An Introduction To CUHRS

About The Blog

Welcome to the Cambridge University Horse Racing Society Blog. In the blog i will offer a perspective on all things associated with the sport of horse racing. This will include previews, reviews, tips, breeding analysis, and so on. The sport is incredibly broad and i hope that this blog will encompass many of its glorious aspects.

About The Society

CUHRS was established to encourage and enable members of the University to get interested and get involved in horse racing. During the year there are many great race meetings and it would be brilliant to get as many people as possible to come along and experience the thrills and spills that make horse racing such a great sport. I will be able to give information about where and when the meetings are, which are worth going to, and we should be able to organise free transport if the numbers allow. Furthermore, i will endeavour to arrange a few additional ventures subject to interest. These may include stable visits, a tour of the National Stud, and anything else that may occur to me. I make no promises on this front because i will be reliant on the time and good will of those in question. We are fortunate in that Newmarket, the home of flat racing, is just 30 minutes down the A14. This means we have a wealth of knowledge and expertise on our doorstep. Now it is my job to persuade them to reveal it all to us. As well as this blog CUHRS also has its own Facebook page and email address (horseracingsoc@cusu.cam.ac.uk). Please do 'follow' the blog and 'like' the facebook page. The more people that get involved the better. 

About The President

My name is Tom March and i am a 3rd year Land Economist in Fitzwilliam College. I was a member of CUHRS last year and became President in June. I have been involved in horse racing and eventing all my life. I have been riding whenever i can for as long as i can remember, and this includes during my time at University, much to the disapproval of my long suffering Director of Studies! I have no great race-riding career to boast about, but at 6 foot plus, things were never in my favour. However, i have ridden in a few Point to Points and managed two winners, as well as a few bone-breaking falls! Consequently, i have focussed my attention on eventing and have competed up to Advanced level, as well as working for Piggy French (Team GB Event Rider) this summer. I have also been a member of the Cambridge University Equestrian Team and have recently been selected for the Great Britain squad. I try to attend many of the big race meetings throughout the year. During the last year i have been to the Hennessy, the King George, all four days of the Cheltenham Festival, the 2000 Guineas and the first day of Royal Ascot. Unfortunately i have not been racing for a little while but hopefully that will all change once i get back to University. I am currently planning to go to the new-look Champions' Day at Ascot on Saturday 15th October, followed by the Hennessy Gold Cup meeting the following month. There are plenty of weekends between the two so a few more outings might well be in the offing. I hope that this gives me at least a reasonable understanding of the sport and the industry and i would be only too delighted to pass on that knowledge to anybody who is interested.

About The Vice-President

Another figure who may raise their head on this blog is Chris Humpleby. I met Chris last year as a result of CUHRS and have attended many race meetings with him, and we have witnessed more than our fair share of great moments. All 4 days of the Cheltenham Festival, including that unforgettable Gold Cup, and the scintillating victory of Frankel in the 2000 Guineas to name but two. He has written a blog for the Varsity newspaper and i am sure that you will find his insights more interesting than mine. I will leave any further introduction to the man himself.

And To End . . .

As a final note, please, whatever your experience of the sport (or lack thereof), do not be afraid to get in touch. My email address is tm398@cam.ac.uk or feel free to message me on Facebook.