2 Blokes 5 Questions - people in racing

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 If you’ve read our website introduction you’ll know that, since the beginning of the year, we’ve been threatening to grab someone…could be a member of the public, a member of staff, or even a celebrity and ask them a range of horse racing related questions in our 2 Blokes 5 Questions 'interview'. Thus far we'd not done it. However we actually pulled our fingers out and did do it this time, and it was none other than ITV Racing’s paddock expert, William Hill radio presenter and all-round top bloke Ken Pitterson. One of the most approachable racing celebrities we’ve met, and he was more than happy to answer quickfire questions from us, although he didn't realise what we were up to at the time. We told him afterward and he said that we could even ask him more after the racing. We've seen Ken at many of the meetings that we've been to and have always joked to him, in passing, that he's literally everywhere. He actually only goes racing about four times a week. Although we have talked to him before this was the first 'proper' chat. A genuinely nice guy.

2blokes: In your opinion Ken who are the current best Jumps and Flat racing jockeys?
Ken: Sean Bowen (Jumps) and Ryan Moore (Flat)
 

2blokes: What is the best flat horse that you’ve ever seen?
Ken: Dancing Brave
 

2blokes: What do you think is the best flat horse in training at the moment, and can you give us a horse (or horses) to look out for?
Ken: Aidan O'Brien's 2-year-old colt City of Troy is the best horse currently in training and Ralph Becketts Qirat and Task Force are ones to keep an eye out for. Both are unraced at the moment

(Task Force has since run in the 18.45 at Salisbury on Saturday 29th July 2023 and won comfortably. Qirat has also run at Newmarket's July Course and finished a closing 3/4L third after breaking slowly and staying on. Qirat has since run again at Kempton Park, winning cosily)
 

2blokes: What’s your favourite racecourse?
Ken: Salisbury
 

2blokes: If you could change one thing in racing what would it be?
Ken: Reduce the number of fixtures

We’d like to thank Ken again for kicking off 2 Blokes 5 Questions. He really is a true gentleman and, as he says himself, “It costs nothing to be polite”. Too right Ken 👍
 

We both love a Yorkshire racecourse and so we were thrilled when Charlotte Russell, General Manager of the fabulous Go Racing in Yorkshire marketing organisation was happy to step up to the plate and answer our five questions. Charlotte's involvement in horse racing goes all the way back to her childhood as she grew up in a family that bred point-to-pointers, and still does. Their prolific point-to-point winner, including two Gold Cups over four miles-plus, Duchess Account is a particular favourite of hers. 

After spells working at York, Ascot, and Beverley racecourses, and the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, Charlotte took up her present role at Go Racing in Yorkshire in February 2019.

2blokes: What is the best thing about your job?

Charlotte: Promoting Yorkshire racing - I’m passionate about horseracing and a proud Yorkshire woman so it’s perfect! I take so much delight in being involved with the nine courses, which are all unique in their own way but true to themselves. They do what works for them ensuring racegoers have a great day out.

2blokes: What do you think sets Yorkshire racecourses apart from the others? 

Charlotte: Similar to the above, but in addition it’s the racegoers. They are so knowledgeable about racing, particularly on the Yorkshire circuit, and a very friendly bunch as well, and they're always happy to share their opinion (whether you want it or not!)

2blokes: If you could change one thing for the better of horse racing, what would it be?

Charlotte: It’s an obvious one, but better prize money across the board.  We have the quality and the prestige within the sport in the UK, without the purse string to back it up. However, the funding model is not a quick fix. If it was then you wouldn’t still be hearing this.

2blokes: What other sports do you watch, or take part in, other than horse racing?

Charlotte: I’m fanatical about point-to-pointing, it’s my first love and where the love of racing came from. My family has been involved in the sport for generations and while I’ve never been brave enough to race ride, my sister, dad, and grandfather have all ridden winners at the same course (the sadly now-defunct Whitewell-on-the-Hill) on the same breeding line of horse. My contribution these days is more operational.

2blokes: What ambitions do you have in racing?

I want to see Go Racing In Yorkshire go from strength to strength. It’s a fantastic organisation to be involved in, with a variety of functions. And I also want to keep promoting Yorkshire’s racing stakeholders and their achievements until we can shout no more!

I would also like to see Jumps racing in Yorkshire revert back to its glory days of the late ’70s and ’80s. We have some very good jump trainers based in the county such as Ruth Jefferson and Sue Smith, as well as some useful dual-purpose yards, but we don’t have the numbers like we used to.

We'd like to thank Charlotte again for taking time out of her busy schedule. 

