Top tips set to be revealed at Roar Racing Dinner ahead of Newmarket’s July Festival

A sterling panel of experts are set to reveal some of the secrets from the horse racing world and their top tips at the Roar Festival Racing Dinner on 4th July, ahead of Newmarket Racecourse’s Mo?t & Chandon July Festival.

The first names to be announced on the panel include trainer Richard Spencer, Director of Racing and Clerk of the Course at Newmarket Races, Michael Prosser, and Head Trader of Horse Racing and Head of Racing PR at bet365, Pat Cooney. For enthusiastic horseracing fans the panel offers a chance to take a step behind the scenes and hear from the experts what it means to be a part of this ‘Sport of Kings’.

Ambitious trainer Richard Spencer is a rising star at Rebel Racing (Albert House), which he joined in 2015 following stints with Peter Bowens in west Wales, and legendary trainers Charlie Hills in Lambourn and Michael Bell in Newmarket. Less than two years since being licenced and beginning to train, the winners have come thick and fast for Richard with the winning tally at the end of the 2017 calendar year doubling from the previous year. His biggest achievement was Rajasinghe winning the Group 2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot last year and when doing so breaking the track record, giving owners Rebel Racing and Phil Cunningham their first taste of victory at the Royal meeting.

Richard is also an accomplished race rider, having ridden 25 winners over Point-to-Point. He also rode under rules as an amateur, with notable wins in the Hunter Chase at Ascot in 2014 and the Royal Artillery Gold Cup at Sandown in 2012. Richard was placed 3rd in the Amateur Riders Handicap at Doncaster, riding for Her Majesty The Queen.

Michael Prosser was born into the world of racing; his grandparents owned Grand National winner ESB and star stayer Trelawney, and his mother led in a Royal Ascot winner as a girl. As a school boy, he represented England in the show-ring and later he worked for Paul Nicholls for several years. Before joining Newmarket in 2001, Michael had been a stable lad, an assistant trainer, and an estate manager.

Veteran bookmaker, Pat Cooney has been in the Bookmaking industry for almost 30 years, starting at Ladbrokes in the 1980’s as a trainee Odds Compiler in the Horse Racing department before joining their Trading Team until leaving in 2002 to join bet365 to be Head Trader of Horse Racing. He has also become the Head of Racing PR and regularly represents the company on Attheraces and Racing UK in addition to many other media outlets.

This year, The Racing Dinner, which is held at Quy Mill Hotel and Spa, partners with Newmarket Jockey Club Racecourses, Discover Newmarket and Racing Welfare. During the evening, ‘punters’ have the rare opportunity to delve behind-the-scenes and discover never before heard tales from the racing world while enjoying a three-course meal from the Quy Mill Hotel 2 AA Rosette kitchen.

The panel will be chaired by Roar Festival favourite, the renowned TV racing presenter and commentator, Derek ‘Tommo’ Thompson, who will engage in lively chat about the experiences of each of the panellists.

Commenting ahead of the Racing Dinner, Tony Murdock, Founder and Chair of the Roar Festival said: “We’re thrilled and honoured that these three stars from the racing world are the first names to be announced for our Racing Dinner Panel and we look forward to announcing the next names very shortly.

 “Racing is a sport of both beauty and drama and, with the help of our panellists and Tommo, we hope to bring that to life for everyone attending the dinner, whether they’re ardent fans or new to the sport.

“As ever, we are looking forward to this Roar event, which is always a very popular one and given that it’s the week before the July Festival at Newmarket, we’re hoping for some top tips.”

The Racing Dinner is one of eight Roar Festival events taking place between 18th May and 22nd September 2018.

Now in its fourth year, the Roar is the only Festival of its kind in the region. To date, the Festival has raised over ￡85,000 for local charities by staging a series of high-profile events, from glamorous dinners and glitzy balls to corporate games and boxing matches. 100% of the profits from these events are split between the chosen charities. Alongside providing a wide range of fun events for everyone to enjoy, the Roar also creates opportunities for businesses to network, entertain clients and reward staff.

This year, the Roar’s chosen charities are East Anglian Air Ambulance, Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, Cambridge United Community Trust, and Racing Welfare.