Racecourse A-Z Part Three

The final part of my racecourse thumbnail sketches, R-Y plus the recently departed.

Redcar

My biggest problem is I am actually allergic to Redcar – I jest not. If the wind is blowing from the west and over the chemical works my eyes begin streaming and I get a sore throat. Last time I went the wind was from the north and I had no problems at the course, yet when I drove downwind of the works the rewactions began.

The trouble with Redcar is it isn’t in a pretty location.

Other than that it’s an Ok course. Most of the racing seems to take part on the straight course but the round course is a tight ellipse so even on the far side the runners are not that far away. 4/10 (would be much more if it was in a better location)  

Ripon

Described as the garden racecourse the grounds are very well maintained but the floral displays at Redcar, Lingfield and the defunct Folkestone would give them a run for their money.

Old brick stands add to the atmosphere of the course and it is always very popular with a decent crowd.

Some of my colleagues say it can be very rowdy but I have to admit it is not something I have particularly encountered myself – maybe I’ve been lucky. 7/10

Salisbury

Another jewel of a course on top of a hill with some stunning views, not least (from the right spot) the famous Cathedral in the distance.

I recall going to Salisbury one day and sitting in members for an elderly man and a companion to sit next to me. The man was none other than former PM Edward Heath and his security guard.

I tell the story as that sort of sums up the members enclosure at Salisbury, very much highbrow and they almost seem to resent the hoi poli joining them.

That aside it is a friendly course, viewing is hit and miss but on a sunny day it’s a good day out. 7/10

Sandown

A reasonably well laid out course with good viewing, although I have to admit I’m no fan of the centre chute sprint track – although it’s not as bad as the one at Longchamp.

Spacious enclosures can seem bleak on quiet days and on busy days there can be some problems with over indulgent racegoers. 7/10  

Sedgefield

Another of the true jumping tracks with a loyal local following.

I have to admit I do find the enclosures and stands somewhat sterile and uninviting and would rate the course as OK rather than special. 4/10

 

Southwell

I never go to Southwell expecting much and to that extent I’m never disappointed. The place is functional rather than inspiring.

Predominently an all weather course it makes an attempt at NH racing – whether it succeeds is a moot point. 3/10

Stratford

Being reasonably close I attend quite a few meetings at Stratford but I find it hard to gel with the place. 

Viewing is good but there is something I cannot quite put my finger on that puts me off the place – perhaps it’s the glass fronted members stand which looks incongruous in the setting?

Midweek meetings are relaxed with true racegoers, weekend meetings are beginning to attract the “wrong sort” of crowd – but the course encourage them by laying on extra booze selling points. Midweek 6/10, weekend 2/10

Taunton

Another of the no frills national hunt tracks catering mainly for a knowledgeable local clientele.

The place is functional without being flash. Viewing is pretty good and the place is welcoming. 6/10

Thirsk

For a “smaller” course the enclosures at Thirsk are surprisingly big and the meetings are well attended  with a strong local following.

My biggest gripe with Thirsk is their rule that gentlemen MUST wear a tie in the Premier enclosure.

Now I have no problem wearing a tie and I do so more often than not when I go racing but I do resent being told I must wear one. It almost stinks of pretentiousness on the part of the course. 6/10 (would be 7/10 without the tie rule)

Towcester

This is my local course and I used to adore the old wooden grandstand which offered great covered viewing. Unfortunately the stand was condemned and new stands were built.

OK they look pretty but the new stands were built very much with the corporate racegoers in mind and the regular racegoers was seemingly considered an afterthought. Yes there is some tiered viewing but it is exposed to the elements and on a wet day there is limited shelter and nowhere to watch the racing from the dry.

The course has free admission for most meetings but it doesn’t compensate for the fundamental shortcomings, which is a shame because the Towcester hill can result in some thrilling finishes. 4/10

Uttoxeter

This is another course which really frustrates me. A great jumping course, good facilities and what do they go and do?

They stick a bloody gypsy camp, sorry, caravan site in the centre of the course, seriously obstructing viewing of the racing – totally brainless. Money grabbing at the expense of those who want to watch racing. 6/10

Warwick

Let’s build a racecourse with a hill in the centre of the course. Sounds silly doesn’t it but that describes Warwick racecourse.

