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Best:-
Jumps- Gold Cup day at Chelters<br>Flat- Derby day
Both great atmospeheres at truly unique venues, of which I didnt think overcrowding was a massive problem
Worst:-
Jumps- National day, overcrowded and not the same as having the build up on TV
I can’t remember any other time I haven’t enjoyed going racing, though the major meetings are just something else. Ebor Festival, Royal Ascot, Glorious Goodwood etc
I’ve never been to a flat race meeting, but to be honest, almost any would interest me. I’d like to go to a meeting where I can get up close and see what’s going on.
For NH it’s got to be the first day at Cheltenham. I’ve been on Gold Cup day, and it’s bedlam, but the atmosphere’s unbelievable. Seeing horses you know and love competing is the greatest feeling.
The Friday of Glorious Goodwood.
The Tuesday of the Cheltenham Festival.
:biggrin:
(Edited by Maxilon 5 at 10:56 pm on Dec. 5, 2005)
<br>Flat- I’ve never been to Ascot itself but I was at the first day of Royal Ascot at York this year and 3 Group One’s in the first 4 races takes some beating.
Jumps- Has to be Gold Cup day which I attended for the first time this year although jumping-wise it is difficult to attend a lot of the bigger meetings when you live in Middlesbrough.
Instead of thinking about the crushes at the Festival you’ve just got to think "How often am I going to see racing this good" and sitting in the Guinness stand on that sunny Friday this year was an epiphany in my life.
    I prefer the smaller weekday NH meetings especially when there are  some good novices, hurdle or chase, I remember the days of Fred Winter,The Duke,Michael Dickinson,Mr Rimell,Mrs Pitman etc, they  were glorious years.<br>    An interesting meeting is "The Dubai World Cup", I went in 2004 ,dont remember much about the racing ,lots of very expensive champagne drank,rubbing shoulders with the hoy polloy & not much change from a grand [for 2] for the day and thats without a bet!<br>          A one off but its only money.<br>     Give me Leicester on a dark, damp Oct afternoon anyday!
Trackside…
Rowley mile is like £18 in on champions day…surely thats not too bad? Facilities in grandstand and paddock area must be the best anywhere. Bit harsh that….
Ill take the credit :biggrin: …good thread..livened things up!
Interesting how people are totally polarised on Ascot and the National
Flat:  Breeders’ Cup at Belmont in 2001 was the most fantastic day of racing with an amazing atmosphere – I’d risk trekking even to Zia Park to see that quality of racing again.
Jump: I’d love to go to the Grand National again, but only with the use of a helicopter and a private box at the top of the stand.
Worst:  I’m easily pleased – even Folkestone in December has its charms for me.
Flat – Derby Day – no contest. There are better racecourses with better facilities and a greater depth of quality racing but, to my mind, it’s essential to be there every year to witness the horse race which has defined the breed.
Jumps – Gold Cup day. Being more a flat devotee this year I made my first trip to the Gold Cup and it was a really marvellous occasion. Tremendous racecourse and fantastic atmosphere. If they’d only cut down those hedge type things that get in the way of the horses it’d be perfect!
Jumps – King George on Boxing Day.<br>Flat – any decent racing day at Newmarket before it was "improved".
Quote: from Sal on 12:24 pm on Dec. 6, 2005[br]Worst:  I’m easily pleased – even Folkestone in December has its charms for me.<br>
Aww ~ sweet!
<br>I also attended the first day of the Ebor meeting this year and that would also go very close Flat racing wise- Juddmonte, Gt Voltigeur, Lonsdale Cup & Acomb Stakes but as I’m susceptible to sunstroke, the humidity really tested my resolve this year although not as badly as the Saturday of Royal York when I was really struggling.
Without Question the opening day of the Festival is without equal, the nervous release of anticipation, the optimism and the feeling like you are stepping on a roller coaster
Flat -Melbourne |Cup
Worst -Royal Ascot – Stratford before Festival
The first day of the ebor is definitely one of the best days. I was actually thinking about it the other day. The opening day of the festival is amazing. The main day, the friday, is actually probably the worst day of the festival ironically! They should have the Ryanair chase on the friday rather than the thursday and beef it up a bit. The foxhunters is a bit of a novelty race, the triumph hurdle is not exactly amazing. And the race that moulin riche won is not fantastic either. The stayer’s hurlde is definitely the least popular race so why not make that the worst day?<br>But anyway, the best day of racing for flat is in principle the champions day at newmarket. But that regularily turns out to be rubbish. The derby day is pretty rubbish. Ironically the oaks day is pretty good. But i’d have to say the best day is the opening day of royal ascot. the coventry stakes, the king’s stand, st james’ palace and the queen anne. fantastic stuff. <br>For the jumps the best day is the opening festival day.
i couldnt really say anything about the worst of the racing, cos i barely look at racecards monday-friday. But the best days are the royal ascot and cheltenham festival opening days.
Only one day of racing? Cartmel’s Whit Saturday evening card, no contest. A congenial atmosphere like no other, beautiful scenery, warm weather, a big friendly group of punters, sticky toffee pudding (but of course!), Iain MacKenzie being rude about all the horses in the seller, and one of the great curios in the calendar in the 10yo+ Grand Veterans’ National. Nothing else comes close for me.
Jeremy<br>(graysonscolumn)<br>
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
but the problem is that it clouds the day with rubbishness for all of 10 minutes or so. To get a really great atmosphere, you need top class stuff going on. A lot of the big races miss this a great deal i think. the derby springs to mind immediately. Rubbish course, rubbish card – the only good thing is the derby.
However, i’ll definitely be staying for the 4th day of the festival. My spine shivers whenever i hear the deafening roar of the crowd on the opening race of every day. The gold cup is the very pinnacle of jumps racing for chasers (well arguably anyway with the Champion Chase) and seeing a great horse gallop up the Cheltenham hill to glory is going to fantastic.
Cheltenham racecourse membership is my birthday present this year. £155 for a Club 16-24. And i simply cannot wait for those 4 days.
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