Howden Christmas Family Raceday 2024
Colts and Fillies members enjoyed a treat before racing at our special brunch with Father Christmas, Mrs Christmas and Scotty, our club mascot. A delicious brunch was enjoyed by the children before Father Christmas handed out a special early Christmas gift to all of them.
Out on the track we saw six exciting Jumps races with the Fergal O’Brien trained Crambo winning the Howden Long Walk hurdle for the second year running.
Away from the track the children enjoyed some festive fun starting with the Christmas Parade which saw our Christmas characters arrive at the Parade Ring. During the afternoon there was the chance to meet Father Christmas, hear stories from Mrs Christmas, take part in Christmas crafts and decorate some yummy gingerbread.
Rudolph and his friends were in attendance and with fairground rides, face painting and the creative balloon modellers there was plenty of fun for everyone.
To round off the day we held our Christmas carol concert with lots of Christmas cheer and audience participation.
Fireworks Spectacular Family Raceday 2024
Ascot's first meeting of the new 2024/2025 Jumps season was great fun for our Colts and Fillies members. There were seven races to enjoy during the afternoon and trainer Kim Bailey won the £100,000 Sodexo Live! Gold Cup Chase with Chianti Classico.
Down on the lawns the brave could enjoy thrills and excitement on the white-knuckle fairground rides while younger racegoers could enjoy some gentler rides and the dodgems proved popular for the whole family.
In the craft zone there was the opportunity to make lanterns and rockets, get a creation from the balloon modeller and have your face painted. This was also the location for the Colts and Fillies biscuit decorating, where members could decorate a rocket shortbread top take home or eat there and then!
The Pavilion played host to the Fireworks movement workshops, UV disco and our cinema, which offered the perfect spot to chill out after racing and before the fireworks with a showing of Inside Out 2.
A group of Colts and Fillies Members won the chance to go on a Trip to the Start during racing and the evening highlight was the charity firework spectacular in association with the Ascot Round Table. Everyone gathered in the grandstand to watch the fantastic fireworks which was a great finish to our family fun day.
Summer Mile Family Raceday 2024
Family fun was guaranteed at the Summer Mile Family Raceday. There were seven exciting races out on the track with Quddwah taking the Group 2 Summer Mile for trainers Simon and Ed Crisford and jockey Callum Shepherd. Earlier in the day children took centre stage with 2 pony races, it was great to see them on the Ascot turf and we may have seen some of the jockeys of the future!
Off the track younger racegoers tried their luck at the traditional game stalls, learnt new skills at the circus workshop and enjoyed a round of mini golf. There was also giant lawn games, arts and crafts, face painters and balloon modellers.
Colts and Fillies members could decorate a tote bag and collect a limited-edition water bottle, both of which proved really popular activities and we really enjoyed meeting so many of our club members in this area on the day.
The trackside lawns were the perfect picnic spot and many families enjoyed this relaxed area with a backdrop of live music and great views of the racing on the track.
Spring Family Raceday 2024
The Spring family raceday featured an afternoon of Jumps racing alongside a range of countryside activities to keep the whole family entertained. Colts and Fillies members could collect a free junior lanyard on arrival which contained details about the day and a host of facts, puzzles and activities.
The Club sponsored a race for the 14th year running and Colts and Fillies members Seraphina and Oliver did a fantastic job of representing the club, picking the best turned out horse and presenting mementos to the winning owner, trainer and jockey.
In the main arena, there were entertaining performances throughout the afternoon including dog agility, Duck Herding, Birds of Prey and the cheeky ferret roadshow. While away from the arena, there was a chance to learn about basket making, campfires and nest building, get involved in arts and crafts and create some seed bombs to take home.
In the Pavilion there was a meet and greet with the Gruffalo, face painting, soft play and some creepy crawlies to handle – if you were brave enough! Club members could access the exclusive Easter biscuit decorating activity to decorate a scrumptious biscuit and Scotty was on hand to meet members throughout the day.
The weather was kind and the rain stayed away to ensure a great day out for the whole family.