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 212 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 organise 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 2024 we visited Henrietta Knight Racing, Jo Davis Racing, Kubler Racing, Ben Pauling Racing, Jamie Snowden as well Heros Racing Charity. More recently, we have visited Emma Lavelle, Sara Bradstock and Johnathon Portman’s stables.

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 and have plans to visit Mildmay Stud later this year.  

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.

David Lees

Preview Evenings and AGM
Our AGM always includes a guest speakers from the world of racing. In the past 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. Our Cheltenham preview evening includes a panel of top jockeys, trainers and media pundits to point the way to ‘horses to follow’ at the Festival.

2025 AGM

The guest speaker at the 2025 AGM was Paul Struthers Chief Executive of the Professional Jockeys’ Association (PJA) who gave a fascinating insight into the PJA and answered many questions from our members.

We also said a big ‘Thank You’ to David Lees and his wife Shirley for nine years of being the Chair of the club.

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 2024 this was held at The Pheasant after our visit to Jamie Snowden’s yard.  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.

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