19 June 2011
International Polo Player Gonzalo Pieres Jr was in attendance at an exclusive event held by Rolex at Coworth Park Polo Club with Andrew Hine and invited media. Gonzalito hosted a special masterclass, as well as sharing his memories of winning the Triple Crown in Argentina in 2010, plus his plans for the rest of 2011.
13, December 2010
For the third year running, Eric Lamaze and John Fleischhacker, joint-owners of the 14 year old bay stallion Hickstead, have been awarded the prestigious title of “Owner of the Year” by the Jumping Owners Club. Hickstead and Canadian rider Eric Lamaze continued their superb form to maintain their position as the most successful horse and rider combination in 2010.
Christian Baillet, Chairman of the Jumping Owners Club, and Jean-Noel Bioul of Rolex SA presented the award to Eric Lamaze. The ceremony took place during the 2010 Rolex FEI World Cup™ Qualifier at the Geneva Palexpo, Switzerland, on 11 December 2010.
Formed in 2005 and supported by Rolex, the Jumping Owners Club is an exclusive organisation of international owners which works towards growing the popularity of the sport around the world. It is the only body which represents the views and opinions of the owners, and works closely alongside the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) in building the profile and inclusiveness of Jumping.
The International Owner of the Year Award was created in 2004 to recognise the most successful owner of each year in the discipline of Jumping. To determine the winner, a classification is established for all horse and rider combinations based on points obtained for the Rolex Rankings during the calendar year. The owner of the horse of the winning combination receives the award; a bronze sculpture produced by Caroline Wallace and a silver picture frame presented by Rolex.
Mr Christian Baillet, Chairman of the Jumping Owners Club, said: “There is no doubting the extraordinary partnership between Hickstead and Eric Lamaze as seen by them winning this award for the third year in a row. This award goes some way to recognising their many outstanding successes and we wish Eric Lamaze and John Fleischhacker many best wishes for continued success in 2011”.
Previous winners of this award were John, Pat and Lisa Hales (GBR) for Arko III in 2004 and 2005, Mrs Serena Hamberg (AUT) for The Sixth Sense in 2006, Mrs Nancy Clark (USA) for Shutterfly in 2007, and Mr Eric Lamaze (CAN) & Mr John Fleischhacker (USA) for Hickstead in 2008 and 2009.
Photo caption (L-R): Christian Baillet, Chairman of the JOC presenting the Owner of the Year Award and Jean-Noel Bioul, Rolex SA, presenting a Rolex silver picture frame to Eric Lamaze.
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Mr Christian Baillet, Chairman Jumping Owners Club
Email: cbaillet@quilvest.com
14 July 2010
THE PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLERS’ ASSOCIATION (PFA) has become the new title partner of 2010’s Football Furlong – the unique football-themed raceday – at Royal Windsor Racecourse on Sunday, 8 August 2010.
The PFA Football Furlong is the one day of the year when the sports of football and horse racing come together.
All the jockeys wear the generic representative colours of the 20 Premiership football clubs rather than the traditional silks of the owners of the horses they are riding. Horses and jockeys accrue points for the teams which go towards a league table throughout the day.
Now in its fifth year, The PFA Football Furlong has previously been won by Tottenham Hotspur, Wigan, Arsenal and Middlesbrough. The South of England is well represented with Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham, West Ham and Spurs amongst the clubs taking part.
Christian Smith, Commercial Director of the PFA said, “The PFA Football Furlong is a great way for fans to back their teams before the season starts. It promises to be a great day’s racing and great fun for all the supporters and our sponsors and partners – there’s a free football masterclass by Chelsea FC Football in the Community, a mascot race, and six cracking horse races”.
Before racing begins at Royal Windsor Racecourse, the 2010 PFA Football Furlong Mascot Challenge will be run, with sporting mascots galloping along the final furlong of the racecourse. The first three mascots across the line qualify for a special penalty shootout against a top goalkeeper.
Gates open at Royal Windsor Racecourse on Sunday, 8 August at 12pm. The first race is at 2.30pm. Admission: £9 Silver Ring Enclosure; £17 Grandstand Enclosure; £23 Club Enclosure. Racegoers under 18 free when accompanied by an adult. More details about Royal Windsor Racecourse can be found at www.windsor-racecourse.co.uk
ENDS
For further media information, please contact:
Rod Kohler Tel: 0207 928 9999
Revolution Sports Marketing Group Mob: 07770 647662
Kate Hills Tel: 01342 834 800
Director of Public Relations & Communications Mob: 07813 947201
Arena Leisure Racing
6, May 2010
Dubai’s race to build the iconic Meydan horseracing development in time for the 2010 Dubai World Cup – featuring the richest horse race in the world – was a close finish, but never in doubt. On the eve of the inaugural 2010 event, Merrick Haydon spoke with Mohammad Al Khayat, Commercial Director of Meydan City Corporation.
