10R had a wonderful day at Haydock Races today; but don't worry, there was no gambling involved. 

This was a first for all of our learners, as none of them had ever been to the races before, with not many of them ever seeing a race at all, even on TV. We started our day meeting Toby, an ex-horse jumper, who welcomed us to Haydock and took us on a tour. We began in the weighing room, where we learnt all about how weight can affect a race and how they weighed the jockeys before races to ensure they were fit for the race.

After this, we had a look at all the different equipment a jockey needs to wear to stay safe when on a horse, which included a helmet, a padded vest, riding boots and 'silks', which we learnt are often not made of silk anymore but nylon. We then went down to the stables, where Toby explained that only the trainers and Haydock staff were allowed into the stables, and we watched some of the horses being brought past into the stables and we learnt how the checked the horse in through microchips in their neck.

Just before lunch, we went onto the race track and found out more about how fast horses run and how far they have to run. We also got up close to a steeple and saw how far the horses would have to jump to clear them. After making a swift exit from the course, we watched the first race of the day, where we all cheered for the horses and their jockeys and watched as lucky number 2, 'Theme Tune' took first place.

After lunch we went back down to the stands to watch another couple of races, this time right up against the fence of the track, before making our way back to the bus and back to school. It was a really interesting day and a first not just for our learners but for Astley Park as well.

Mrs Powell, Mrs Woods and Miss Carter.

10R Go to the Races!