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St Patrick's Race Night Raises £1700!!!
It may only be the first St Patrick’s Gold Cup to be held but many of us are asking just who needs the Cheltenham equivalent? (maybe a little tongue in cheek!!)
The St Patrick’s Gold Cup on St Patrick’s night at St Patrick’s school !!! Who can compete with that? Over 130 lucky parents, teachers and friends of the school managed to get tickets before they were sold out (we can report that even e-bay had no more to sell!) and were able to experience a great evening of champagne and racing!!
Met at the door by the convivial hosts Messrs Loftus (Headteacher), Robson (PTFA Chair) and Miss McLoughlin (deputy head), guests were ushered in to receive a complementary glass of bubbly and a free crepe (courtesy of Quick Crepes). The children had decorated the hall with Shamrock wall hangings and streamers; these were complemented by the green and white themed table settings and finished with a professional matching balloon display (thanks to Aztec Balloons). The attention to detail (from our own amateur events planner, Margaret Gill) was repeatedly remarked upon!
After brief introductions we went straight into the first of the eight races sponsored by Quick Crepes. People weren’t slow in coming forward to place their bets and the busiest spot for the night was the tote run by Jim “Ladbrokes” Evans (Ably assisted by Fiona Dowling, Pat Evans and Sarah Taylor).
Whoops and hollers of joy from the winning punters easily drowned out the groans of regret from the less fortunate ones; but the night was young!
Hans Parker, as race sponsor, was allowed to desert his post behind the crepe stall to award a cash prize to the winning owner.
Father John kindly agreed to draw the names for the race night raffle. Winners of two of the star prizes included Julia Slark and Rita McCloughlin (fix!!!).
The highlight of the evening was the final race, The St Patrick’s Gold Cup itself!!! All the runners’ names bore remarkable resemblance to the teaching staff (What an amazing coincidence!). We were particularly pleased to have a Spanish entry at number 8, all the way from the little known Spanish province of “Anfield.” The card was:-
- The Neston Hunt
- Taylor Made
- Heres to you Mrs Robinson
- The Golden Earing
- Mitchells Mare
- Giles Express
- McLoughlin’s Melody
- El Director
All horses were auctioned off to individuals and hastily formed Consortia. Most horses sold for around £45 although our head teacher blanched a little when a lone bid of £1 was initially offered!!!! The bidding for the horse soon recovered to sell at a value even the Aga Khan would have shied away from (although did we hear a slight scouse accent call out the final bid?)
After the race, the winning Consortia fronted by our very own PTFA chair, Peter Robson (“another fix!!!!” We screamed) came sheepishly forward to collect their winnings!
The alternative highlight for some was the prospect of Nick Skeet removing his shirt at the request of a particularly insistent lady…what a strange request from his own mother!!! However modesty and restraint was the order of the day and this uncovering may have to wait until the future “auction of promises.”
….and that was it, the end of a great night!!!
Our thanks go in particular to:-
- the sad bunch known as the “Race Night Crew” who met, plotted and schemed regularly over the days and weeks before the event (Margaret Gill, Sarah Taylor, Lis Skeet, Neil Bolton and Fiona Dowling)
- The Volunteers on the night (Lis & Nick Skeet and Mark Taylor behind the bar; Hans and Tom at the Crepe stall; Jim & Pat Evans, Sarah Taylor and Fiona Dowling at the Tote)
- Stuart Woodington for the Programme design and printing
- All our race and raffle sponsors
And last, but no means least, our thanks also go to Kieran Loftus and all the staff at the school who did everything they could to help us make the night happen!!
Where will you spend St. Patricks night next year???….don’t forget our tickets sell quickly!
Neil Bolton (Treasurer and Race Night Conspirator)