King Power Platinum Jubilee Raceday Thrills Leicester Public
Marking the first of a four-day bank holiday weekend across the United Kingdom, thousands of sports lovers and Leicester City fans headed to Leicester Racecourse as the Srivaddhanaprabha family shared another of their sporting passions with the Foxes family, with Chairman Khun Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha in attendance in Oadby.
King Power has a strong presence in horse racing, having registered prestigious wins at some of the country’s most reputable meetings. On Thursday, several of those horses populated a race card designed to provide a day of enthralling racing action in the heart of Leicestershire.
Indeed, King Power Racing saved the best until last by rounding off the day's action with a win in The Filbert Fox Handicap Stakes. Jockey William Carver rode home the winner on Melody of Life for his maiden triumph for King Power.
It was an occasion which showed appreciation to Her Majesty The Queen – the country’s longest-serving monarch – and offered the Blue Army an opportunity to come together in the off-season following another memorable campaign for Leicester City at home and abroad.
Leicester City Chief Executive Susan Whelan, who was awarded an OBE on Wednesday in Her Majesty The Queen’s 2022 Birthday Honours, said: “It is amazing to see the Leicester City family come together in the heart of our region to celebrate the Jubilee weekend and to share this experience with the local community.
“It means a lot to both the Club and to King Power to show their support to the people of Leicester and Leicestershire and to provide them with more memories which we can all experience together.”
While the Jubilee-themed occasion included visits from Leicester City legends and Filbert Fox, fundraising also took place for a host of charities who make an enormous contribution to daily life across the region – LOROS, Rainbows, Heartwize and Leicester Hospitals Charity.
Sponsorship of many of the day’s races was gifted to those four charities to help raise awareness for their important work in the county, while raffles were staged, and tents set up to enable them to raise vital funds for the people most in need among our communities.
Through the Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Foundation, the Club is committed to supporting the people in Leicestershire. Last month, Khun Top donated £1M to Leicester Hospitals Charity’s Neonatal Incubator Appeal, which aims to upgrade the city’s 42-cot neonatal unit and give the very best chance of survival to babies born prematurely.
Winning jockey William Carver said: "I was going out there to make the run-in, but he's done it well in the end. Once he straightened up, he ran away quite well, so I'm delighted for the King Power team.
"There was a lot of people here today, and it's great for the whole King Power team. I know they love their racing so much and the Leicester City fans were here today to enjoy it too."
Former Leicester City defender Gerry Taggart, who joined ex-team-mates Steve Walsh and Matt Elliott at Leicester Racecourse, told LCFC TV: “It’s fantastic, the sun’s come out to play so, all round, it’s been an absolutely fabulous day.
“It’s a great idea, having a raceday. We know the owners are into their horse-racing so to have the fans come along and enjoy the day in the sunshine, mingling with the likes of myself and their friends, it’s a great day out for everyone.
“There’s lots of kids here as well during the break so it’s been a fantastic day.”
Elliott added: “We’re sat here, overlooking the finishing post, the sun’s shining and the Leicester City supporters are out. There was a lot of preparation work which went into it and it seems like it’s reaping its reward. The day’s going well – I even got a couple of early winners!”
For more information on the work of the Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Foundation, click HERE.