Current and past Grand National-winning jockeys Sam Waley-Cohen and AP McCoy are among those set to do battle in a showjumping competition this Friday (15 April).

Almost a week after his fairytale victory on Noble Yeats, and on his 40th birthday, Sam will be one of the stars at the Lambourn Open Day, which returns after a two-year Covid-related absence.

One of the highlights of the day, which raises money for charity as well as allowing people to go behind the scenes at racing yards, is the showjumping, which will also feature Nico de Boinville, Jamie Osborne and Marcus Armytage.

Sam said: “I’m really looking forward to coming back to the Lambourn Open Day on Friday to take part in the showjumping competition. It’s always a great day out, which raises a huge amount for local charities.”

Visitors will be able to tour some of Britain’s top training yards, including those of Nicky Henderson, Clive Cox and Oliver Sherwood, between 8.30am and 1pm. The afternoon programme of events also includes a schooling demonstration and camel racing, and a parade of equine heroes such as Battaash, Altior, Coneygree and Sprinter Sacre.

Lambourn Open Day chairman Mark Smyly said excitement around Lambourn is high, adding: “The last two Good Fridays in Lambourn have been very quiet. It’s fantastic that we can welcome everyone back for what should be a brilliant day.

“We are thrilled to have Grand National hero Sam Waley-Cohen competing against some of the best past and present National Hunt jockeys in the showjumping, the parade of equine heroes will be very special, and I can’t wait to see who comes out on top in the camel racing.”

Tickets are £15 for the day, £10 for the afternoon and free for under-12s. All money raised goes to Lambourn’s registered charity, The Lambourn Valley Housing Trust, which works for the welfare of stable staff, the air ambulance and local organisations.

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Explore a top racing yard in Lambourn…

More than 25 racing yards will open their doors during the Peter O’Sullevan Lambourn Open Day on Good Friday, 19 April.

Trainers including champion trainer Nicky Henderson, Charlie Hills, Clive Cox and Oliver Sherwood will all welcome members of the public into their yards.

In the afternoon, there is a full programme of shows and demonstrations, including a showjumping competition between famous riders and their children, plus AP McCoy, John Francome and other racing stars will go head-to-head in some camel racing, as well as the popular schooling session. There will also be a parade of equine heroes, including Sprinter Sacre, Coneygree, Buveur D’Air and Bobs Worth.

Yards are open from 8.30am with the afternoon entertainment starting at 1pm. Entry is £15 per person or £10 just for the afternoon.

Visit: lambournopenday.com

…or head north for the Middleham Open Day

Don’t miss out on your racing fix if you’re based further north, with the Middleham Open Day in North Yorkshire, also on Good Friday (19 April). Eleven trainers are opening their doors to the public for the event from 9.30am — and make sure you don’t miss the swimming demonstrations at Mark Johnston’s Kingsley House yard. There will be a parade of Bedale West of Yore foxhounds through Middleham at 11am and the Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) musical ride at 1.30pm. Adult tickets cost £12.50 and children under-16 are free.

Visit: middlehamopenday.co.uk

On the hunt for Easter eggs

What’s better than an Easter egg hunt but on a horse or pony? If you want to get into the Easter spirit with your children, contact your local Pony Club (pcuk.org) to find out what Easter egg hunts they have planned.

Enjoy a picnic at a point-to-point

Why not dust off your hamper and get your friends together for some Easter fun at your local point-to-point over the weekend?

Fixtures are as follows:

Saturday 20 April

Ashford Valley Tickham, Charing, Kent

Dartmoor, Flete Park, Devon

Essex & Suffolk, Higham, Suffolk

Fife, Balcormo Mains, Fife

Glamorgan, Bonvilston, Wales

Kimblewick, Kimble, Bucks

North Staffordshire, Sandon, Staffs

South & West Wilts, Larkhill, Wiltshire

Woodland Pytchley, Dingley, Northants

Worcestershire, Chaddesley Corbett, Worcs

Sunday 21 April

Cleveland, Witton Castle, Co. Durham

Monday 22 April

Aldington Races, Aldington, Kent

Four Burrow, Trebudannon, Cornwall

North Cotswold, Paxford, Glos

Old Berkshire, Lockinge, Oxon

South Notts, Thorpe Lodge, Notts

South Pembrokeshire, Lydstep, Dyfed

South Shropshire, Eyton-on-Severn, Shropshire

Taunton Vale Foxhounds & Harriers

For the latest information on point-to-point fixtures visit: pointtopoint.co.uk/fixtures

Support Bransby Horses

The rescue and welfare centre in Lincoln is hosting plenty of fun over the Easter weekend, including two egg hunts, plus face painting, glitter tattoos and pony grooming, and all for a great cause.

