Virgin Bet will host its inaugural ‘Women’s Day’ event, dedicated to celebrating women in racing, on Saturday, 9th March. The event is slated to take place at the Ayr Racecourse during the Virgin Bet Raceday.
Open to everyone, the program is part of Virgin Bet’s new brand slogan, ‘A Good Bet’, a campaign focusing on ways in which the sportsbook can knock down pre-existing barriers within sports and culture at large, the company said in a statement.
The company has partnered with presenting star Natalie Pike, who will be acting as compere throughout events on the day.
As part of the day’s proceedings, aside from viewing Ayr’s race offerings, attendees will be able to attend a pair of panels hosted by Pike which aim to lead conversation about women in racing. The activities will introduce race fans to women driving forward horse racing, as well as discuss diversity in the sport.
“There are many incredible women involved in making horse racing the spectacle that it is, and for too long, their role has arguably gone uncelebrated and un-thanked. At Virgin Bet, as part of our ‘A Good Bet’ brand campaign, we want to make sport more accessible and to highlight brilliance, no matter who the subject, and this initiative is doing exactly that,” Virgin Bet Marketing Director Ric Leask said.
Panelists and subjects include:
Panel 1: Legendary Women of Horse Racing
•Delly Innes (Chief Executive, Scottish Racing)
•Harriet Graham (Trainer)
Panel 2: Creative Inclusivity in Racing
•Charlotte Jones (Jockey)
• Emma Kay (WalkSafe Founder and CEO)
The event will offer opportunities for female attendees to pick the Best Turned Out Award before each race and present the trophies to the winners. A donation will also be made to Ayr Racecourse’s charity partner, the Ayrshire Cancer Support charity. The organization, headed by CEO Sandra McCall, provides support to the local community.
As part of the event, Virgin Bet will also be partnering with WalkSafe, an app developed to provide women with confidence and support when walking alone. The company will highlight WalkSafe’s functions and app details during the event. Musical entertainment will be provided by local Scottish female talent.
“I’ve loved being a part of creating this project with the teams at Virgin Bet and Ayr Racecourse, and hope it can inspire the next generation of incredible women working in horse racing. Sport is for everyone, and activations such as this are crucial to ensuring inclusivity and safety for women at events, and ultimately heroing the brilliant people who work in the sport,” Natalie Pike said.
“It’s fantastic to host Virgin Bet’s inaugural Women’s Day activity and our racecourse, and from minute one, we have wanted to back this campaign with everything we have. We are so proud to work with, host, and pay respect to an incredible array of women within this beautiful sport, and this work will go a long way to bringing attention to these excellent people,” Ayr Racecourse Marketing Manager Lindsey Smith said.