If there's one person who exemplifies how a racecourse should be run, it's Sally Iggulden, Chief Executive officer of Beverley Racecourse. It's no coincidence that Beverley Racecourse is our favourite racecourse and 2blokesgoracing Best Small Racecourse - finishing second to York Racecourse in Best UK Racecourse too. Sally has done a fantastic job at Beverley Racecourse and is the most approachable, and humorous racecourse CEO we've met.

2blokes: What would you say is Beverley’s usp?

Sally: The fact that we do not pretend to be anything that we’re not. We know that our racing will not rival Ascot, but we are fine with that, and what we do offer is an honest day out at grassroots racing, with a splash of quality and potential every so often. We’re honest and do our very best.

2blokes: In the 23 years you’ve worked at Beverley Racecourse what has been your greatest challenge, and what is your best memory?

Sally: The 2 big crisis’s – firstly Foot and Mouth, and secondly Covid. Foot and Mouth was an interesting one, as the pastures surrounding the racecourse are all grazing land, and it looked for a while as if we might lose several fixtures. But we didn’t and we carried on with the help of lots of disinfectant mats! Covid was a challenge for everyone, and we were one of the first courses to restart. Such a strange world looking back, but the team spirit was off the scale. Getting crowds back after Covid was a big worry, but our first race meeting with crowds sold out in 30 minutes, and we were soon back to normal.

My best memory is actually very recent, from August 2023. The amazing Craig Lidster trained a first winner for the inspiration that is Rob Burrow, made all the better that my favourite jockey Paul Hanagan did the steering. That wonderful, brave little horse didn’t understand the magnitude of winning a minor race at Beverley, but every single person there did. I took Rob’s hand and told him just how much it meant to me, and that Macarone had carried every single racegoer up the Beverley hill, and his face lit up and he beamed.

2blokes: If you had a free hand, and money was no issue, what’s the one thing you’d do to further improve your racecourse?

Sally: I’d realign the 5-furlong course! There is a well known draw bias here, although it’s nowhere near as bad as people would have you believe! It has improved over the years due to the careful work of the groundstaff, new watering systems and enhanced turf management, but I’d still love a straight 5, with no dog leg! I might even buy up the house at the start, knock it down and extend it to a 6 furlong chute! 

2blokes: How did you come to work at Beverley racecourse?

Sally: I have always adored horses, and took a degree in Agricultural Business Management, with a view to working on racecourses. My first job was at Ascot Racecourse, then a brief stint at the Sporting Life, from which I moved to 2 very happy and informative years at the Racecourse Association. That role took me all over the country to different racecourses and industry meetings, and it cemented my desire to have my own track to look after. A chance piece of eavesdropping whilst at the RCA was hearing the then Clerk of the Course telling a colleague that he was retiring and looking for a successor. I looked it up on the map, applied for the role at the age or 23 and the rest is history! 

2blokes: If you weren’t Chief Executive of Beverley, which other racecourse(s) would you love to ‘get your hands’ in to?

Sally: Maybe a weird choice, but Wolverhampton! I’d want it rebranded as a stand alone track within the ARC portfolio, but there’s something magical about racing under the spotlights. The viewing restaurant is superb, and with an onsite hotel, I really feel it could have huge potential. At the other end of the scale, Goodwood is also one that I am drawn to. The location of the place is magic, and with some love and heart and soul blown into it, I could see myself very happy there. The brand is just beautiful, and it doesn’t take itself as seriously as some. But it oozes class.

Before working at the Jockey Club, Michelle worked for a company called Amanuensis in Cambridge, which later changed its name to CIC Services. The company completed secretarial services for starter companies on the science park and around Cambridge. Michelle then joined The Jockey Club and has worked for them for 20 years. In this time she has undertaken a number of different roles, from selling the Christmas Parties, hospitality admin, selling tickets, working on the Owners & Trainers Desk, before finally settling in the Customer Relations Team. 

  2blokes: What is the best thing about your job? 

Michelle: I have to say working with such a great team, it can be very hard, we do a lot of hours and it takes up a lot of our weekends, but we are all there for each other, and we do have a lot of fun too.

2blokes: What other sports, if any, do you watch other than horse racing? 

Michelle: Football, my son played from a young age, so we were forever watching football, now we love to watch England and West Ham 

2blokes: Who do you think is the current best flat racing trainer, and why? 

Michelle: Aiden O’Brien, understands the horse and every track, he’s a mastermind. 

2blokes: Ryan Moore or Frankie Dettori: who’s the best and why? Michelle: Ryan Moore, stronger in a finish, doesn’t complicate things, poetic on a horse. However, Frankie is a people person and better for the crowd. 

2blokes: If you could own one racehorse, past or present, who would it be and why? 

Michelle: Frankel, never disappointed never flopped a true superstar. 