Visit: bransbyhorses.co.uk

Get out competing

With a few days off, this is the perfect opportunity to go to some competitions. Whether it’s clear round showjumping you’re after to dust-off the cobwebs, or something more demanding, head to Equo Events at equoevents.co.uk to find out what is happening at your nearest show centre.

A trip to the seaside

For the ultimate holiday experience without leaving the UK, box up and head to the coast for a gallop along the beach. Find out more on riding at the beach here

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Controversial plans for an equine crematorium in an area home to many racing yards have been given the green light.

West Berkshire Council has twice refused permission for the change of use of Old Wessex Saw Mill in Great Shefford, Berkshire, in the past three years.

The site is close to Lambourn, which is home to more than 1,500 racehorses.

But plans have now been given the go-ahead following an appeal.

In 2014, J Passey and Sons, applied for permission to open an abattoir on the site, which was refused the following spring.

In 2016 the company submitted plans for an equine crematorium, which were again refused by West Berkshire Council.

There was been strong opposition from the local community.

Henrietta Knight and Paul Cole are among those to have publicly opposed to the plans.

“It’s amazing how horses do know,” Ms Knight told The Telegraph at the time.

“They know the smell, they know something’s going on.”

The response from Great Shefford Parish Council states that there was a “strong and emotive” turnout to debate the application at a meetings in 2016.

Concerns were raised about the impact the application could have on racehorses in the area and whether flooding of the site could result in contaminated water supplies.

The parish council supported its residents’ concerns and West Berkshire Council refused permission in October 2016.

But the applicant lodged an appeal against the decision with the Planning Inspectorate, which is responsible for determining final outcomes for planning applications and appeals.

The Planning Inspectorate upheld the appeal and rubber-stamped the plans on 9 January.

In response to concerns about the effect it could have on nearby racehorses and other livestock, the inspector states this is “not substantiated”.

“I therefore can only attach very limited weight to these matters in my consideration of the proposal,” states the report.

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An oak tree has been planted in memory of Many Clouds on the edge of his gallops.

The 2015 Grand National winner died at Cheltenham in January, just after he beat Thistlecrack to win the Cotswold Chase.

Many Clouds’ trainer Oliver Sherwood, groom Chris Jerdin and Jockey Club Estates’ Lambourn operations manager Will Riggell chose the spot earlier this year.

The tree and memorial plaque can be found next to “The Short” at Mandown Gallops near Upper Lambourn.

Mr Sherwood said on his Facebook page that this is a place “Clouds would have cantered by nearly every day”.

“Any Clouds fans that come to Lambourn will be able to visit this tranquil place and pay their own respects,” he said.

He added it is a “wonderful tribute” to the “much-missed Clouds” and thanked Jockey Club Estates.

New Many Clouds Chase

Aintree racecourse has also revealed that a newly-promoted Grade Two race will be renamed the “Many Clouds Chase” in his honour.

The race will run on Becher Chase Day (9 December, 2017) at the Merseyside course.

Owner Trevor Hemmings said it was a “brilliant day” when Many Clouds won the 2015 Grand National.

“He kept finding more, which was typical of the horse, who was a born competitor — I owe so much to him,” he said.

“Many Clouds loved racing at Aintree and to commemorate him permanently there with this race, which he won last year, is a fitting tribute to a wonderful horse.”

Article continues below…

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The 10-year-old was posthumously named as the leading three-mile plus horse in the 2016/17 Anglo Irish Jump Classificiations in May.

This year’s Lambourn open day in April was also named after the star chaser and at Sandown in May he was revealed as winner of Jumps Horse of the Year 2017 after a public vote. In 2015 he was also named Horse & Hound equine personality of the year.

John Baker, regional northwest director of the Jockey Club, said the racecourse is “delighted and honoured” to rename the chase in honour of the Grand National hero.

“I’d like to extend our gratitude to Trevor Hemmings, Oliver Sherwood and his team for allowing us to do so,” he added.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday

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Grand National victor Many Clouds will be among the equine stars on show during the Betfair Lambourn Open Day on Good Friday (25 March).