Notwithstanding the topological challenge Warwick is an enjoyable course to visit and on the flat course it’s only races over seven furlongs which are hidden from view. 7/10

Wetherby

The course haven’t been helped by the recent A1 re-alignment which resulted in significant changes to the track and damage to the racing surface.

Ignoring that Wetherby is a lovely course to visit. Good racing, good facilities and viewing. 8/10

Wincanton

At the risk of sounding boring, yet another country NH course although i=on a slightly larger scale than some.

Friendly and welcoming, plenty of space and good viewing 7½/10

Windsor

One of only two figure of eight courses, unfortunately the far loop is not visible from the stands.

The racing is of variable standard and one is left with the impression the course is more interested in appeasing the Monday night crowd and getting as much money out of them as possible. 6/10  

Wolverhampton

Another of those schizophrenic courses. Purely functional  and certainly not aesthetic it can be the most depressing place at the midweek meetings.

On Saturday nights the place is transformed as the place comes to life and, shock horror, there is a great atmosphere. Midweek 3/10 Saturday night 7/10  

Worcester

Ask many in the industry and Worcester will frequently appear in the bottom three. I wouldn’t go that far but it’s nothing to write home about.

The facilities are cramped and aged and they use those terrible portable obstacles, 4/10

Yarmouth

A course that probably would not survive without the summer holidaymakers which is the lifeblood of the course.

Open and spacious the stands are a bit too far back for my liking and when the wind whips in from the North Sea you need to wrap up.

Being relatively close to Newmarket it can attract some better horses than it probably deserves. 6/10  

York

This may be another of those controversial ones as I’m going to be a heretic and say I don’t like York and think it is highly overrated.

On the plus side it has a great infrastructure with some truly delightful stands.

On the minus side it has a terrible racing surface and’ like Chester, it attracts far too any racegoers who could not give a toss about the racing. Apart from the quieter days and the Sunday funday there is invariably an edge at York and you are left feeling one false step and you could end up in a fight. 2/10

And the recently “lamented” ……

Folkestone

Despite being close to the motorway network, Folkestone always seemed a long way away from anywhere.

The final access down a narrow lane was always frustrating. Once there the buildings had a neglected, unloved feel about them.

The highlight was the area behind the stands and the amazing pond. Racing was generally moderate 4/10

Great Leighs

I’m no lover of artificial surface racing but it was generally agreed Great Leighs had the best artificial surface in the country and the racing was passable.

It didn’t help the grandstand was in the centre of the course and the course suffered at the hands of crass, gross mis-management.

In the right hands and with some infrastructure changes it has the potential to become a really good course. 4/10

Hereford

Hereford was another of those courses where the stands were too far away from the track, although that didn’t greatly diminish the racing experience.

I quite liked Hereford, the facilities were basic but viewing was OK and it was generally a good day out. It was lost to politics unfortunately. 6/10

Cynicism, Offshore Bookmakers and Grand National

As I write this on the morning of Friday 17^th January I have to admit to having a bad taste in my mouth and I haven’t even had breakfast yet.

Today should have been a major fund raising day for armed services charities at Sandown Park, however the attempt to raise much needed funds has been seriously undermined by the decision to re-stage last Saturday's Newbury fixture today and Newbury offering free admission.

It seems Newbury and their sponsors Betfair are more interested in marketing gimmicks and making a quick buck than they are on the negative impact they will have elsewhere. Publicly officials at Sandown have maintained a dignified silence but I have hear they are absolutely fuming privately and who can blame them.

There are some who will say the restaging of the Newbury card is a great achievement and in a way it is but it is a pity it has been staged without fully thinking through the consequences.

Why couldn't the Newbury card have been staged on Sunday where it would not have had such a detrimental effect elsewhere?

I would like to think Newbury and Betfair would make a significant contributions to the charities who are going to lose out as a result of their cynical marketing ploy but somehow cannot see it happening.

The recent cold snap has again illustrated how much dependence there is on the so called “all weather” racing, now I make no secret I am no fan of that branch of the sport, however I accept some people do enjoy it and it does serve to help maintain the Levy.

Although why something as discredited as the Levy should be supported is beyond me – it is no longer fit for purpose and anything that actively undermines it should be encouraged.

