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I bought a couple of tickets for the Derby next week. First time to go. I bought tickets for the Duchess Stand for £50 a pop. Now I’ve just noticed that I’ve only an overview access of the parade ring? What a load of balls. Surely at that price you should be able to see the parade ring proper. Disgusting. Very elitist that only those paying £90 get to see parade ring. It’s annoyed me something shocking.
I think it would be more ethical if they clearly stated at the point of buying. "please note this ticket does not include etc etc"
- Total Posts 17716
Bagnallic,
I am in your position at the moment, I want to goto the Derby this year and the Epsom website doesn’t have its own section on what the stands look like and what they offer, its only untill you get to the book stage they have some cheap little disorganised text to the right.
We’re still mulling over the decision to pay £50, no real access to the horses and not to forget about 10,000 people fighting for the rail means the parade ring overview would be pointless.
I don’t know what to do tbh, I think the Derby horses this year at absolute tosh and no one should be paying £50 – £90 for a ticket.
Like you say, the whole elitist arrangement of the queens stand, its like a "look at us" sign to everyone trying to view the winner coming in.
Let me know what you’re doing, cheers
We decided not to go this year, although its fair to point out in the end family commitments were the main reason for that!
Still, their website annoyed me and i also phoned up initially and was dealt with by someone with a ‘your wasting my time’ attitude who was as helpful as basil fawlty doing a fire drill.
Maybe its just me but i actually have become fonder of the smaller meetings (and smaller tracks) where majority of time you feel people are grateful your attending.
As far as I am aware you
do
get access to the parade ring/paddock itself with a Duchess Stand ticket. It is busy at the parade ring in that section but you wouldn’t really expect anything else on Derby Day.
It is quite expensive though, but you cannot put a price on history!
Wouldn’t miss it for the world.
- Total Posts 17716
It is quite expensive though, but you cannot put a price on history!
You’re damn right!
26th December 2009, Kauto Star I was there!
5th June 2010, Workforce..Jan Vermeer….Al Zir.. hardly the stuff dreams are made off Cormack but I get your point.
And I’ve just booked them
Located next to the Queens Stand, the Duchess’s Stand offers great views over the course and The Downs. It offers a relaxed atmosphere for the racegoer with access to viewing over the Parade Ring, The Oaks Hall, and the bars, stands, music and entertainment in the Derby Village. Betting Facilities include the Tote and access to the Rails Bookmakers
Above is from their website – when they say ‘view over’ the parade ring I am pretty certain they mean you have access to the parade ring/paddock (although, obviously, not INTO the parade ring).
I’ve always been able to find a good spot at the paddock, although you kind of have to miss the race before the Derby to secure a really good view. You’ll have no problem seeing the horses if you are organised.
I wish they’d just call it the ‘Grandstand’ though, very confusing.
The thing with the Derby is you never quite know. Quite a few of the greats (Generous, Lamtarra and Sinddar to name three relatively recent examples) signalled their true worth when the Derby test was faced. Plenty of this year’s lot (St Nick, Cape Blanco, Midas Touch, Jan Vermeer, Azmeel, Workforce, Rewilding) could yet turn out to be pretty good in the overall scheme of things.
St Nick could win by five lengths and then win the King George, the Juddmonte and the Arc.
THEN you’ll think the £50 was cheap at haf the price (btw – it’s £55 now isn’t it?)
As cormac says you never know, you could be looking at a wonder horse and only time will tell. I’m just disappointed to have only a ‘view’ of parade ring for that price. I like to get up close and watch the horses but couldn’t justify £90 for it. I like the flat but this sort of elitism just turns me off it.
But Bhigg – the point I am making is you don’t get a ‘view’ of it, you get
right up at it
, just the same ‘view’ as the £90 lot get.
You’ll be within three feet of the horses. Other than jump over the paddock rail and get on their backs you couldn’t get any closer to them!
Don’t think you are correct there Cormack. I think the Duchess stand gets you a view from of the parade ring from the back balcony of the stand. Not down at ring level?
I’ve just checked with the racecourse and a Duchess’s Stand ticket gets you bona fide, ring level access to the paddock.
At Nicholas Abbey is definitely not a wonder horse, the way it run
in the guineas was terrible, it’ll never win next week, won’t even run IMO.Thank God for this thread. I have been defending Aidan against those who claimed that by coming into the ring late he deprived "ordinary race goers" a chance to see the horses at Epsom.I tries to point out that "ordinary race goers" were deprived by the snobs at Epsom not by Aidan. Now finally you people are coming to my defense. Thanks so much.The only people hurt by Aidan were the millionaires hence the uproar last year.
I tries to point out that "ordinary race goers" were deprived by the snobs at Epsom not by Aidan. Now finally you people are coming to my defense. Thanks so much.The only people hurt by Aidan were the millionaires hence the uproar last year.
No – as Cormack has explained, the Queens Stand does not have exclusive access to the paddock.
For the length of the parade ring side accessible to the public 84% is in the "main" Dutchess enclosure and 16% in the Queen’s Stand enclosure.
So sorry Andy you will have to find another excuse to try and "justify" O’Brien’s flagrant breach of the rules although – it is amusing to see you attempting to defend the indefensible.
Hello,
Having graced, or rather abused, race courses across the World, I can safely say Racing for Change isn’t working.
The admission prices to ALL UK racecouses are daylight robbery.
The only light in the tunnel of the empire of Money is lowly Towester, it’s level of success has been ignored by the "authorities"
For hundreds of years the Racing industry has been run by rich amateurs that, abhorently, want to get richer..
I am getting older and hopefully I will pass over about the same period racing will join bull baiting and chariot racing, approximately 30 years from now ( I will be shot in my bed by my lover’s husband)
The personnel that runs racing are getting more incompetent by the year. I didn’t think this possible until I visited Royal Ascot a couple of times and witnessed the young drunken rich whose behaviour was described as "boistrous", similar behaviour somewhat down the social scale, say in Gateshead, would be labelled "violent"
Meanwhile the "authorities" oversee this "posh orgy" and continue to build what I believe is a folly that is now called Ascot Racecourse???Sorry, for my Class War diatribe, back to the point, high prices will be charged until the sport dies.
Melbourne Cup is about £6.00(approximately)
The Arc, £6.00, for Saturday, about £8.00 both days.
USA, they race everyday in California for a period of time, just about free!!! In fact they GIVE you things when you go in!Haydock charges £11.00 to stand at the 2 furlong mark.
Chester charges £17 to see absolutely nothing, and that nothing is usually a dreadful class.Cheltenham charging £60 a day isn’t funny.
I have money, and I have money to spend on my leisure pursuits, but I ain’t a f***** idiot, and I now avoid the expensive pastime of attending racetracks.
regards,
doyley
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