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“It’s not necessarily that the product is poor it’s that there is so little of it. Take York as an example today. If you arrived on course three quarters of an hour before racing you would be on course for a little over 4 hours and yet see only about 12 minutes of sport. It’s therefore not surprising that some like to while away the spare time by visiting the bar. ”
There’s plenty to do at the races for the racing fan without having to resort to getting drunk.
You can watch thoroughbred racehorses parade, watch them gallop down to the start, watch them race and watch them enter the winners enclosure. If you’re so inclined, you can even spend some time reading form, scanning the ring for the best price on offer and visit the merchandising stalls. On top of all this, walking between enclosures, going for the occasional toilet break and finding a decent viewing spot in the stands, I don’t know where people find the time to queue for a drink let alone several.
BH, I’m not really talking about racing fans like yourself, I’m talking about people who are looking to spend their money on a day out. The reason they go to the races is not purely for the actual 12 minutes of sport, it’s for the social occasion which includes having a drink if they want one. They’re no more interested in watching horses parade or go to the start than they would be watching footballers warm up for 15 minutes before a match. Alcohol now goes hand in hand with the majority of any leisure activity. Football, Cricket,Rugby, Darts, Snooker, the theatre, music festivals, the list is endless. Without the alcohol factor I don’t believe you would get such large crowds at quite a few of these events.During the summer you get more people on a sunny Sunday afternoon down my local establishment than you’ll get in a church the whole week because they provide a bouncy castle and football nets for the kids and the parents can sit in the garden, have a drink and chat till their hearts content. But the issue with scenes at Goodwood is the amount of alcohol consumed by individuals and the consequences that come from that and how it is dealt with. Drone hit the nail on the head in another thread when he said
“Come on then Cormack, firstly give me some examples – or perhaps an example – of a marketing initiative that’s proved successful in attracting the uninitiated to the sport; and secondly some sound, concrete ideas of your own
nb. attracting people to the sport, not the racecourse: tankers full of John Smiths and Fosters have proven a fabulous marketing success there, haven’t they?”
Take away the tankers and the crowds will disappear.
Take away the tankers and the crowds will disappear.
There’s always been the impression that ‘a day at the races’ is a special day out, something to plan for, something to bib-and-tucker for, something to be somewhat apprehensive about coz it’s special – much like me and invites to dinner parties – over which I shudder and assuage the discomfort with particularly large stiffy after kissing the hostess
So, a day at the races is a piss-up but initially is not quite as comforting an experience as wandering in to your local ‘Spoons for a livener at circa midday
over which I shudder and assuage the discomfort with particularly large stiffy after kissing the hostess
Golly. That’s a stiff drink, yes? You mean a stiff drink?
Mike
Golly. That’s a stiff drink, yes? You mean a stiff drink?
Yep, rolling my tongue round a large Black Bush after the stiff niceties makes the party bearable
Thanks for playing the game: Little to Large, Wise to Morecambe, Mortimer to Reeves
How would you measure ‘attracting the uninitiated to the sport’?
I’d argue numerous marketing initiatives have increased racecourse attendance. Betting companies spend huge amounts on marketing their racing products, would they really do that if it didn’t work.
So ‘new’ people go to racecourses on back of marketing, and ‘new’ people bet on back of marketing campaigns.
If your question is how many stick around a lifetime supporting the game, I don’t think anyone would know that.
However, marketing works, in any sphere.
Although Hoover (I think) once said ‘half of my advertising spend is wasted, I just don’t know which half’.
very depressing reading. as a racegoer of over 50 years , attended every racecourse in the uk , I have witnessed much drunkenness but little actual violence . But racecourses now seem to actively seek out hen and stag type groups in addition to the summer football fans and the moving of most big races to saturdays has aggravated the situation at the expense of the true racing fan. It is a real shame but with my wife now confined to a wheelchair we have to settle for attending “ordinary” mid week meetings and watch the big meetings on tv. ps a little plug for Redcar which we will be at on monday , thanks for providing good facilities for the disabled with excellent raised viewing of paddock and racecourse
Something very important, which is not being mentioned to much… The fight at Goodwood, was between rival Portsmouth & Southampton football supporters. There has also been other recent cases of mass brawls at big race meetings, which in essence, involve two rival sets of football fans.
The Police have long since clamped down on hooliganism at or around the games, in some cases, it would seem these people are choosing to meet up… Getting it on, dressed in suits at a race meeting instead. I mean, who’s to stop them? Some wishy washy race course security?
