Annual Boxes

Having previously taken a table of 6 in the Cheltenham Club, Jane and I decided to hire a box to entertain advisers at Cheltenham following the completion of a deal we had been working on. We hired a box for the day which was an absolutely fantastic day, service and staff were awesome & the box was simply stunning with an unbelievable view of the whole course. We enjoyed it so much that we contacted Hannah Hawkins the following Monday to enquire about availability of boxes and were incredibly lucky that there was one still available on the fifth floor, overlooking the finish line. We used the box for the first time at The November Meeting and actually had a winner on the Saturday with our mare, Anightinlambourn, who won the Amateur Jockey’s Handicap Steeple Chase. It was a fantastic experience all round and the staff looking after us are simply awesome, as was the food and drink, & following the race, there was plenty of that! Hannah and her colleague Sophie Wilcock have been fantastic, nothing is too much trouble ad they are lovely to deal with. In fact, everyone is including the guys that are fitting out and personalising the box for us. I have to say that in the current environment where service in every industry appears to have collapsed, Cheltenham, Hannah, Sophie and their colleagues stand alone.

Felicity and I have shared a box with Charles Barnett in the Earl of Derby stand at Aintree since it was built and have had the pleasure of watching many races, and a few winners, from there ever since. It’s located on the fifth floor so, there is a terrific view of both courses as it is so high and means we can see the Grand National course well from up there. The Canal Turn must be less than a mile away from us and you can have an excellent view of the horses crossing the Melling Road on the way to the first fence of the Grand National. The thrill of seeing my son Sam win the Grand National on his previously announced final ride on Noble Yeats is unrepeatable. The excitement was as great as it can be and noise of all the family and guests in the Box shouting Sam and Noble Yeats home caused those in the seats in front of us to look round, wondering what the incredible excitement from behind was all about. We dashed out after they crossed the line and down the staircase as fast as possible to greet them coming in.