Middleham Stables Open Day

A great local event under threat...

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/local/northallerton/4862012.New_threat_to_stables_open_day/

FEARS are once again being expressed for the future of one of the major events in the region’s racing calendar.

The Middleham Stables Open Day, always staged on Good Friday, has been highly successful over the last two decades.

Last year alone, the event - which is sponsored by The Northern Echo - attracted more than 7,000 people and raised more than £16,000 for local charities - despite rain and overcast skies.

But fears, first voiced and then dismissed 12 months ago, that racing could introduced on Good Friday have now resurfaced, putting the open day’s future in jeopardy.

The religious holiday is one of only two days a year when there is no racing, leaving stables free to take part in the open day and enthusiasts the chance to go along.

And if the British Horesracing Authority introduces meetings on Good Friday in 2011 this year’s Middleham event could well be the last.