It’s no coincidence whatsoever, that 50 men from two big rival football teams, turn up at the same race meeting, and it ends in a mass fight. It happened at Newbury between Swansea & Cardiff fans too if anyone remembers?
They are not racing fans, or even the great British public, they are football hooligans, going there for a pre planned tear up. The police need to get a grip on this and fast, or it’s going to happen again and again.
Good point Nausered. After all, pissed up stag parties are mostly happy occasions and I imagine if one coked up stag accidentally spills another’s Bolly their friends would probably defuse any ensuing scuffle fairly quickly, or at least it’s unlikely to end in a mass brawl.
The preplanned rival football fan set-to makes more sense. I think police intelligence is the way forward to intercept these.
It does need to be sorted out by the old bill very quickly mate. The second post on this thread states that they were chanting at each other in the bar, a full hour before the mass fight.
These things spread fast with others wanting to emulate, next it will be Millwall v West Ham at Sandown. Seeing the problem for what it actually is, is the only way to sort it. Yes I’m sure there’s been other trouble at race meetings, that do not involve football fans. But Goodwood was Pompy v Southampton. Newbury was Swansea v Cardiff.
The race courses are not going to be able to sort this out themselves. Like you say the police need to get heavily involved to sort it out and put a stop to it.
What chance of that though, when they are so understaffed these days?
The security at Newbury, Lockinge day were armed last year
possibly a one off due to terror attacks around the time, I don’t know but it would be enough to put you off starting a brawl I’d of thoughtBlackbeard to conquer the World
Paul Ostermeyer wrote:
“I know a large amount of profit at racecourses comes from the sale of alcohol but I have to confess I really am at a loss as to why anyone needs alcohol when they go racing.Is the product on offer so poor it cannot be savoured or enjoyed without those attending having to consume alcohol – if the answer is yes then racing has a fundamental problem.
Are individuals lives so shallow they cannot enjoy an afternoon out or relax without having to consume a recreational drug?
They may sound naive questions but I really do struggle to understand the attraction of alcohol and peoples dependency on it.”
I don’t know if the above risks taking a slightly reductive view of anyone who sees fit to partake of an alcoholic beverage at a race meeting. Either way, as I’ve probably mentioned before on these pages donkey’s years ago, the issue for me is less about whether any alcohol is drunk and more about what is drunk.
There wouldn’t be anywhere near the same sort of profits returned if racecourse bars stuck to certain types of real ale, but then there wouldn’t necessarily be the same propensity for violence and disorder either.
Or to put it another way:
1) Have you ever tried to chug down as many pints of Old Peculier in an afternoon as pints of strong, cheap nitro-piss? Bet you won’t have got very far – it’s intrinsically harder to drink quicker.
2) Have you ever seen a punch-up of the sorts witnessed at Ascot or Goodwood of late at a real ale festival? Thought not.
3) Have you ever seen much in the way of trouble at Wincanton, where Badger Ales predominate in the refreshment areas? Me neither.
4) Have you ever seen anyone working at Wincanton with one of those accursed backpacks full of nasty lager on their backs, dispensing at will? Again, me neither.
My regular carshare friend at point-to-points espouses a further theory. Having seen such footage of the recent brawls as has been made public, he’s convinced that the level and intensity of violence perpetrated could not be performed by people merely full of alcohol, as diminishing returns would eventually kick in and the punches become more mistimed and ultimately aimless.
Instead, there must be some not insignificant element of drug-taking in the mix, too, probably cocaine but not exclusively, and the frequent impossibility of getting into a toilet cubicle to use it for its intended purpose at many Saturday Rules fixtures he’s attended in the recent past just adds to his suspicions.
If there is any kernel of truth in those assertions, and accepting that there’d be little way of checking adequately whether someone had taken a fistful of pills or a wrap in the coach to the races an hour prior, is there nevertheless some mileage in making checks of bags and belongings on entry to the racecourse a heck of a lot more stringent than is currently the case, if indeed not absolutely mandatory for certain high-profile/weekend fixtures?
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
Wouldn’t you know it – just over a week after I originally wrote the above, the MD at Kelso confirmed the charging of ten people for possession of cocaine at its Sunday meeting…
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
It looks like its just not the racing crowd who enjoy a little fisticuffs every now and again.
Obviously there has to be disagreements between jockeys but I would think these are usually quickly sorted and forgotten. Obviously Mr Da Silva took exception to something Jim Crowley said/did during/after the first race. Sounds like a very unsavoury incident and luckily for Da Silva the police were not called.
Even the horses are partial to a bit of gear apparently…
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