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Looking at what is another typically mundane and disappointing day’s racing apart from the Irish National, got me thinking back to the good old days of opening the day’s paper and seeing there 16 meetings on Easter Monday, however I can only remember 14:
FLAT
Kempton
Newcastle
NottinghamJUMPS
Carlisle
Chepstow
Fakenham
Huntingdon
Market Rasen
Newton Abbot
Plumpton
Towcester
Uttoxeter
Wetherby
WincantonCan anyone as old – and bored – as me fill in the gaps?
Monday April 4th, 1994:
Kempton, Newcastle, Nottingham, Warwick on the flat
Carlisle, Chepstow, Fakenham, Hereford, Huntingdon, Market Rasen, Newton Abbot, Plumpton, Towcester, Uttoxeter, Wetherby, Wincanton over the jumps.
Plus Fairyhouse and Mallow in Ireland.
Phil
The 16-meeting Easter Bank Holiday Monday line-up for 1990 was as follows (your missing meetings in bold):
Flat
KEMPTON
NEWCASTLE
NOTTINGHAMWARWICK
Jumps
CHEPSTOW
CARLISLE
FAKENHAMHEREFORD
HUNTINGDON
MARKET RASEN
NEWTON ABBOT
PLUMPTON
TOWCESTERUTTOXETER
WINCANTON
WETHERBY
Of the course, the highlight of the day was a certain grey horse winning the Irish National at Fairyhouse under 12-00st as Evens favourite:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddW3I7bUUdw
Mike
And suprisingly, the old 1913 racing annual in my libray shows it was much the same meetings back then with just a few changes of name and a few moves due to courses closing down.
Mon March 24th 1913
Birmingham, Kempton, Manchester, Newcastle on the flat.
Cardiff, Carlisle, Grafton Hunt (i.e Towcester), Herefordshire Hunt (Hereford), Huntingdon, Market Rasen, Portsmouth Park, Torquay, West Norfolk (Fakenham), Wetherby, Wincanton for the jumps.
Switch Warwick for Birmingham, Nottingham for Manchester, Chepstow for Cardiff and Newton Abbot for Torquay and not very different from 1994.
AP (definitely old and decidedly bored)
and Mallow in Ireland.
I hadn’t heard that name in ages and upon googling I’ve found out that it was the old name for Cork Racecourse.
Apparently, the course itself would like to be known as
Cork Racecourse at Mallow
as per
The Racecourse at Goodwood
.
It’s good to see that such re-branding twattishness is alive and well in Ireland too.
The Mike at Betlarge
It sure was a fine sight Phil seeing all the racecards in the paper back in the day.
I still have a sporting life from Easter Monday 1985 and that day we also had the welsh champion hurdle at Chepstow on the bbc featuring desert orchid,proof for me anyway that racing was really better 30years agoAs someone who always enjoyed playing canadian yankees the easter monday was a favourite day as i would end up with about a dozen canadians on the go so even when one of my horses lost i would still have a pile of betting slips that could still be the one.
If i could bring back any old racing traditions the 16 meeting easter monday would be right up there along side the four mile chase at Cheltenham on new years day.
Those meetings were less fondly remembered by settlers in the offices.
In the early days of SIS there were five meetings covered in the full service with results from the ‘away’ meetings seemingly coming in from the tracks via carrier pigeon. Half an hour after the race time some cull would be hassling you for the result of the 2.45 at Timbuktu to see whether his 2p Yankee had another 2/5 winner in it. Sometimes it was 45 minutes before the result would finally be farted out of the SIS computer.
Thank goodness for technological improvements.
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
I loved the 16 meeting Easter Mondays plus all the over loaded Bank Holiday fixtures.
Shame the bookies didn’t want them anymore.
It used to be a real treat when there were 16 meetings on Easter Monday and when other bank holidays also had more meetings.
Easter Monday used to be regarded as a key day when many people were available to attend a race meeting. It’s sad that so many people have seen their "local" meeting dropped, no doubt because of funding issues.
The meetings over the jumps were a real treat to attend and just looking at the cards in the paper was great, especially with all the jockeys that would be needed.
Some horses, especially hunter chasers like Mr Mellors and Queensberry Lad, would regularly turn up at minor meetings on bank holidays and I used to love looking out for them.
Mr Mellors was a regular at Fakenham bank holiday meetings and Queensberry Lad was a star of the northern meetings.Staffing all the Easter Monday meetings proved a big challenge and all manner of starters, judges and racecourse commentators would be wheeled out.
Dear old Robert Cooper did a couple of years as the racecourse commentator at Hereford.
No, it’s not the same now we don’t have 16 meetings on Easter Monday but it was good to see Market Rasen making another comeback to the Easter Monday line-up after dropping the meeting several times.
Shame the bookies didn’t want them anymore.
Just as well.
Given the number of FOBTs and "sports betting terminals" in my local bookies, there isn’t enough space left to display 16 cards on the walls.
Shame the bookies didn’t want them anymore.
Just as well.
Given the number of FOBTs and "sports betting terminals" in my local bookies, there isn’t enough space left to display 16 cards on the walls.
And with the all the cartoon racing commentaries there wouldn’t be time for real racing
If i could bring back any old racing traditions the 16 meeting easter monday would be right up there along side the four mile chase at Cheltenham on new years day.
patriot, I’d love them to bring back that 4 miler too.
With you on that one. I don’t think there is a 4miler now between November (think the Borders National is the last one of the old year) to the end of February (Eider).
And with the all the cartoon racing commentaries there wouldn’t be time for real racing
Good point.
Racing is losing out to the FOBTs because of the low frequency of events; apparently, the new (in)breed of punter likes to bet as quickly as possible, in irder to maximise his/her winnings/losses.
Clearly, there isn’t enough racing. We need races going off every twenty seconds in order to attract the next generation of (ADD) punters.
With you on that one. I don’t think there is a 4miler now between November (think the Borders National is the last one of the old year) to the end of February (Eider).
The Devon Marathon at Exeter is run in early December shortly after the Borders National, if memory serves
There used to be an utterly compelling race run over 4m 2f+ at Taunton, in late January I think, called the Stephen Little & Dick Reynolds Handicap Chase (for the Cecil Hunt Memorial Trophy) and something similar at Bangor in midwinter too
Four milers were always scarce but they’re a rarity now, which is a shame
There also used to be a 4 miler at Doncaster at the start of February but that was replaced by a race at Ffos Las over 3 1/2 miles.
I believe Hexham stage two races over 4 miles, one in the same week as the Cheltenham Festival, the other in December of January called something like the Hexham National.
Apart from the La Touche Cop over 4 1/4 miles at Punchestown I believe I’m correct in saying Ireland stage no other races over 4 miles which really surprises me
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