Anyway I digress as I return to one of my hobby horses, the term “all weather” racing – it isn’t all weather. The meeting at Wolverhampton was abandoned because of snow,not the first time snow has claimed such a meeting. It has been called off because of fog – IT IS NOT ALL WEATHER RACING.

For goodness sake rename it artificial surface racing and do away with this misleading misnomer once and for all.

Newmarket MP Matthew Hancock recently introduced a private members bill to change how money for the discredited Levy is raised. With 18 of the top 20 bookmakers now located offshore he wants the Levy to be paid on a “point of consumption” basis.

Such a proposal is naïve and would not work. With the increasing amount of betting now being executed online it would be incredibly easy to circumvent such a rule. Indeed I would see it as a great business opportunity as I would quite happily market software that could be used to circumvent such a ruling.

Instead of wasting important Parliamentary time introducing this bill the time should be spent abolishing the Levy and making racing negotiate a fair business arrangement without Government intervention.

Another interesting point is the 18 / 20 bookmakers who have moved offshore. If I were a shareholder in either of the duo who have not moved offshore I would be demanding to know why they have not done so. It is the duty of an organisation to maximise profit and shareholder return and, in the case of bookmakers, this is best done by relocating offshore.

 

From one anachronism, The Levy, to another the Grand National.

On Tuesday we had the unveiling of the Grand National weights, yes the Grand National is the only handicap where the official ratings are ignored and handicapper Phil Smith is given free rein to allocate whatever weight he sees fit, why?

Is he saying the official handicap rating is wrong? If not then why should different weights be allocated for this particular race if not to, for want of a better expression, manipulate the result.

Does it not further undermine the race?

What was once National Hunt racings greatest race has now, frankly, become a liability and it does the sport more harm than good.

It is run over a freakish distance, over freakish fences, more often than not winning horses are never the same afterwards - yes there are exceptions but they are just that, exceptions.

The race is, for good or bad, the sports show-piece event but it is becoming a liability and the damage it does to the perception of the sport far outweighs any benefits it brings.

How many renewals have not seen a fatality or serious injury to a horse - yet we offer this race as our showcase event?

I used to adore the Grand National - now I hate it and for me last years contest was enough.

I would happily scrap the National, tinker with Cheltenham so the Gold Cup is run on a Saturday and use all the marketing resources of racing to make that race the one that is in the forefront of the public's perception of National Hunt racing - how many unexciting Gold Cups have we had in recent years? How many controversial Gold Cups have we had?

There surely cannot be many people who would argue the Grand National is a better advert for National Hunt racing than the Gold Cup.

You Don't Fully Appreciate It Until You No Longer Have It

It is a sad fact of life that you tend not to fully appreciate something until you no longer have it.

So it is with my (formerly) trusty car.

We had gone a long way together, when I purchased it as a one year old it had a mere 13,000 miles on the clock. Last month, some three years later, the clock rolled round to 126,000 miles, meaning we have travelled 113,000 miles together or, put another way, 4½ times round the world.   

If the cars computer is to be believed I averaged 48mph in the time I had the car, which equates to me spending some 2,300 driving the car – some people spend less time with their spouses.

You will note I used the expression “formerly trusty” and I am speaking in the past tense.

Yes, a fateful Sunday, just over two weeks ago, everything changed. Normally one press of the START button was all that was required for the car to burst into life. This time nothing, the engine turned over and over but would not fire into life.

Thinking back the car had been a little bit sluggish for a couple of weeks but I wasn’t overly concerned and it was about to have its 126,000 mile service.

So it was time to finally use the breakdown cover, the very same cover I question renewing every year because “I never use it”.

Now I am not one to give free advertising gratuitously but I must give a mention to Britannia Rescue. Within seven, yes SEVEN, minutes of my calling them out a mechanic arrived – I did not even have time to make myself a warming cup of tea.

I left him to it and 20 minutes later there was a knock on the door, “it’s not good news I’m afraid, No3 cylinder is full of oil. It looks like a major engine problem.”

Not the news one wants to hear when you have a house full of visitors from Australia and you are relying on the car to ferry them around and, as importantly, get them to the airport for their flight home a few days later.

To cut a long story short the car was recovered to the local main dealer.

Next morning, once the service department were in, I spoke to them and they wanted, at least, £225 just to investigate the problem.

