AINTREE RAISES THE ROOF
AINTREE’S feat of stepping in to host these championships and give competitors a true sense of occasion, top sport and create a special atmosphere with no spectators and a host of pandemic safety measures was phenomenal.
“We’ve not had a racehorse at Aintree since December, so for us to be holding this type of event here is not only massive for us as an equestrian centre, but also as the racecourse and the Jockey Club,” said equestrian centre manager Carly Sage, adding she is “so proud” of the small team.
“It’s proven that once we can get an audience in there for this type of show, we will absolutely raise the roof and I’m really excited about what we can do in the future.”
Carly added the venue has a good relationship with the local authorities, and early communication to ensure all the necessary paperwork was in order was key to ensuring the event could run safely even with further local restrictions rumbling in. The venue had visits from police and Environmental Health and were given “glowing reports” for their protocols, which Carly said is “credit not just to the team, but also to the competitors” for respecting and following the rules to keep everyone safe.