Meydan City may only be at the start of a long journey but with the stunning staging of the US$26.25 million Dubai World Cup raceday in March this year, featuring the richest horserace in the world, it has left an indelible impression on the 60,000 spectators as well as the millions of race fans from around the world.
As a sports venue, its statistics are unparalleled and can be compared favourably against some of the world’s greatest stadiums. A grandstand that seats 60,000 plus spectators, a five-star trackside hotel, six haute-cuisine restaurants offering food from five continents, an IMAX cinema, and covered parking for up to 10,000 cars. For spectators therefore, the opportunity to enjoy the thrill of horseracing in such a uniquely luxurious setting is without equal anywhere in the world.
In time, Meydan City will encompass a golf course, a business park, an 80-berth Marina and various residential districts – all in a unique setting where business and pleasure will be designed to operate in harmony.
The man responsible for the worldwide marketing of the venue is Commercial Director, Mohammad Al Khayat. A graduate of Cass Business School, part of City University in London, Mohammad joined Meydan in 2007 when the horseracing development master plan was first launched.
“From the moment we launched in 2007, the focus has always been the 2010 Dubai World Cup, so the last two years have been very busy” explained Mohammad.
“Although I am responsible for the overall sales targets, marketing budgets and sponsorship management, the commercial team liaises with many different internal groups so our work is relevant to many departments within the company”.
While the final development will include many different aspects, equestrian sports will always be at the core of Meydan’s philosophy. Meydan not only stages the aforementioned Dubai World Cup, but also sponsors the FEI Nations Cup, the premier international outdoor show jumping competition as well as being the Endurance Competition sponsor for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.
With the date for the completion of the Meydan project fixed for the 2010 Dubai World Cup, Mohammad and his marketing team were on an extremely tight schedule, with little room for error. “The primary concern was to achieve the correct marketing exposure for the event and support all our sponsors, from the day they came onboard until the actual event itself”, explained Mohammad.
“Within my department, the team is made up of eight core members, but in the lead-up to the Dubai World Cup, we employ temporary staff to help us out. As we’re undergoing restructuring, the marketing team currently falls under the scope of the Commercial Department”.
He went on to add, “There are currently 20 members who work within the five separate groups which make the marketing team; Sponsorship, Events, Hospitality and Sales, Marketing Communications and Branding, and PR. As this is a fast-track project, all the teams work together to ensure that the project gets finished on time”.
Showcases at the 2008 Shanghai Cityscape and the 2009 Cityscape Dubai were seen as the ideal opportunity to allow the public and potential partners alike the chance to engage hands-on with the unique development. In December 2009, a select group of 70 journalists from 30 countries were invited to take their first-ever look at the impressive racecourse and hospitality facilities which would be on display to the world only three months later.
From a sponsorship perspective, Meydan is able to offer some of the region’s leading brands an outstanding platform on which to build international awareness. The eagerly anticipated official launch of Meydan, in conjunction with the 2010 Dubai World Cup, makes this one of the biggest events in the UAE’s social and sporting calendar and attracts the horseracing elite from around the world.
“Our sponsors include Emirates Airlines, Dubai Duty Free, China Guangsha, The Saeed and Mohammed Al Naboodah Group, Etisalat – Emirates Telecommunication Corporation, Gulf News, Emirates NBD and Land Rover. We work hard to maintain close relationships with each of them and speak on a daily basis in order to ensure all their needs are met”, said Mohammad. “In the cases of Emirates, Dubai Duty Free and Gulf News, they have been sponsors of the Dubai World Cup since its inception in 1996 and we are delighted that their partnership is still ongoing and is a testament to all our hard work”.
The key to completing a development of this size and scale on time has been communication. Although emails have become the 21st century tool for communicating, when instant decisions are needed, Mohammad and his team still rely on the telephone as the most direct means of communication. However, there is some concession to modernity as Mohammad pointed out, “We thank BlackBerry every day for their invention – we’re always on them!”
Long after the racing fans have left Meydan, the work will still go on for Mohammad and his team. With the Meydan Metropolis, a combination of sumptuous residential and commercial space, set to open in the second quarter of 2011, there is still plenty to do to and as ever, time is tight.
ENDS
For further information please contact:
Merrick Haydon
Tel: 0207 928 9999
email: merrick@revolutionsports.co.uk
Royal Windsor Racecourse is seeking a headline sponsor to partner the Racecourse’s inaugural Football Furlong™ Raceday on Sunday, 8 August 2010. Football Furlong™ is a unique fusion of horseracing and football with jockeys racing in the generic shirt colours of the 20 English Premier League football clubs, and has been hosted at Haydock Park and Leopardstown Racecourses in previous years.
