Big weekend ahead with double header at Bath Racecourse

In the latest instalment of his Clerk’s Column, Bath Racecourse clerk of the course Ben Hicks writes exclusively for the Bath Echo.

It was great to have racing back at Bath on Wednesday 2nd September, and the meeting was a real success despite the weather being a little damp at times.

It seems quite strange to say that we would have preferred the rain to stay away on the day, given how desperate we have been for it throughout the summer!

But after the recent rainfall and with the track recovering well, we were certainly happy to see the meeting go ahead in good conditions.

Everyone was pleased to be back racing at Lansdown, and it was great to see so many runners to support our return to racing and see the hard work of the grounds team rewarded.

We started the day on good, good to firm in places, and following 1.6mm of rainfall during racing, we changed the going to good all over after the sixth race.

We now head into one of the biggest weekends in our calendar, with our two-day fixture taking place this weekend, Saturday 12th September and Sunday 13th September.

Saturday has an Absolute Country theme, with a Luke Combs tribute act performing after racing, so there should be a fantastic atmosphere around the racecourse.

Sunday will have more of a family focus, with racegoers welcome to bring along a picnic and enjoy a relaxed day out here at Lansdown.

The two big races on Sunday will, of course, be our Sprint Series Final and Stayers Series Final, both of which are worth £40,000.

Looking at the entries, the contests are shaping up to be fiercely competitive, and it will be great to see some of the horses that have performed well in the qualifying races throughout the season come together for these valuable finals.

Bath Racecourse staff including clerk of the course Ben Hicks, third left, and executive director Hannah Chree, meet the legendary Blue Hero in Gloucestershire | Photo courtesy of Bath Racecourse

Away from racing, last week myself and members of the grounds team were fortunate enough to make a special visit to Adrian Wintle’s yard at Rodley in Gloucestershire to see some of the horses who regularly run here at Bath.

Of course, one horse we were particularly keen to meet was Blue Hero, who has become a familiar name through these columns after his remarkable 11th win at Bath, which he secured earlier this season.

It was a fantastic opportunity for the team to meet him up close, rather than simply seeing him from the trackside on a raceday.

We were also able to get a great team photograph with him, which was a really nice moment for everyone.

A massive thank you to Adrian and his family for their kind hospitality and for taking the time to show us around the yard. It was a very enjoyable visit and something the team really appreciated.

This weekend is a big occasion for everyone at Bath, and there has been a huge amount of work going on behind the scenes to get everything ready.

From the racing and grounds teams to all of the other departments involved, it takes a real team effort to deliver a two-day fixture of this scale.

We will start Saturday with plenty of rail out to keep a fresh strip of ground on the inside line for Sunday, so there will be plenty of rail movement taking place following racing.

All this hard work out on track will take place as soon as racing finishes, so maybe some Luke Combs songs being played from our main stage can help spur the team on!

Hopefully the weather forecast is correct and the elements will be kind to us, the racing will provide plenty of excitement and everyone who joins us will have a fantastic weekend. There is certainly plenty to look forward to, both on and off the track.

We have the 2027 fixture list now published, so please do have a look to start planning your visits next season.

For now, though, all our attention is on this weekend. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to Lansdown for what promises to be one of the highlights of our racing year.