The public can visit Oliver Sherwood’s stable star, who is favourite for the big race this year, at the trainer’s yard in the morning. A parade including a host of other famous horses — including comeback king Sprinter Sacre — will take place later on in the day. Ten-year-old Sprinter Sacre, who is trained by Lambourn’s Nicky Henderson, claimed the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival last week (16 March).

Former Gold Cup winners — the recently retired Long Run, Bobs Worth and the Mark Bradstock-trained Coneygree — will also line up in the afternoon parade.

Kicking off the Easter weekend, Lambourn Valley is welcoming the public to the village for the 25th year. The annual charity event sees more than 30 racehorse trainers — including Nicky Henderson, Oliver Sherwood, Warren Greatrex and Charlie Hills — open their yards to the public from 8.30am-1pm. It is a rare opportunity for visitors to see behind the scenes at some of the country’s best training establishments and meet their stable stars.

H&H’s charity of the year, the Injured Jockeys Fund, will be opening the doors to its rehabilitation centre Oaksey House and so will Lambourn’s Valley Equine Hospital.

In the afternoon, watch top jockeys schooling horses over fences and enjoy The Household Cavalry’s musical ride.

Mini jockeys will be taking to the turf during the At The Races Shetland Grand National final — plus a showjumping competition not to be missed as jockeys take on the soldiers from the Household Cavalry.

Amid a variety of displays and demonstrations, there will also be plenty of trade stands, food and drink and attractions for young children.

Related articles:

• Meet H&H’s Equine Personality of the Year Many Clouds
• Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Long Run retires
• Seven things you didn’t know about the Injured Jockeys Fund: H&H’s charity of the year

Tickets cost £15 for the whole day or £7 for the afternoon entertainment. Children under 12 go free.

All proceeds will go to charity including the Lambourn Valley Housing Trust — which works tirelessly for the welfare of the village’s stable staff.

For more information, visit the open day website.

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An innovative training system for racehorses is being constructed in Lambourn and is on target to be completed within the year.

Turkish racehorse owner Mehmet Kurt is building the pioneering machine, called the “Kurtsystem” (pictured), at Kingwood Stud — which he has owned since 2011.

The method — which has cost £20m to develop — involves horses being loosely tethered within spacious cabins that are powered by an overhead monorail. The speed can be set from walk to canter around an oval circuit of just under a mile.

“The wet weather over Christmas didn’t help but we are still looking at completion in 2016. We have also been working closely with the Royal Veterinary College throughout,” said Kurtsystem spokesman Tony Lodge.

“Mr Kurt has had a lifelong desire to improve the pre-training of racehorses. This is based around experiences in Turkey, when he witnessed far too many young racehorses suffering from injuries, over-intensive training and human error, which prematurely ended their racing careers.

“The Kurtsystem is designed to introduce young racehorses to training gradually under a pre-designed racing programme. Mr Kurt believes putting work riders on a horse under two years old can put too much stress on them at a young age.”

Nicky Henderson is among the Lambourn handlers who are looking forward to seeing the project in action.

Related articles:

• Injured Jockeys Fund look to build state-of-the-art centre in Newmarket
• Are there enough opportunities for female jockeys? *H&H VIP*
• Olympic cyclist Victoria Pendleton wins her first race as a jockey

“It is a very novel idea and highly interesting,” Nicky told H&H.

“It is great for Lambourn to have an extra available training facility. In particular, I am interested in the new technology it could offer such as measuring heart rate during a horse’s exercise or even scoping it to test breathing — I would certainly find that useful.

“However, being a jumps yard we don’t have yearlings or two-year-olds, so I am not sure how else it would fit into our training.”

Ref: H&H 3 March, 2016

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Plans to build a state-of-the-art rehabilitation and fitness centre for riders in Newmarket are being discussed by H&H’s charity of the year, the Injured Jockeys Fund (IJF).

It follows the success of Oaksey House in Lambourn, opened in 2009, and Jack Berry House in Malton, Yorkshire, which opened its doors in 2015. Both centres have played pivotal roles in rehabilitation and maintaining day-to-day fitness for jockeys, stable staff and other equestrians.

“We are at the very early stages of exploring what might be achievable. We would love to be able to offer jockeys in Newmarket a similar level of support to that of Oaksey House and Jack Berry House. We also hope to be able to work really closely with the other charities already based in Newmarket,” said Lisa Hancock, CEO of the IJF.

