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Why the nosedive in the quality of racing on bank holidays? Not many years ago the Spring Bank Holiday meeting at Sandown was a highlight, with the Temple Stakes, Brigadier Gerard, Whitsun Cup plus a quality 2yo event for Royal Ascot aspirants. Now the meeting no longer exists, May Day bank holiday fixtures are anonymous and even the multiple Easter Monday meetings are a thing of the past. We get Saturdays overflowing with top track meetings but nothing to look forward to for bank holidays. A pity and a lost opportunity to attract the non racing public on days when they are available to attend.
Just to add there are amazingly three jumps meetings on Sunday in the middle of the flat season! I’m happy because I like the jumpers anyway but as Roberto said this week is the prime time for racecourses to attract families to go racing, yet they are letting the chance go begging which I find extraordinary.
It will be great to see Cartmel on Racing UK this Saturday and Monday but the rest of the racing on bank holiday Monday looks pathetic. The card at Sandown was dropped because Channel 4 pulled out of showing it.
The Sandown meeting you refer to does still exist – it’s on next Thursday evening, May 29th.
Bank Holiday racing has declined because:
a) the terrestrial TV companies stopping broadcasting live sport on Bank Holidays which in turn meant tracks like Sandown couldn’t get sponsorship;
b) the bookies/Levy board reduced the number of meetings they would fund.
c) the funding for remaining meetings was halved on the grounds that the tracks could attract big crowds and cover the costs themselves.
d) the appeal of going racing on a BH seems to have diminished.
To demonstrate that last point, here are crowd figures for 2003 and 2013 for three meetings that remain:
Cartmel 2003 15,000 2013 7,500
Leicester 2003 7,500 2013 2,700
Redcar 2003 7,700 2013 5,100
The Sandown meeting you refer to does still exist – it’s on next Thursday evening, May 29th.
Save for the Temple stakes which feels lost being run at Haydock, its not even the principal race on Channel 4 tomorrow
d) the appeal of going racing on a BH seems to have diminished.
To demonstrate that last point, here are crowd figures for 2003 and 2013 for three meetings that remain:
Cartmel 2003 15,000 2013 7,500
Leicester 2003 7,500 2013 2,700
Redcar 2003 7,700 2013 5,100
Any ideas why that might be?
For those wanting to analyse racecourse attendances back to 1989 – and presumably the source of APR’s figures – go to:
http://www.hblb.org.uk/document.php?id=141
An interesting resource
Excellent replies from Phil and Apracing to the question I posed about BH racing.Can always rely on forum followers to come up with the answers. Must say the point about terrestrial TV coverage is telling, but slightly sad that their influence is so strong. Many happy memories of the old Sandown BH Monday meeting, which also used to include the HenryII Stakes as well, which I forgot to mention.
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