Old Gold Racing – Manor House Stables

We kicked off the month getting straight back on the road, with Brooke and myself heading up to Cheshire on Bank Holiday Monday to film Old Gold Racing’s latest flat horse.. It was a fantastic opportunity to spend time with both Hugo Palmer and Michael Owen and to learn more about the yard and everything that goes into running such an impressive operation. The facilities were outstanding and it was fascinating hearing Michael’s passion and his perspective on racing. We were also joined by Pete Marsden, Ed Seyfried and Francesca Cumani which made for a brilliant morning of filming before heading back to Cheltenham. Growing up watching football in the 90’s and 00’s, Michael Owen was an icon, Ballon d’Or winner and so many important goals for England, it definitely got us all excited for the upcoming Fifa World Cup!

Gloucestershire College

This month we welcomed a new member to the team, Amelia. It has been great having her on board and getting her stuck straight into filming with us. The first shoot Amelia joined us on was at Gloucestershire College where we recorded our debut podcast episode using our new microphone and setup. Podcasts are something we’re going to be filming a lot more of in the future, so after much research we bought the Shore MV7+ mics. A review will follow, but I was very impressed!

It was a really enjoyable shoot and a great opportunity to put the new equipment into action. The team there was incredibly welcoming and it’s something we’re excited to continue building on going forward.

Great British Racing - Ireland

Monday came around again with another early start for the team. Myself and Pete collected Amelia and Brooke from Cheltenham station and began the four hour drive up to Holyhead to catch the ferry over to Dublin.

Pete was in the driver’s seat which meant a minimum of two stops (one for a Greggs, of course). For once, Brooke was delighted about the unscheduled stops as she was able to arm herself with some anti-sickness bands from one of the garages. On the boat, Pete scarpered to a horizontal chair and I got straight out on deck with my camera. In between trying some very questionable Pad Thai and stocking up on aftershave and Tayto’s, I think it is safe to say that Brooke’s bands were working as I managed to coax her outside for the last leg across the Irish Sea.

We arrived in glorious weather and made our way down to our new home for the next few days in Kilkenny. We caught up with Anna and Beau from GBR to run through the schedule for the following day at The Kyteler’s Inn, where we were also able to test out the local Guinness… It would be rude not to ey? The town was surprisingly lively for a Monday night and Matt the Millers was calling our names for their renowned Monday Madness, however, we all sensibly opted out and headed back to the hotel.

Tuesday was a full day of filming. We started at Carriganóg Racing, the yard of Joseph O’Brien, where we met up with Anna, Beau, Harry Clarke and Kevin Blake. It was an incredible place to spend time and a real insight into the scale and professionalism behind the operation. Everywhere you looked there was something happening and it really was fascinating to see.

After lunch at The Saddlers, we made our way to Coolmore Stud for a full tour. What a privilege. Coolmore is somewhere I’ve wanted to visit for many years. Nowhere on the planet would house so many classic winners in one place. You walk past the first stable, and on your left are 2012 and 2014 Derby winners Camelot and Australia. It really takes your breath away. The magnitude of the set up is absolutely incredible. We were shown some of the leading stallions in the industry and also got to see some of their offspring out in the fields. To top off our Coolmore visit, we then got to go to their onsite museum which was on another level entirely. Although filming wasn’t allowed inside, it was still a real highlight of the trip.

We then headed up the road to Golden Farm, home to Kevin Blake, where we got to see his brilliant new setup and get introduced to this year’s foals. Kevin was such a pleasure to work with throughout filming and he was beyond generous with his time. The racing industry really is lucky to have him! Getting to go behind the scenes at his own stud yard was a great way to round off an unforgettable day.

The trip finished with a delicious dinner at the well recommended Zuni in Kilkenny before bumping into the GBR team for some live music and one final Guinness. The following morning we dropped Amelia and Brooke at Dublin Airport for them to catch a flight and train back to Cheltenham. Pete and I then headed north to Belfast for our next job.

Perth Racecourse - Ladies Day

Pete and I, back aboard another ferry, this time from Belfast to Cairnryan. We opted for the Premium Lounge for this journey where we were surprised to be greeted with a complementary buffet and drinks. We parked ourselves up on some comfy seats under the TV where I watched The State Opening of Parliament whilst Pete was snoozing. After touching down in Scotland, next up on our travel itinerary was to head to Perth Racecourse ready to film their Ladies Day. We captured content throughout the event and edited reels on-site to support their social channels. It’s always such a pleasure working with the team there and catching up with Georgie Wood and Kitty Waddell who are always brilliant. Although it’s one of the furthest racecourses we travel to, Perth has quickly become one of our favourites. The team is incredibly welcoming and we look forward to coming back in a few weeks!

