Following Coolmore’s initiative, members of the racing industry in both
Australia and Britain have thrown their support to victims of the earthquake and
tsunami disaster that has killed more than 100,000. Cheltenham Racecourse will
make a donation to the Disaster Emergency Committee Tsunami Earthquake Appeal of
£1 for every paying customer at Saturday’s
New Year’s Day fixture. In addition, patrons will have an opportunity to make
donations throughout the day at a number of specified track locations.
“It is not easy to put racing into perspective, as we are constantly aware of
the dreadful situation around the Indian Ocean,” Cheltenham MD Edward
Gillespie said. “£50 is an amount
that changes hands on a raceday with very little thought, and yet it can provide
a new home for one of the tens of thousands that have lost theirs in Indonesia,
Thailand and Sri Lanka.”
Yorkshire tracks Catterick (Saturday) and Wetherby (Monday) will follow suit,
also donating £1 per paying customer.
“This is our way of trying to help those affected by this tragedy,”
spokesperson Graham Orange told PA Sport. “We hope, with the big holiday crowds,
that the people of Yorkshire can register their help through racing.”
In addition, Bookmaker VCbet is pledging a minimum
£150,000 to the appeal fund by donating
£1 for every bet placed with the firm over
the next week.