On Sunday 22nd September La Grange stables opened its gates to the public as part of the Newmarket Open Day, a fantastic event that allows the general public access to some of the most famous yards in the horse racing capital of Newmarket.
Organised as a fundraiser for horseracing themed charities – this year's being The British Racing School, The New Astley Club and the National Horse Racing Museum, crowds flocked to La Grange to see stable stars such as Snow Fairy, Red Cadeaux, Times Up and Joshua Tree.
All the staff put an awful lot of work into the day, with horse parades, feed demonstrations, travelling head lad talks, Spa and treadmill demonstrations, as well as answering any questions the public had regarding the horses on the yard.
We also ran a competition throughout the day – "Guess the weight of Una." Una is Mrs Dunlop's hunter and surprisingly weighs less than a few horses in the yard! With over 100 entries the competition was fierce, but Katlin Roche of Banam in Norfolk was successful with her guess of 575kg, which was closest to 576kg that she weighted. Katlin collected a prize of an Ed Dunlop jacket and box of Chocolates!
The day proved successful and popular with an awful lot of money being raised for charity. A huge thank you must be given to all of those who organised the event, and we are all looking forward to next year!