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Emails appearing nearly every day for the past few weeks offering discounts to this premier event, including from competing courses. Even from Newmarket, who suffered having their big day stolen to make up this new meeting! Could you imagine Tesco promoting Sainsburys offers!
Ascot now making noises that the quoted 30,000 attendance is a cap rather than a prediction, and they would be pleased with 25,000.
I wonder if the taps might be accidentally left on next week to produce good-soft ground at Ascot, tempt those who swerve Arc weekend.
That’s because the racecourses involved are part of British Champions Series Ltd.
Watering will only be done if absolutely necessary and Ascot does not intend to water the round course at all following the raceday on 3 September, although they may need to reconsider this if an extremely dry period prevails. If watering does take place, booms rather than pop-ups will be used whenever possible in order to limit watering on ground being saved for 15 October
According to the TurfTrax going report, 4mm was applied both on last Friday and Monday.
Slightly off topic but…….
The 7f handicap at Ascot tomorrow is capped at 18 runners. Similarly the 7f h’cap on 3rd September had a field of 15 runners (1 n/r). Both are decent purses in their own right.
Normally Ascot can take up to 28 runners on the straight track but they are saving ground for the 15 October and field sizes have been reduced in the run up to Champions day.
We’d have loved to run our horse at Ascot in these handicaps but unfortunately he’s missed the cut both times due to the field sizes being reduced – as have plenty other horses that would love to take their chance for decent money. A smart idea might have been to run a 2nd division of the handicap which I’m sure would have attracted a near max field of either 16 or 18 for horses rated from say 95 to 85.
Therefore I’ve little sympathy if Champions Day has problems, whether that is getting a crowd in or the risk of wet weather in mid October.
£3m of prize money when the industry is pleading poverty and goodness knows how much is being spend on marketing the event. Once I’m convinced of the benefits for racing as a whole I’ll be more supportive of the event.
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