START OF 2013 CHARLES OWEN PONY RACING SERIES

The 2013 Charles Owen Pony Racing Series gets under way at Exeter Racecourse on Tuesday, April 2. This year there are 25 Racecourse Fixtures - staging 50 pony races - with the Finals to be held at York Racecourse on Sunday, September 8.

Charles Owen are once again sponsoring this fantastic series and the Pony Racing Authority is extremely grateful for their continued support. Charles Owen have been sponsoring Pony Racing since 2005 and their commitment and investment in the sport has provided so many opportunities for young jockeys. The Charles Owen series is the crème de la crème of pony racing and has been the spring board for many of our young and talented jockeys including recent Cheltenham Festival winning jockeys Sam Twiston-Davies, Brendan Powell and Harry Derham.

RaceTech will again be sponsoring the best turned out awards and new for this year will be providing a prize for the Best Novice Rider of the month.

The Prince family has also kindly agreed to once again sponsor the Rose Bengal Scholarship and Leading Rider Awards. This provides opportunities for both the best and those that have tried the hardest to improve their skills and be rewarded for their efforts.

Over 30 pony races have already taken place in 2013 at various Point-to-Points around the country, with over 100 more Point-to-Point Pony Races scheduled to take place before June.

For further information please see www.ponyracingauthority.co.uk

NOTES

For further information contact Clarissa Daly on 07980 776874 or email ponyracingauthority@thejockeyclub.co.uk

This years racecourse fixtures are as follows:

Racecourse	Fixture Date
Exeter	Tuesday 2nd April
Kelso	Monday 8th April
Chepstow	Friday 12th April
Kempton	Saturday 13th April
Stratford	Sunday 21st April
Sedgefield	Thursday 2nd May
Ffos Las	Monday 6th May
Aintree	Friday 17th May (e)
Newmarket	Saturday 18th May
Towcester	Friday 24th may (e)
Uttoxeter	Sunday 26th May
Nottingham	Sunday 9th June
Ayr	Sunday 7th July
Market Rasen	Sunday 7th July
Perth	Sunday 14th July
Newton Abbot	Sunday 21st July
Musselburgh	Tuesday 23rd July
Ascot	Sunday 28th July
Stratford	Thursday 1st August
Newbury	Sunday 4th August
Great Yarmouth	Thursday 8th August
Goodwood	Sunday 25th August
Bangor-on-Dee	Monday 26th August
Beverley	Saturday 31st August
York - FINALS	Sunday 8th September

Since Felix de Giles, the winner of The Finals back in 2004, over 100 young riders have progressed through Pony Racing and now hold a professional or amateur jockeys' licence with the BHA. There have been Champion Amateur Riders and it is surely only a matter of times until we have a Champion Jockey that has graduated through Pony Racing. It is also interesting to note that since 2007, 40% of riders from Pony Racing now work in racing yards proving that Pony Racing sows the seed for a love of the sport that people chose to follow as a career.