The team at Penguin Uniform is still celebrating this year's Cheltenham Festival which saw three local race teams compete on the biggest stage wearing its high-quality, branded workwear.
The Andoversford-based firm supplied a range of outdoor garments to top Cotswold trainers Fergal O'Brien, Kim Bailey and Nigel Twiston-Davies for the festival, from waterproof and softshell jackets and fleece gilets to polo shirts, bobble hats and more.
While simply seeing the teams in action was gratifying enough for Penguin owner Jared Wilson, one team also sported the firm's kit all the way to victory — with the Kim Bailey-trained horse Chianti Classico winning the festival's Ultima Handicap Chase.
Jared described his pride at seeing Chianti's groom, Millie, wearing a jacket his team had provided, inside the winners' enclosure after the race.
'The uniform is so important to the yard staff leading up on race day, I was fortunate to be attending and the weather wasn’t pleasant throughout the festival, so the waterproof padded jackets certainly played their role!', Jared said.
'To have Fergal O'Brien, Nigel Twiston Davies and a winning Kim Bailey on show was a proud moment; we had just hoped all the horses ran well, but to see one cross the finish line as a winner and then to see the celebrations of Chianti and of course, Millie, wearing her jacket that our team had supplied and branded, in the winners enclosure on the biggest stage was awesome.'
Kim Bailey commented on the win: 'It’s huge. It’s huge for the yard, it’s huge for the team. Having winners at Cheltenham is what it’s all about.
'The owners are big supporters of racing and this has been the plan for a long time, Matt my assistant and all the team at home have worked so hard on this.'
After successfully breaking into the horse racing sector, there's plenty more to come from Penguin in 2024; with the imminent completion of a six-month project to create a new, purpose-built working environment at its premises as well as operational changes.
There's also potential to add more team members to its workforce, which has grown to 14 people.
Jared says the business is now primed for expansion and is targeting new areas such as hospitality; from restaurants and hotels through to leisure and entertainment.
He added: 'We've created a really strong base and have some really exciting projects coming to market in the very near future, including entering into the promotional and gift sectors respectively. It's a very exciting time for the team here.'
