New £1,600 'Best Turned Out' racehorse series

By Victoria Spicer on 19th-Jan-2012

Racehorses will be judged on their turnout in the parade ring

A new 'Best Turned Out' series is set to highlight the hard work put in by stable staff in getting their charges looking perfect for the races.

League table

Stable Staff in National Hunt yards will be vying for £1,600 in prize money this year thanks to a new Best Turned Out (BTO) series organised by Racing Welfare and sponsored by EPDS racing.

One racecourse per month will hold a race on their card with a qualifier, and the groom who leads up the horse judged Best Turned Out in that race will receive £50 in cash plus a branded gilet.

Their yard then goes onto a league table with the finale being held at the Racing Welfare Charity race day at Wincanton on December 6, where the yard with the largest number of BTO series points will receive a perpetual trophy and £1,000 cash prize to be shared between the staff.

The judges in each of the series races will award 15 points to the best turned out horse, 10 for second best and five for third.

Perfect plaits

Richard Negus, Fundraising and Communications Executive for Racing Welfare, said: “Winning a Best Turned Out is always popular with trainers, staff and owners alike. With prizes of £1,000 for the winning yard and £600 for individual grooms up for grabs, thanks to EPDS racing, there is fair incentive to make sure those plaits are straight!

"We believe that this is the first time that such a series has taken place and we are indebted to EPDS and the 12 racecourses who are helping us highlight the hard work undertaken by all racing staff in getting a racehorse to look a million dollars at the races.”