On Saturday, we welcomed guests to our Country Sports Dinner 2018; an occasion in which our equestrian and shooting students and their guests enjoyed a fantastic formal dinner at school.
Guests enjoyed a delicious three course menu which included country favourites such as pan fried mushrooms on toasted truffle sourdough and braised blade of beef, all provided by our wonderful Catering Department. Guests then heard from guest speaker, OB Ben Pauling (Eg 00-02).
Ben Pauling is one of the rising stars of National Hunt racing, having started training at the beginning of the 2013 season after spending six years as assistant to Champion Trainer Nicky Henderson. He is now based in the heart of Gloucestershire and trains near Bourton on the Water. Having started with a modest 20 boxes he now has 77, and has sent out more winners each season than the last. This year he is targeting further success with stable stars Barters Hill and Willoughby Court, which was Ben’s first winner at the prestigious Cheltenham Festival. Ben is from a farming family and grew up surrounded by horses; he always knew that racing was something he wanted to pursue, taking part in point-to-point races while a Sixth Form pupil at Bloxham School. A member of Egerton House, Ben also made an impact by being crowned ‘Young Engineer for Britain’ in 2002 before studying Land Management at Reading University.
It was a brilliant evening, and enjoyed by all. Thank you to everyone for their help in making this such a lovely evening.