Headline sponsorship benefits include overall event title naming rights plus title ownership of five of the day’s races, covered by satellite channel At The Races with domestic distribution to over 12 million UK and Irish homes; significant branding on all event marketing and throughout the Racecourse; PA announcements on the day targeted at the 9,000 racegoers; substantial VIP hospitality in private, course-facing facilities at the beautiful riverside Racecourse; exclusive access to Premier League football stars and VIPs; partnership to be publicised in all pre-raceday literature and press releases.
Fantastic marketing, hospitality and sales promotion platform with PR cut through.
Contact Matthew Foxton-Duffy, Sales & Marketing Manager, 01753 498 442, matthew.foxton-duffy@windsor-racecourse.co.uk for further details.
For a detailed proposal please click on the following link:
6, April 2010
Following a hugely successful Cheltenham Festival, Jockey Club Catering – also official caterers at Aintree Racecourse – have been busy preparing for the John Smith’s Grand National meeting by undertaking ground-breaking local recruitment and customer service training.
On Saturday, 27 March 2010, the team within Jockey Club Catering, part of Compass Group UK & Ireland, held a training day for over 1,000 new recruits who will work at the 2010 Grand National meeting on 8, 9 & 10 April 2010.
A total of 1,057 new recruits met at Aintree Racecourse to undertake customer service and skills training, resulting in a total of 6,000 hours of training. It was also important for Compass to relay its required standard of personal presentation and uniform, and therefore visual demonstrations were provided during the day through live fashion show style workshops.
The 1,000+ people being trained for the John Smith’s Grand National meeting is an example of Jockey Club Catering taking the extra steps to enhance the raceday customer experience, as well as build team work amongst its staff.
Bob Reeves, Business Director for Racing, Compass Group UK & Ireland said: “The John Smith’s Grand National meeting is a major event in the Jockey Club Catering calendar and a huge operation just two weeks after the Cheltenham Festival. The training day at Aintree was a great success and is just one of the initiatives we are undertaking to help ensure all racegoers have an incredible time at all of our 14 Jockey Club Racecourses.
Jockey Club Catering is incredibly proud to source our entire temporary staff from the local area in which we operate as it also provides a valuable source of employment to the region.”
The training day at Aintree is something that Jockey Club Catering will look to repeat in the build-up to the other great festival meetings at its Jockey Club Racecourses, including the Investec Derby Festival at Epsom and Newmarket’s July Festival.
According to Jockey Club Catering, race fans at the Grand National meeting are expected to drink over 7,000 bottles of champagne, 5,000 cocktails, 220,000 pints of beer and 75,000 cups of tea and coffee at the racecourse’s 80 public bars. In addition, Jockey Club Catering’s 3,000 staff will serve 14,000 hospitality covers over the three-day meeting and use enough ice to fill two articulated lorries!
-Ends-
For further information please contact:
Rod Kohler Tel: 0207 928 9999
Revolution PR Mob: 07770 647 662
Liz Bastone Tel: 01895 554426
Compass Group UK & Ireland Mob: 07500 607965
Notes for Editors:
About Jockey Club Racecourses
Jockey Club Racecourses is part of the Jockey Club family. The Club’s trustee ownership ensures that the group’s profits are re-invested into racing.
Jockey Club Racecourses comprises a diverse portfolio of 14 courses. Major events and races staged at Jockey Club Racecourses include the Cheltenham Festival, the John Smith’s Grand National as well as four of the five Classics, including the Derby.
Because of the Jockey Club’s unique experience and heritage and the strength of the Group today, Jockey Club Racecourses are able to successfully deliver competitive and best-of-class horse racing; maximising profit and re-investing in the future to ensure the long-term and sustainable success of the business.
About Compass Group UK & Ireland
Compass Group UK & Ireland has partnered with Jockey Club Racecourses to provide an unrivalled variety of food services at over 350 fixtures a year as well as hosting numerous events throughout the year across the Jockey Club Racecourses portfolio of 14 courses.
Compass Group UK and Ireland is part of Compass Group plc, the world’s leading foodservice company. We specialise in providing food, vending and related services on our clients’ premises and we generated annual revenues of over £13.4 billion in the year to 30 September 2009. The company operates across the following core sectors of Business & Industry, Defence, Offshore & Remote Site, Healthcare, Education, Sports & Leisure and Vending with an established brand portfolio.
For more information visit www.compass-group.co.uk
Jockey Club Catering, Aintree Recruitment Training Day – 27.3.10
31, April 2010
Liverpool Daily Post business meets Lorraine Fullerton, regional recruitment manager for Jockey Club Catering, for an insight into her hectic schedule ahead of the Aintree Grand National Festival
For further information please contact:
Rod Kohler Tel: 0207 928 9999
Revolution email: rod@revolutionpr.co.uk
16, March 2010
With well over 200,000 racegoers attending the four days of The Festival from 16 – 19 March 2010 – 67,000 of those on Cheltenham Gold Cup day – the racecourse’s caterers, Jockey Club Catering, has a colossal task on its hands keeping punters fed and watered. The racecourse stable staff has an equal catering challenge with their equine visitors!
