Rob Burrow and wife Lindsey 'over the moon' with surprise £77,777 Doncaster Racecourse donation

Rob and Lindsey, who have fought to highlight Motor Neurone Disease after Rob’s diagnosis with the condition, first heard the news of the huge donation while they were at Doncaster Racecourse while watching Beep Beep Burrow race for the second time.

They were given the news by two of The Good Racing Company’s ambassadors, Rob’s former teammate Barrie McDermott and professional jockey Paul Hanagan, who asked his family and friends to hold up placards of seven’s to reveal the amount.

The donation will be added to The Rob Burrow 7 Discretionary Trust, giving Rob and Lindsey the flexibility to spend the money on whatever they need to most improve Rob’s quality of life, from accessible housing to medication.

Rob said: “I’d like to thank Phil and all of The Good Racing Company members for this unbelievable donation. Over the course of the past few years I’ve been continually overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of the British public and this latest fundraising donation is another reminder of that.”

Lindsey said: “Rob and I are over the moon by this generous donation. We want to thank all The Good Racing Company members for their dedication and support. This money will have a really big impact on our family life.

“Living with motor neurone disease is a challenge for the whole family, but a donation of this size will allow us to invest in improvements and pay for ongoing costs that will help take the pressure off by making our day to day lives easier. It’s amazing….I’m still so shocked!”

Rob and Lindsey were at Doncaster Races with family and friends watching Beep Beep Burrow in his second competitive race. Unfortunately he was pulled up by his jockey Conor O’Farrell who wasn’t happy with the horse, but he returned to the parade ring in good shape and given the all clear by the vet.

Phil Hawthorne, founder of the Good Racing Company, said: “We’re delighted by Beep Beep Burrow’s performance. He shows enormous promise, and has already brought a lot of excitement to our members. I’m thrilled to be making this donation. Rob and Lindsey Burrow never cease to inspire the nation, and I hope this money goes some way to making life easier for them.”

This is the third and biggest donation that The Good Racing Company has made. The MND Association have received two individual donations of £50,000 in December 2020 and February 2021 from money raised by Burrow Seven memberships.

It was announced last year that Burrow Seven was being retired due to a repetitive injury. He was replaced by Beep Beep Burrow, a six-year-old chestnut gelding who was named by Rob’s family, after his Road Runner-inspired nickname at Leeds Rhinos.

Beep Beep Burrow ran his debut race at Doncaster on January 28, coming a promising 5th in the race. Rob and his family were watching from the sidelines and have become dedicated fans of the racing as a result of The Good Racing Company and its fundraising efforts.