to get someone to come along and give us a few tips or failing that maybe there will be one or two members with some suggestions. It is not limited to club members, more a gathering of friends, but maybe one or two will decide to join the club once they’ve met a few of us.

If you are interested in coming along then please contact Terry Knight. Terry's contact details can be found in May's newsletter. We hope to see you there.

A visit has been arranged to Jeff Hobby’s Brightwalton Stud which is set in 120 acres of chalk downland. The stud specialises in both permanent and temporary boarding of broodmares, weanlings and yearlings, sales preparation and consigning, breaking, pre-training, rest and rehabilitation. This visit should therefore provide something for everyone.

The cost of the visit is £5 and bookings should be sent to Robert Watson using the booking form in May's newsletter.

Following a number of successful recent events, Club is having its usual summer holiday break.  There is however and informal Club picnic before racing at Salisbury on Thursday, 13th August 2015.

First race 2.25 pm meet in in the public car park opposite the main grandstand for an informal picnic from 12.30pm onwards. Bring your own food and drink.

The above race days is a reciprocal day for Newbury Members.

Clive cox has built a very successful yard at Beechdown and we are very grateful to Clive for allowing us to visit.  The start time is designed to allow us to watch third lot on the gallops as well as a tour of the yard and other facilities. The visit will be followed by brunch at the Sheep Drove Eco Centre and Farm just up the road from the stables.

The cost of the visit is £5 per person and bookings should be sent to Robert Watson using the form at the end of this newsletter.  Payment for lunch will be made in person on the day.

Date/Time: Tuesday, 08th September 2015 at 9am

Ever since Sir Joseph Hawley installed John Porter as his private trainer in the newly built Park House Stables at Kingsclere in 1867 it has played an important part in racing in West Berkshire.  Porter himself was responsible for advising on the layout of Newbury Racecourse which opened in 1905 and successive trainers at Park House, William Waugh, Fred Butters, Evan Williams, Peter Hastings Bass, Ian Balding and now Andrew Balding have ensured the yard remains one which is held in the highest regard. We are therefore delighted that Andrew has agreed to a visit and we look forward to an excellent visit.  Brunch will be arranged in a local public house after the visit.

The West Berkshire Racing Club will be visiting Andrew Balding and his team at Kingsclere on Friday, 2nd October 2015 at 10:15am

Breakfast afterwards will be arranged.

**The club have received a high number of applications for this stable visit. As a result, NO more booking are being accepted for this stable visit. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience.**

This meeting is a reciprocal day for Newbury Members and therefore this is an ideal time to pay a return visit to Plumpton.  The meeting is also a fund raising day for the Moorcroft Racehorse Rehabilitation Centre and deserves our support.  On the way to the meeting we will be visiting Suzy Smith stables situated at the former Lewes Racecourse about 5 miles from Plumpton.  Suzy trains around 20 horses and has great success with her runners especially at the Sussex jumping meetings.

The cost of the visit is £28 per person to include coach travel, driver’s gratuity, trainers and stable staff donation.  Bookings should be sent to Robert Watson using the form in August newsletter.

Those who are not members can gain admission to the racecourse on the day or purchase tickets in advance via the Plumpton Racecourse website.  Due to the Moorcroft event places in the racecourse restaurant are likely to be sold out before the day but there are a variety of food outlets available.

Date: Monday, 19th October.

Coach will depart from Newbury Racecourse at 8.30am.

The booking form is available August's newsletter.

Update 01/10/2015 - Places are still available for this trip. If you would like to secure your place on the trip, please contact Rob ASAP.

Click here to book online via Tickets Oxford.

Online bookings close October 22.

Please note that this is not a WBRC event.

Admission to the event is £2 for Members and £5 for non-members. Raffle in support of the Injured Jockeys Fund. Pay bar available. No booking required.

On the Panel is the 2015 Grand National winning trainer, Oliver Sherwood. 2015 Gold Cup winning jockey Nico de Boinville & 2015 World Hurdle winning jockey Gavin Sheehan.

Date/Time: Tuesday, 10th November 2015 at 8pm

Venue: Champagne Bar, Newbury Racecourse

The club will be visiting Charlie Longsdon & his team on Tuesday, 17th November 2015 with a start time of 9:30am. We last visited Charlie and his team back in 2011.

A lunch will be organised at the Red Lion, Long Compton after the visit.

To secure your place on this visit, please contact Rob in the usual way or complete the booking form in October's newsletter.

Directions: Depart the A44 onto the A4300. Continue straight over the first roundabout and the exit for the stable's are approx. 1/2 mile on your right hand side. On the A4300, there is a small sign directing you to the stables. Postcode: OX7 5QF (Postcode has been taken from Charlie's website).

Previous social evenings have proved very successful so we are repeating the format this year. The evening will include dinner, a racing related quiz as well as the opportunity to meet other members of the Club in the informal but delightful setting of Oaksey House.  Raffle in support of the INJURED JOCKEYS FUND. Pay bar available

Our Guest Speaker will be John Reid, MBE, retired flat race jockey, now President of the Jockeys Association.

Tickets are £20 per head to include a drink on arrival.

Please apply using the booking form in the October or November's Newsletter

Please note that this event will now take place on Saturday, 12th December 2015

Venue: Oaksey House, Lambourn

Date/Time: Saturday, 12th December 2015 at 19:30pm

Final stable visit of 2015 to Noel Williams at BLEWBURY on Tuesday 15th December, at 10.15 a.m. (next door to Eve Johnson Houghton) followed by brunch at the Blueberry Inn.

The cost of the visit is £5 and bookings should be sent to Robert Watson using the booking form in November's newsletter.

Start time: 10:15am

Directions: From Newbury take the first exit from main roundabout leading to the M4/A34 and then take theA34 northwards towards Oxford. After approximately 12 miles take the exit signed B4185/A417 towards Wantage. After two miles take the B4185/A417 towards Wantage and Harwell. At Rowstock take the third exit from the roundabout onto the A417 towards Reading and continue past Harwell and Upton until you arrive at Blewbury. Turn right into Woodway Road to reach the stables. [OX11 9EZ].