Named after the great and much missed trainer, the Open Weekend has an action-packed series of events planned with highlights including the opening of 26 trainers’ yards, the hugely popular My Pension Expert Racing Personality Show Jumping Competition and the My Pension Expert Shetland Pony Grand National.
As well as raising money for charity partners – Newmarket Housing Trust and Racing Welfare – the Henry Cecil Open Weekend forms part of National Racehorse Week, a nationwide initiative to celebrate the racehorse and showcase the excellent care and attention they receive each day.
A total of 26 yards are set to open their doors to the public from 9am – 12:30pm on Sunday 22nd September:
On Saturday there’s access to the British Racing School, the Injured Jockeys Fund’s fitness and rehabilitation centre – Peter O’Sullevan House, Jockey Club Rooms, Rossdales Equine Hospital and Godolphin Lifetime Care at Woodditton.
Visitors can also head to the sales ring at Tattersalls Bloodstock Auctioneers to learn about the oldest firm of horse auctioneers in the world and hear from an auctioneer on how they sell high-priced bloodstock. No advanced booking is required – please take your seat in the sales ring for a 11:30am start.
General admission to the National Horseracing Museum (NHRM) costs £5 per day during the Henry Cecil Open Weekend when you show your Open Weekend wristband.
This includes entrance to the museum, behind-the-scenes tours, access to the special exhibitions and a ride on the racehorse simulator. The Charlie Hills-trained former champion sprinter Battaash will be at the museum over the weekend for guests to meet on the hour from 10am-4pm each day.
An action-packed Sunday starts on Warren Hill Gallops, sponsored by Tattersalls. Fans can see stars from 8am-8:45am including William Haggas’ Irish Champion Stakes winner Economics, Haydock Sprint Cup winner Montassib and Hungerford Stakes winner Tiber Flow as well as Sir Mark Prescott’s Royal Ascot winner Pledgeofallegiance and Group 2 winner Tiffany.
Also on show are Haydock Sprint Cup runner-up Kind Of Blue from the James Fanshawe yard as well as Henry Cecil Open Weekend Chairman, Charlie Fellowes’ duo of Group 3 winner Vadream and exciting two-year-old Listed winner Luther.
Horses from the yard of Classic-winning trainers George Boughey and David Simcock, rising star Kevin Philippart de Foy and Dylan Cunha, who is enjoying his best season yet, will also be seen.
Sunday afternoon’s entertainment will take place in the main arena on The Severals and will feature the My Pension Expert Shetland Grand National, Fun Dog Show sponsored by UK Pets, HCOW Racehorse Parade sponsored by Al Shaqab, and the hugely popular My Pension Expert Racing Personality Show Jumping Competition.
The HCOW Retired Racehorse Parade will showcase racing performers of the past and provide crowd insight into the possibilities for retraining after racing. Many of the horses parading have gone on to pursue successful careers in multiple disciplines such as showing, dressage, showjumping, eventing and even modelling!
In the main arena from 2pm will be Group 1 winner Sheikhzayedroad and Grade 1 winner Desert Encounter as well as Group winning globetrotters Desert Fire and Prince of Arran who both remain local to Newmarket.
Graduates of the Godolphin rehoming programme African Jazz and Stage Magic will return to the parade this year, bringing with them a long list of accolades from the showing ring. Tariq Too joins at the ripe age of 17, his career highlight post-racing might be the global Longines advertising campaign which he starred in alongside Kate Winslett.
Rainbow Dreamer comes to the parade as the most recent retired racehorse and has recently embarked on his retraining process having had his final race start earlier this year. The former Newmarket trained Secret Number, Rum Baba and Pirate King will also return to familiar Newmarket surroundings having settled into their new lives where they bring endless joy to their owners.
Watch flat racing’s biggest names take on the jumps in the My Pension Expert Racing Personality Show Jumping. The team competition will feature some of Britain’s best known flat jockeys and trainers as they take on each other in a relay style team event.
Prices start at £15 per person for a weekend wristband when purchased in advance on the website, or £20 per person when purchased from any of our sites over the weekend. Children aged 16 years of age and under go FREE all weekend.
Please visit www.thehenrycecilopenweekend.co.uk for more information and to buy tickets.
Charlie Fellowes, Chairman of The Henry Cecil Open Weekend, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming visitors back to Newmarket for the Henry Cecil Open Weekend. Our revised format will be introduced for the first time this year which has seen unprecedented support from trainers opening their doors on a biannual basis, we hope visitors will enjoy the action packed two days we have in store as there really is something for all the family to enjoy.
“Named in honour of the great Sir Henry Cecil this weekend is all about celebration. We hope people will join us to help raise as much money as possible for our two fantastic charities, The Newmarket Housing Trust and Racing Welfare.”
