Baroness Dido Harding (centre) signs the Armed Forces Covenant alongside Lieutenant General Charlie Collins DSO OBE

 

The Jockey Club has today signed the Armed Forces Covenant, pledging to support members of the military, veterans and their families across the UK.

Baroness Dido Harding, Senior Steward of The Jockey Club, signed the covenant alongside Lieutenant General Charlie Collins DSO OBE, Commander Home Command and Standing Joint Commander (UK), in a ceremony which took place during the Grand Military Gold Cup Day fixture at Sandown Park, one of 15 racecourses operated by The Jockey Club.

The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise to acknowledge and understand that those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, and their families, including the bereaved, should be treated with fairness and respect in the communities, economy and society they serve with their lives.

The Jockey Club, which was founded in 1750, has His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen as its joint patrons and is British racing’s largest commercial organisation, has donated 100,000 tickets across its 15 racecourses to armed forces personnel as part of the horseracing industry’s Tickets For Troops initiative since 2013. The signing of the Armed Forces Covenant will see Sandown Park Racecourse extend this to offer £5 entry to the majority of its fixtures for all veterans and their families.

HRH The Princess Royal at the Opening Ceremony

Grand Military Gold Cup Day at Sandown Park also featured a number of military-themed activities across the racecourse for all ages, including a youth recruitment event and live music from military bands throughout the afternoon. A Capel classic military vehicle show also took place alongside a Royal Navy Wildcat Helicopter display.

The iconic scarlet uniforms of the Chelsea Pensioners were very visible throughout the afternoon. Racegoers were treated to pensioners singing on their arrival and at the end of the day. The Chelsea Pensioners were also on parade as part of the opening ceremony.

The Chelsea Pensioners

Also in attendance were representatives from the Heritage Horse Drawn Carriage Masters and the Military Knights of Windsor, who are retired military officers that receive a pension and accommodation at Windsor Castle and who provide support for the Order of the Garter and for the services of St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. Terry Pendry, a Military Knight of Windsor, presented the prize for the first race. He was the late Queen’s loyal head groom, took her for her last ride and was the man who held her horse during her funeral.

Sarah Drabwell, General Manager at Sandown Park Racecourse, said: “Sandown Park is a racecourse with a strong, historic military connection and we are proud to stage the ceremony marking The Jockey Club’s commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant on Grand Military Gold Cup Day.

“The Grand Military Gold Cup dates back to 1841 and with the racecourse celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2025 it seemed like the perfect time to reaffirm our commitment to supporting all military personnel and their families.

“We have a number of colleagues across The Jockey Club in a variety of roles who have served in the armed forces, so it has been great to host a careers workshop here too to demonstrate how so many of the skills acquired in the military are transferrable.”

Baroness Harding, Senior Steward of The Jockey Club, added: “Horseracing and Britain’s armed forces have been inextricably linked for centuries and we are enormously proud to support our military personnel, veterans and their families.

“From members of our groundstaff, to operations teams, to our newly appointed CEO of Cheltenham Racecourse, Guy Lavender who served 18 years in the Parachute Regiment, The Jockey Club benefits greatly from the experience, expertise and transferrable skills of former military personnel.”

Baroness Harding went on to explain how her own grandfather, Field Marshall Lord Harding, had not only been a huge influence on her life but was also responsible for her love of horseracing.

She explained: “My grandfather was definitely the person who most shaped me in my life. He left school at 16 and was the son of a tenant farmer in South Petherton, Somerset. His family couldn’t afford for him to stay at school any longer so he travelled to London.

“In 1914, when war broke out, he was an 18-year-old post office clerk and signed up as a territorial soldier in the Finsbury Rifles. By the time the First World War had finished he was a 22-year-old Lieutenant Colonel.

“After the war, he was immediately demoted back to the rank of Lieutenant in peacetime but ended his military career in the 1950s as head of the British Army. I think he is the only reservist, or territorial as they were called, who has gone from that to be head of the British Army.

“He bought and rode my very first pony, took me to Royal Ascot for the first time and indulged me when I dreamed about being a jockey one day.

“The Army and racing were intertwined throughout his life. In fact, I have a wonderful photo of him falling off at the open ditch at the Army point-to-point in the 1920s. I’m sure he would be very pleased to see the Jockey Club reaffirming our commitment to the Armed Forces today.”