  We met Jake when being shown around Newmarket's July Course back in the summer of 2023, a student of the BHA Development Programme  with a professional placement with The Jockey Club at Newmarket Racecourse, he came across as a most personable and likeable chap, making us both feel more than welcome.

Jake has always had aspirations to work in sport after failing to make the grade as a footballer. He subsequently chose to go to University graduating in 2020 during Covid with a degree in Sport Science and Business Studies from Brunel University. Later he left his role on the graduate programme at Enterprise Rent-a-Car and moved into the telecoms industry with a small business based in Essex. While helping the business across a number of key areas, he started to explore career opportunities in sport, and applied for numerous business roles in football and Golf. He also co-founded a new business supplying sports equipment to football clubs and schools across Essex.

Jake's placement at Newmarket racecourse has now ended so it'll be interesting to see where he pops up next!

2blokes: How did you come to work at Newmarket racecourse?

Jake: I was offered a role at The Jockey Club, based at Newmarket Racecourse, through the British Horseracing Authority Development Programme 2023 which I had applied to via LinkedIn and was lucky enough to be successful in achieving one of 17 places from 200+ applicants. I hadn’t really thought about a career in racing, as my main background was football – and I assumed unless you came from money or grew up around horses it would be difficult to get into. I applied for the programme because I thought it looked really interesting, and I’ve always enjoyed a challenge. During the interview we had to pick three placements we were interested in. The placements varied in role type and length, and in many different areas within the industry. I picked a placement with The Jockey Club, based at Newmarket Racecourse through the summer as one of my three. Fast forward a few weeks, I received a call to say I had been successful, and I was delighted. I started in Newmarket on the 17th July 2023 but my placement is only for the Summer period. I have worked across a number of teams since I started including operations, sponsorships, marketing and hospitality, and have been able to gain such a great insight into the preparation leading up to racedays, the racing itself and how the racecourse operates commercially and as part of the wider Jockey Club group. I have now managed to secure a full-time job elsewhere in the industry outside of Newmarket which I am really excited for as I continue my journey in the racing industry.

2blokes: What other sports do you watch, or participate in, other than horse racing?

Jake: I have played football all my life, and trialled at QPR and Tottenham Hotpsur when I was around 16 years old. I now coach the U15 and U18 teams at Bowers & Pitsea FC and had prior coached with Norwich City and Chelsea. I visited the PSV Eindhoven academy at the end of May, as my dream job is a professional football manager. I have always admired football at the highest level and will always be a huge advocate for Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona side and Lionel Messi, even as a Manchester United fan. I also play golf off a 12 handicap and watch live whenever it’s on in the UK.

2blokes: Apart from both Newmarket racecourses, what’s your favourite racecourse, and why?

Jake: My dad, uncle and grandad have followed the sport as fans for all of my life, and when I was at University they took me on their annual trip to Cheltenham. I had been racing before to Newmarket and Newbury, but I didn’t appreciate it at a younger age. My first visit to Cheltenham in 2019 (The November Meeting) when I was old enough to take it all in, seeing all these very smartly dressed people in tweed, the amazing thoroughbreds, how close you could get to the action and the thrill of the Racing and The Cheltenham Roar was the first time I took notice and thought – yeah this is actually pretty cool. Seeing the horses turn that final bend and come charging up the Cheltenham hill, the roar from the crowd, is a sight to behold.

2blokes: What is your ultimate goal in racing?

Jake: I would love to be a future leader in the sport and be involved in shaping racing’s future. It is such a unique sport and has so much to offer, so having the ability to promote, positively influence and encourage audiences into the sport both directly and indirectly is something I would love to be able to do. I am really interested in the media, partnerships and sponsorship side of racing and maybe doing some presenting work in the future, helping to celebrate our stories. I am really interested in the training and bloodstock side as well, and I am learning more and more about that every day. As much as I have long-term ambition to be successful, I try not to think about much else other than the present and immediate future, as the long-term feels far away and I don’t think anyone knows there exact path, but I try to work hard and become better every day, enjoy every minute, network and build relationships as much as possible and always do my best, and as long as I do that then I am sure I will enjoy wherever I end up!

2blokes: Ryan Moore or Frankie Dettori: who’s the best and why? Or is there somebody better?

Jake: Frankie Dettori. His longevity has been brilliant, and he has been a colossal figure for British Racing. Whenever I watch him in a big race he is always there or thereabouts, waiting to pounce in the closing stages of a race. A real showman and his engagement with the public is something that will be greatly missed. He is a winner with incredible desire to achieve and is not afraid to hold himself accountable when he is not performing. His charisma is something that appeals to the wider public and racing needs more of these characters in order to continue to grow the sport. It will be interesting to see which jockeys will drive our sport forwards in the next few years. I think Oisin Murphy is a gem, and Billy Loughnane one to watch in the future for sure.