The Racing Foundation - Ascot Racecourse

06:30 the following week, myself, Brooke and Pete met up at Cirencester Greggs, bright eyed and bushy tailed to head down to Ascot Racecourse where we filmed content focusing on their brilliant sustainability initiatives which are being utilised across the course. It was a really interesting day on-site capturing everything from their beehives to the track’s watering system. We had timed it well with Royal Ascot preparations in full swing whilst we were there, which created a real buzz around the place. Brooke and Pete were in their element amongst all of the flower displays going in. It was amazing to see the amount of work which goes into the event behind the scenes. It was a delight to be back at Ascot and working with the team there. A big thank you to Will Aitkenhead who looked after us for the day along with everyone we chatted to on camera.

Gb Pointing - Chaddesley Corbett

The last bank holiday of May turned out to be the hottest day ever recorded in the UK for the month, so on the way to the shoot I made Pete stop at a shop to buy a cooler. It turned out to be a lifesaver and meant we had cold water for the entire day. We then found ourselves on an eight-hour shoot in the middle of a field with absolutely no shade in sight. It was one of those days where you quickly realise just how intense filming on location can get, but thankfully it all came together in the end.

Chaddesley went to great lengths to keep the horses comfortable in the heat, with cooling-down procedures in place after each race. They walked and hosed the horses down on the track before heading straight back to their boxes to recover, which was great to see given the conditions.There were even rumours that some of the jockeys were throwing buckets of water over each other afterwards, although unfortunately we weren’t around to witness that part first-hand.

We were joined on the day by Cameron Rozard and Danny Gill who provided additional camera support. Cameron was also testing out his new DJI Ronin 4D, which added a really high-end feel to the footage we were capturing. We managed to film some really dynamic shots throughout the day, including tracking footage from a vehicle alongside the horses during the race, which looked incredible in the final cut. At one point we genuinely made Chaddesley look like the Epsom Derby. This was the final piece of filming ahead of editing the GB Pointing Awards video and we’re very excited to pull it all together!

Looking Ahead

A huge highlight for us this month was placing second at the New York TV & Film Awards. To be recognised on an international stage against some huge industry names was an incredibly proud moment for the whole team and a real reflection of the hard work everyone continues to put in behind the scenes. We were up against the likes of Netflix, Disney and National Geographic so to come away with second place was a massive achievement for everyone involved. You can find out more about this here:

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It’s also been a big step forward for the business as we officially signed on the dotted line and got the keys to our new office. Brooke and I were straight in there with a tape measure and plenty of ideas. The podcast studio is now starting to feel very real and we can’t wait to share more as the space begins to take shape.
As for me, I celebrated my birthday this month, which as you get older, mostly becomes an excuse to make a fuss of it for a day and pretend you don’t mind another year flying by. Between that and everything else going on, the month disappeared pretty quickly.

Pete has had a busy one away from filming too, as he and his partner, Leanne, have taken on an allotment together. Most of the bank holiday weekend was spent up there getting stuck in and planning what to grow. He’s fully embraced it already and we’re expecting a few homegrown office deliveries soon!

Billie had a lovely time away celebrating her Nan’s 80th birthday with all of the nieces. It was a proper family get-together with plenty of food, celebrations and not much downtime by all accounts. Back home, puppy life with Mani is still keeping her just as busy.

Brooke kicked off the month of May at Punchestown Festival with her partner. Including the GBR job, I think she’s been 50/50 in the UK and Ireland for the past few weeks! The BBQ is out and the patio is freshly jet washed meaning Brooke is flat out hosting dinners in the sun for her friends and family.

And as mentioned earlier in this newsletter, we have a new member of the CFC team! Amelia has now completed her first month with us and has settled into the team brilliantly. She’s already getting stuck into a wide range of projects, including our social media content and helping us film our monthly vlogs. Amelia has experience working with both horses and production, she graduated from the Racing Media Academy in 2025 and will be training as our junior editor. We're excited to see her continue to grow as things ramp up over the coming months.

All in all, it has been another jam packed month and with the office move date officially set for July, it feels like a very exciting chapter ahead for the whole team. Hopefully catch up with some of you at Ascot?

Remember your SPF folks!

Louis, Pete, Billie, Brooke and Amelia x