Talk of the Course

The latest episode of Talk of the Course shines a light on York Racecourse and features an interview with William Derby, Chief Executive and Clerk of the Course. York Racecourse had an outstanding 2025, being ranked number one in the RCA’s Quality Assured Racecourse Scheme for racegoer experience and topping the table in assessment schemes for owners and stable staff.Throughout the podcast, William explains how his team approach delivering the best experience, their desire for continuous improvement and the importance to being open to a range of different voices and opinions. He also discusses the RCA Showcase, what it means to the team at York and how the event encourages betterment amongst all the racecourses across Britain. Finally, we look ahead to the upcoming season on the Knavesmire, the improvements that have been made across the site and what racegoers have to look forward to.  To close, we ask William the #QuickFireFive and discover the best raceday breakfast in York, his dream Knavesmire match race and his go-to Taylor Swift song.  Talk of the Course is designed to shed a light on the best practice emanating from racecourse teams across the country, covering all aspects of racecourse operation. It is written, produced and hosted by the RCA’s executive team. The latest episode is available now to stream via YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts platforms.

This episode is the first of three focussing on the RCA’s Quality Assured Racecourse Scheme (QARS) and raceday experience. The QARS is the RCA’s long running assessment scheme for raceday experience and see’s every RCA member racecourse receive a raceday audit from an expert, independent third-party assessor. This episode of Talk of the Course features an interview with Sarah Drabwell, General Manager at Sandown Park Racecourse. Sandown Park was one of just 14 racecourses in Britain to score in excess of 90% in its 2025 assessment, and was also named joint most improved racecourse after an 8 percentage point increase in score year-on-year. Sarah joins us to explain the racecourse’s mindset towards experience, how the team encourage and utilise customer feedback, and how the racecourse is putting the horse and local community at the heart of what it does.Finally, the episode concludes with the #QuickFireFive, with Sarah discussing his all-time favourite racehorse to appear at Sandown Park and what she does to celebrate a successful raceday.Talk of the Course is designed to shed a light on the best practice emanating from racecourse teams across the country, covering all aspects of racecourse operation. It is written, produced and hosted by the RCA’s executive team.

Continuing the promotion of the Grounds Management Association’s (GMA) #GroundsWeek campaign, this episode of Talk of the Course features an interview with George Hill, Racing Director and Clerk of the Course at Newbury Racecourse. Newbury Racecourse was crowned Champion Groundstaff team at the 2025 RCA Showcase Awards, and George discusses some of the initiatives which led to this grand accolade, key training and development prospects for the Newbury team plus details of the racecourse’s fulfilling strategy to utilise the land-based opportunities on offer to secure Newbury Racecourse’s place as a must-attend sports and leisure destination. As ever, the episode concludes with #Quickfire5, with George discussing his all-time favourite racehorse and unique breakfast sandwich which is only available on racedays via the staff canteen.Talk of the Course is designed to shed a light on the best practice emanating from racecourse teams across the country, covering all aspects of racecourse operation. It is written, produced and hosted by the RCA’s executive team. 

The debut episode of Talk of the Course spotlights the Grounds Management Association’s #GroundsWeek, running from 23-29 March - a celebration of the people and expertise behind some of the UK’s finest sporting surfaces.We’re joined by special guest Andrew Morris, Director of Racing at Newmarket Racecourse, for an inside look at the exceptional work carried out by his team at both Newmarket and the Jockey Club. From day-to-day course management to forward-thinking innovations, Andrew shares how modern techniques are shaping the future of racecourse grounds. The episode also includes the first edition of the RCA's #quick-fire-five, which helps listeners learn more about our guests and the personalities behind British racing. To find out more about GMA’s #GroundsWeek, follow the link here.For information about upcoming race fixtures at Newmarket Racecourse, follow the link here. To understand more of what the RCA does to supports #GroundsWeek, following the link here.

Talk of the Course is designed to shed a light on the best practice emanating from racecourse teams across thecountry, covering all aspects of racecourse operation. It is written, produced and hosted by the RCA’s executive team.Each episode will feature a range of voices from racecourse practitioners at the top of their game on a specific topic to accompany a written article from the RCA’s On Track series. Talk of the Course will also include conversation to get toknow the individual, bringing to life the range of professionals working at British racecourses.