It was decision time. It was clear I would see little, if any, change from a grand with this problem. I also knew the car would need a new set of rear brakes (£525) soon.  Add to that the upcoming service (£290), it still had the original exhaust which would not last forever and, finally and at the service after next it would require a new cam belt (£700).

So I decided not to spend good money after bad and I, reluctantly, decided to scrap the car. I managed to get a few hundred quid for it which, at least, covered the new set of tyres I had purchased less than a week earlier.

However I was left without a car, something of a problem when you spend your life zipping round the country attending race meetings.

The visitors were taken care of by them hiring a car, which had the advantage of them taking themselves off to Heathrow at 06:00 whilst I was able to go straight back to bed.

My first non-car race meeting was to Sandown Park on the Friday, in theory a relatively simple journey. A train to Clapham Junction followed by a train to Esher, which adjoins the course.

A simple plan, in theory, ruined, in practice, by the driver of the second train failing to stop at Esher.  I wasn’t the only passenger looking out in dismay as the railway fences flashed by outside the speeding train. Eventually the train stopped two stations down the line and a couple of hundred discontent racegoers alighted, charged across to the other platform to wait for a train back to Esher.

The next day it was Aintree, I managed to book some cheap rail tickets but the return journey was slightly convoluted, involving coming back via Wigan, where I was booked on the 19:12 train.

Wigan is an “interesting” place if you have a couple of hours to kill in the rain.

Its one redeeming feature is the fish and chips are incredibly cheap. I bought some fish and chips for £3.60, back home it would be £2.20 for the chips and £5.90 for the fish.

I had reserved a table seat on the train home thus giving me the chance to do some work on the journey home, that is one big advantage of travelling by train.

What I had not counted on was the train being full of football fans returning to London, who had decided the coach I was booked in would be ideal for them and they somehow seemed intent on singing as many foul, crude and offensive football song as they could.

Eventually the “train manager” a mere slip of a girl, probably in her twenties, came down and told them to stop singing offensive songs. After getting some abuse they did eventually quieten down.

However after she had left the ring-leader of the football supporters came through the carriage asking passengers if they were offended by the singing.

Typically even those who had been tut-tutting and moaning to one another meekly said to him “of course not.”

Then he came to me. “Excuse me sir are you offended by our singing?”

I replied, ”No I am not offended but you singing is totally inappropriate and out of place on a train where there are women and children.”

I was half expecting to get thumped but wasn’t that worried as I knew there was a CCTV camera in the carriage.

To my surprise he actually apologised to me. It was also interesting to note that once I had said something the other passengers he asked all agreed with me, whilst those who had earlier said nothing looked suitably shamefaced.

My third foray into racing by public transport was Huntingdon for Peterborough Cup day, surely it would be third time lucky.

By car Milton Keynes to Huntingdon is 39 miles and it takes about 40 minutes.

By public transport it is either a train to London then back out to Huntingdon or a bus to St Neots and a train to Huntingdon.

I opted for the latter.

Now driving it takes me about 25 mins to get to St Neots, by bus it takes 90 and they charge you £11.40 return for the privilege.

So it was off on the 8:25 bus and I arrived at St Neots station in time for the 10:13 to Huntingdon.

Nope – the 10:13 was showing delayed, until just before 10:30 when it changed to “cancelled”.

The next train due was the 10:39 but literally every minute I waited the expected arrival time increased by 2 minutes, until it was rolling past 11:00.

Of course the railway staff were of no real help . . . . in the space of 15 minutes four different excuses were given for the delay and when I finally found the station manager he admitted he had no idea when a train would arrive.

So it was back home and a wasted day.

My next planned foray into the world of public transport was last Saturday and Lingfield. The problem with that one was I would need to set off 15 mins before the first inspection.

One big advantage with Lingfield is its close proximity to Gatwick Airport, which means by monitoring the ATC Met broadcast you can get real time weather reports.

Before I retired to bed on Friday night I decided not to go as the temperatures had already dropped lower than forecast.

I’m glad I changed my mind as I would have been at Clapham Junction when the meeting was finally called off.

My next planned racing trip using public transport is Ascot on Friday – I see the forecast is for storms – I wonder what the travel Gods will have in store.

Friday should, however, be a more auspicious day as that is the day I will have transferred the money for a new car into my current account.

I really miss not having a car – you really do not fully appreciate having one until you have to do without.