According to Cheltenham’s official caterer, Jockey Club Catering, part of Compass Group UK & Ireland, race fans are expected to drink over 18,000 bottles of champagne, 220,000 pints of Guinness, 30,000 bottles of wine, 120,000 bottles of beer and cider, as well as 8,000 gallons of tea and coffee.
Meanwhile, the hungry spectators will each day sit down to three or four course lunches, looked after by the racecourse’s 3,000 staff, including 250 chefs and 300 managers. Guests are expected to devour three tonnes of smoked salmon, two tonnes of fillet and sirloin of beef, nine tonnes of potatoes, 46,000 bread rolls, 20,000 portions of chips and 25,000 beef burgers and hot dogs – all prepared in 30 temporary kitchens and 53 mobile catering units.
Bob Reeves, Business Director for Racing, Compass Group UK & Ireland said: “The Cheltenham Festival is the biggest catering operation of its kind in the racing world. Our team of chefs and waiting staff will alone look after 36,000 hospitality covers in 240 private boxes and chalets, seven restaurants and 20 marquees – this is a true team effort, and one of which we are incredibly proud.”
Much of the food is locally sourced with all beef, pork, lamb and sausages coming from Forest of Dean; all salmon smoked in Cirencester; the award winning Paddy Pies coming from Bristol; Real Ale brewed in Cheltenham; mustard from Tewkesbury; and 45,000 sandwiches made in Swindon.
The Festival’s 500 equine stars – one quarter of which are travelling from various stables in Ireland – will also consume an equally impressive amount of food and liquid, albeit from a slightly blander menu. With the average racehorse drinking between 10 – 12 gallons of water per day (still, not sparkling), and consuming up to 25lbs of dry food such as hay and chaff, the stable management team, lead by John Morrison, is also responsible for a huge logistical catering task.
Those details in full – Jockey Club Catering will serve the following during The Cheltenham Festival:
Food
• 3 tonnes smoked salmon
• 2 tonnes of fillet and sirloin of beef
• 9 tonnes of potatoes
• 45,000 rounds of sandwiches
• 46,000 bread rolls
• 25,000 beef burgers and hot dogs
• 14,000 packed lunches for staff
• 20,000 portions of chips
Drink
• 220,000 pints of Guinness
• 125,000 pints of lager
• 120,000 bottles of beer and cider
• 30,000 bottles of wine
• 18,000 bottles of champagne
• 8,000 gallons of tea and coffee
Jockey Club Catering staff
• 3,000 Jockey Club Catering staff, including 250 chefs and 300 managers
• 40 staff coaches per day
• 14,000 packed lunches for staff
In total, 800 feet of temporary bar counters are built for The Festival.
The longest bar at Cheltenham is the 110 foot long Pavilion Bar in the Best Mate enclosure.
If all burgers, hot dogs and sandwiches were laid end-to-end, they would stretch almost 3.2 miles – the distance of the Totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup.
-Ends-
For further information please contact:
Rod Kohler Tel: 0207 928 9999
Revolution PR Mob: 07770 647 662
Liz Bastone Tel: 01895 554426
Compass Group UK & Ireland Mob: 07500 607 965
Notes for Editors:
About Jockey Club Racecourses
Jockey Club Racecourses is part of the Jockey Club family. The Club’s trustee ownership ensures that the group’s profits are re-invested into racing.
Jockey Club Racecourses comprises a diverse portfolio of 14 courses. Major events and races staged at Jockey Club Racecourses include the Cheltenham Festival, the John Smith’s Grand National as well as four of the five Classics, including the Derby.
Because of the Jockey Club’s unique experience and heritage and the strength of the Group today, Jockey Club Racecourses are able to successfully deliver competitive and best-of-class horse racing; maximising profit and re-investing in the future to ensure the long-term and sustainable success of the business.
About Compass Group UK & Ireland
Compass Group UK & Ireland has partnered with Jockey Club Racecourses to provide an unrivalled variety of food services at over 350 fixtures a year as well as hosting numerous events throughout the year across the Jockey Club Racecourses portfolio of 14 courses.
Compass Group UK and Ireland is part of Compass Group plc, the world’s leading foodservice company. We specialise in providing food, vending and related services on our clients’ premises and we generated annual revenues of over £13.4 billion in the year to 30 September 2009. The company operates across the following core sectors of Business & Industry, Defence, Offshore & Remote Site, Healthcare, Education, Sports & Leisure and Vending with an established brand portfolio.
For more information visit www.compass-group.co.uk
