Ribchester

Coordinates: 53°48′47″N 2°31′55″W / 53.813°N 2.532°W / 53.813; -2.532

Ribchester is a village and civil parish within the Ribble Valley district of Lancashire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Ribble, 6 miles (10 km) northwest of Blackburn and 12 miles (19 km) east of Preston.

The village has a long history with evidence of Bronze Age beginnings. It is well known as a significant Roman site being the location of a Roman cavalry fort called Bremetennacum, some parts of which have been exposed by excavation. In common with many towns and villages in East Lancashire its later history was dominated by cotton weaving; firstly in the form of hand-loom weaving and later in two mills. Neither mill still operates and the village is primarily a dormitory village for commuters to the town of Blackburn and the cities of Preston and Manchester.

The main access road into Ribchester is the B6245. From the north, this is the Preston Road, which merges into Church Street. From the east, it is the Blackburn Road, which, at its westernmost extremity, also links up with Church Street, albeit closer to the centre of the village.

Richard Fahey

Richard Fahey is a racehorse trainer, based in Malton, North Yorkshire. He has saddled 30 Group race winners in the UK, Ireland, France and Canada, including Garswood in the 2014 Prix Maurice de Gheest, Mayson in the 2012 Group 1 July Cup at Newmarket., Barefoot Lady in the 2012 Grade 2 Canadian Stakes at Woodbine and Wootton Bassett in the 2010 Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at Longchamp. In 2014 Fahey saddled 192 winners and prize money was over £2.8 million. He finished fourth in the trainers championship.

Career

Richard Fahey has built his training career on the back of a successful stint as a jockey. He chalked-up just over 100 winners, under both codes, in ten years in the saddle, the highlight of which was sharing the conditional jockeys’ title in the 1988-89 season.

From starting out, in the summer of 1993, from Manor Farm, Butterwick, near Malton, with a modest string which barely reached double-figures, Fahey has never looked back.

2002 Fahey got his name on the Royal Ascot roll of honour courtesy of Superior Premium – a colt he’d bought as a yearling for only 2,800gns- who clinched a 20-1 triumph in the Cork And Orrery Stakes under Johnny Murtagh.

Ascot Racecourse

Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced /ˈæskət/) is a British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It is one of the leading racecourses in the United Kingdom, hosting nine of Britain's 32 annual Group 1 horse races.

The course, owned by Ascot Racecourse Ltd, enjoys close associations with the British Royal Family, being approximately six miles from Windsor Castle.

Ascot today stages twenty-six days of racing over the course of the year, comprising eighteen flat meetings held between the months of May and October inclusive. It also stages important jump racing throughout the winter months. The Royal Meeting held each June, remains a major draw, its highlight being The Gold Cup. The most prestigious race is the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes run over the course in July.

History

Ascot Racecourse was founded in 1711 by Queen Anne. The first race, "Her Majesty's Plate", with a purse of 100 guineas, was held on 11 August 1711. Seven horses competed, each carrying a weight of 12 stones (76 kg). This first race comprised three separate four-mile (6437 m) heats.

Anne, Queen of Great Britain

Anne (6 February 1665 – 1 August 1714) became Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Acts of Union, two of her realms, the kingdoms of England and Scotland, united as a single sovereign state known as Great Britain. She continued to reign as Queen of Great Britain and Ireland until her death.

Anne was born in the reign of her uncle Charles II, who had no legitimate children. Her father, James, was first in line to the throne. His suspected Roman Catholicism was unpopular in England, and on Charles's instructions Anne was raised as an Anglican. Three years after he succeeded Charles, James was deposed in the "Glorious Revolution" of 1688. Anne's Dutch Protestant brother-in-law and cousin William III became joint monarch with his wife, Anne's elder sister Mary II. Although the sisters had been close, disagreements over Anne's finances, status and choice of acquaintances arose shortly after Mary's accession and they became estranged. William and Mary had no children. After Mary's death in 1694, William continued as sole monarch until he was succeeded by Anne upon his death in 1702.

Goodwood Racecourse

Goodwood Racecourse is a horse-racing track five miles north of Chichester, West Sussex, in England controlled by the family of the Duke of Richmond, whose seat is nearby Goodwood House. It hosts the annual Glorious Goodwood meeting, which is one of the highlights of the British flat racing calendar, and is home to two of the UK's 31 Group One flat races, the Sussex Stakes and the Nassau Stakes.

It is considered to enjoy a very attractive setting to the north of Trundle Iron Age hill fort, which is used as an informal grandstand with views of the whole course. One problem is that its proximity to the coast means that it can get very foggy.

This is an unusual, complex racecourse with a straight six furlongs — the "Stewards' Cup Course" — which is uphill for the first furlong and mostly downhill thereafter. There is a tight right-handed loop at the far end of the straight on which there are starts for various longer distance courses. These include the 1 mile 2 furlongs (1m 2f) "Craven Course", the 1m 4f "Gratwicke Course" and the 1m 6f "Bentinck Course". The start for the 2m 5f "Cup Course" is quite close to the winning post – horses travel outwards on the straight, around the loop and back. Throughout the loop there are severe undulations and sharp turns. The course is used for flat racing only.