Pupils race through syllabus at Newmarket

Newmarket’s historic July Course will welcome 160 primary school children this week, as part of a new education programme.

History and heritage

Throughout June the children, aged nine and 10, have visited Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum’s breeding headquarters at Dalham Hall and the National Horseracing Museum.

The final part of the programme is a tour of July Course. The event tomorrow (25 June) includes a presentation by vets from Newmarket Equine Hospital using a real life painted horse, a parade of retired racehorses that have been retrained in new disciplines, and talks from finalists from the Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff Awards.

The Under Starters’ Orders Primary School Education Programm was set up by Newmarket Racecourses, the National Horseracing Museum, BHEST (British Horseracing Education and Standards Trust) and The Horse Comes First initiative.

It involves six local primary schools, and aims to engage children with the history and heritage of their town.

Local learning

Amy Starkey, director of Jockey Club Racecourses East Region said: “We all agree that it is fantastic to be able to incorporate horseracing, current and historic, into the syllabus of these local children’s learning.

“The Education Programme is a way of providing local children with an insight into the world of horseracing and where better place to learn than at the home of the sport.“