As we celebrate National Careers Week we head back to Ascot Racecourse and meet some of the team their working at one of the most iconic courses in the world of racing. We have linked up with Ascot with one of our education training providers U-Explore on a customer service based Skill Set course.

Hello Abby, what is your role at Ascot Racecourse? 

My current job title is Marketing Executive at Ascot.

How long have you been in this role at Ascot Racecourse? 

I started as an intern in April 2022, progressed to Marketing Assistant during the last year of my degree, then progressed to a full-time Marketing Executive in May 2024.

What was your background into the horseracing industry?

Having grown up riding horses I was a true equestrian from the age of 9. I took a gap year and set out to do eventing during that year with my ex-racehorse and had the opportunity to try riding out at the small yard which I got him from in Whitsbury, Hampshire. I wasn’t very efficient on a racehorse to start with (to say the least), but I really enjoyed it. I then moved to a different yard and worked throughout the whole of COVID-19 Pandemic riding them and taking them racing.

Summer 2021 came and the horses had a well-deserved break, so I moved to a slightly bigger yard (Robert Walford) and thoroughly enjoyed it there too. I then started University at the Royal Agricultural University. I really wanted to carry on riding racehorses and taking horses racing so I worked every morning from 5:30am-11:30am riding out for Fergal O’Brien. Using my degree I then explored opportunities and gained contacts through Fergal’s to come to the more commercial side of the industry and landed an internship at Ascot- the rest is history!

What does a normal working day for you involve?

It varies greatly!! A normal day for me starts at 6am- up to the yard to care and ride my ex-racehorse, Mully. Albeit in the winter its tough but it’s the best start to the day and gets me started on a great note. He is such a pleasure to own. I then commute to Ascot to get to work for 9am. Have a cuppa and get cracking on my tasks for the day. From co-ordinating marketing activity and implementing campaigns, to creative thinking and managing projects. Every day is different on the Marketing Campaigns team here and I really enjoy that. Once I finish up, make sure I have my to do list ready for the next day, and head back to the yard. Sort Mully out, give him a good groom and unwind.

And what’s it like on a raceday? What responsibilities do you have?

The campaigns teams main focus is to work towards our next racedays and getting those days in front of our guests, so they come back again. I work across the customer journeys ensuring that every guest has all the information they need to ensure they have the best experience possible at Ascot and get the most out of their day. This also involves re-cap on their day with our racing roundup and replays, gather customer feedback and share with the business as wins and improvement points. I also support the wider team on their raceday roles.

You may have seen me on our Instagram and TikTok explaining all things racing.. my big claim to fame!

What is the best part of your job at Ascot?

The best part of my job at Ascot is being able to experience such great racing and use my passion and ‘Gen Z’ knowledge to contribute ideas and help the wider industry strategy of getting more young people into racing. I love to network and meet new people and speak to such greats and I am very lucky I have opportunities to do this.

Is there a challenging part of your job?

There’s a challenging part of every job. Being creative every single day is a challenge… trying to beat the cycle. It can also be hard when you are a young person to have all of your ideas thoughts and experiences taken seriously.

What one piece of advice would you give to someone seeking to work at a racecourse?

My one piece of advice, is don’t ever lose the passion you have, don’t ever be afraid to speak up and keep persisting. Your voice will be heard even if it is shadowed sometimes. Everything also comes back to these horses. Never forget how important these animals are.

You can browse all the career sectors in the horseracing industry by clicking here