The charity, which has spent around £18million helping over 1,000 jockeys since it was founded in 1964, is working closely with the Newmarket-based British Racing School.

The proposal to bring a new rehabilitation centre and gym facilities for jockeys to the town — recognised as the headquarters of British horse racing — is in its initial planning stages.

“We are delighted to be working with the IJF. Both Oaksey House and Jack Berry House provide invaluable support and it would be wonderful to offer the same range of facilities here,” said the British Racing School’s CEO Grant Harris.

“For our part we are in desperate need of a new gym for our trainees and other [racing industry] courses, so this seems a perfect fit.

“There is much work to do and no fixed dates yet, but we can use the IJF’s knowledge from the previous two builds to move quite fast.”

The Injured Jockeys Fund is Horse & Hound’s charity of the year for 2016. To donate click here.

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Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Coneygree will be among the equine heroes on show at this year’s Lambourn Open Day.

On Good Friday (3 April) Lambourn trainers throw open their doors to racing fans, for people to get an inside insight into the preparation behind the races and the lifestyles the equine stars lead.

Coneygree — trained by Mark Bradstock in Oxfordshire — will be travelling to the Berkshire village to take part in a parade in the afternoon. The eight-year-old, ridden by Nico de Boinville, became the first novice in 41 years to win the Gold Cup at last week’s Cheltenham Festival (13 March).

Coneygree will be joined in the parade by this year’s World Hurdle Winner Cole Harden, who is trained in Lambourn by Warren Greatrex. Dual Gold Cup winner Kauto Star, who is being retrained in Berkshire with eventer Laura Collett, will also be in the line up.

More than 10,000 visitors head to the Valley of the Racehorse for the open day each year. Around 30 yards will be open to the public — including Nicky Henderson’s Seven Barrows where fans can visit last week’s Festival winners Peace and Co and Call The Cops.

There will be an opportunity to see the facilities at the Valley Equine Hospital and a range of demonstrations will be taking place throughout the day, including horses swimming and farrier displays.

The events field with its central arena will open at 1pm where camel racing, scurry driving and a puissance competition with top jockeys will take place.

There will also be a wide range of trade stands and pony racing.

The day is sponsored by Betfair and all money raised goes to Lambourn’s registered charity, The Lambourn Valley Housing Trust, which works for the welfare of its stable staff, The Air Ambulance and other local needy causes.

Tickets can be bought in advance online until 31 March, costing £12. Under 12s have free entry.

To book visit: www.newburyracecourse.co.uk

Tickets on the day cost £15. For more information visit: www.lambourn.info

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Murder, mystery, horseracing.

The themes have long been intertwined, thanks to novels by Dick Francis and John Francome, but now a new TV series is heading to our screens.

Glue, about “murder and secrets” in racing, is due to be shown in a 10pm slot on E4 this autumn.

Filming has already started in Lambourn — Valley of the Racehorse — for the new eight-part series. Trainer Charlie Mann’s yard is one that is reported to have been checked out.

The series is set in a racing yard and the plot focuses on the staff and horses.

“When the body of Caleb, a teenage traveller, is found dead underneath the wheels of a tractor, his friends are forced to open up their world and watch their secrets spill out,” reads the preview.

Writer Jack Thorne, the Bafta winner behind This is England, The Fades and Skins, said: “I grew up in Newbury and was constantly fascinated by life around the stables. In an age where the British countryside feels like it’s rotting through disrepair we want to tell a story about ambition, hope, darkness and anarchy.”

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Strangles has been confirmed today (14 October) on a racing yard in Lambourn.

Trainer Stan Moore reported through the National Trainers Federation that a yearling filly, that arrived in his yard from Ireland on 2 October, has the potentially fatal respiratory infection.

Although strangles is not a notifiable disease, under the rules of racing Mr Moore had to report the case to the British Horseracing Authority (BHA).

And under veterinary advice he has put in place measures to control any possible spread of the disease. The filly concerned has been isolated and the yard, Berkley House Stables, put in quarantine until the result of further tests.

Neighbouring yards, those in charge of horses with which the filly has come into contact and Jockey Club Estates, owner of the Lambourn gallops, have all been informed.

Tim Morris, BHA director of equine science and welfare, said, “Stan called us straight away this morning and I’m satisfied that all the appropriate steps are being taken to protect other horses in the yard and the rest of the horse population from infection.”

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now