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Of course every course has its attributes and the diversity is a fine thing. But we have far too much racing in this country, especially the lower classes.
Therefore, although we might not like getting rid of one/some courses, is it not the best policy?
Is there going to be enough racing for all current courses to share the remaining fixtures?
I’d love to have a racecourse every 10 miles throughout Britain (let’s resurrect Stockbridge!) but that is not practical. I doubt whether it is practical either to keep all the racecourses we have today.
Value Is EverythingTalking of race course closure, what happened to Great Leigh’s is it still planning on reopening?
All the all-weather courses. Waste of fixture list and only done to keep bookies happy.
I seriously hope we don’t lose any and am with Drone on Bangor.
Nothing better than sitting on that "hill" on a fine day with the sun on your face.
Fewer fixtures doesn’t automatically mean fewer courses – we had the same courses fifteen years ago with about 500 less fixtures. Whether the business plans of some could now survive with less racing days is another question.
Personally, I can’t imagine too many people turning up for a protest march to save Worcester, memorably described to me by one trainer as ‘a flood located in the middle of a traffic jam’.
Access is a nightmare, parking limited, and the track surface too often provides all shades of going on a single day. The main stand was built at the wrong angle, the ground floor bar and betting shop area is like Oxford St on Xmas Eve and the toilet facilities can’t be accurately described on a public forum.
I’m sure somebody loves it, but then there are apparently people that love Rupert Murdoch and Gordon Brown …….
AP
GC – I’m old enough to have attended live racing at Ally Pally and at Wye in Kent. Both were death traps and their closure was entirely justified.
I would hate to see any course go and Ginger should be mortally ashamed of himself for daring to suggest plumpton
Anyone ever visit Hurst park. i was all of two when it closed but was born right opposite and lived very close by. Had it survived i would have been within walking distance of two courses (equi-distant to kempton) which would have been something
I suppose…
then again maybe not
Personally, I can’t imagine too many people turning up for a protest march to save Worcester
I suspect I would. Inevitably: http://thatracingblog.blogspot.com/2008 … dowed.html
Worcester is not the only galloping track to operate throughout the entire summer now, of course, though Ffos Las seems to be a bit too far away for the training ranks to patronise it to quite the same quantitative extent (on the evidence of its first two years of operation).
GC – I’m old enough to have attended live racing at Ally Pally and at Wye in Kent. Both were death traps and their closure was entirely justified.
Trust me, AP – that some of the courses no longer with us wouldn’t be fit for 21st-century racing (if they ever were) is not in dispute. Those that survive nowadays are, though, and notwithstanding Bath’s current blip couldn’t be justifiably eliminated on safety grounds.
gc
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.
It may not be "justifiable" to close Bath on safety grounds. But we need to get rid of some fixtures – so why not get rid of a racecourse with some safety issues? Instead of slashing fixtures for all courses.
Value Is EverythingI wouldn’t choose Bath solely because they have no watering.
Brighton has more than once been described as a death trap, Pat Eddery described it as such and that it should be closed down towards the end of his career and that was more than 20 years after jockey Joe Blanks was killed there.yeats
It’s worth pointing out that Joe Blanks was killed because he hit a concrete post at the side of the track. The concrete posts at Brighton were quickly removed, and I would guess the same was true at a number of other tracks at the time. I’d be pretty sure Brighton wasn’t the only track with concrete posts at the time, and it was a case of ‘but for the grace of…’
A few tracks with sharper bends would have more to worry about than Brighton.
Rob
rob,
Pat Eddery said in 2003 of Brighton that it was a dangerous course and should be closed and he would not be riding there again.
He said "It’s a very dangerous track. There’s a steep downhill and two bad roads. I hate the place".One thing I’ve noticed at Bath are large concrete posts behind the stalls at the one mile start.
Yeats
Pat Eddery may well have said that, but i’m not sure how seriously you can take it, when he’s proceeded to have runners there as a trainer! In fact he’s got a 33% strike rate there in the last 5 seasons, so I would imagine he’s rather warmed to the place!
They’re a few i’ve visited that i’m not so keen on, but in my opinion what sets British racing apart is it’s variety, i’d hate to see any of them closed, and I can’t believe someone suggested Plumpton!
I went to Ffos Las for the first time a few weeks back. My visit was made more enjoyable because our horse won. However whilst the staff were very friendly, and the viewing is good, it was basically what I expected of a new build. Oval track, no undulations, as it looks on screen, a mini Newbury.
We just wouldn’t build the likes of Fakenham, Cartmel and Fontwell anymore, and it would be a sad day if all the tracks were formulaic, as per the USA.
Would very much endorse what Robert Gibbs has said – it is the diversity of courses which makes racing in this country all the more special and with such diversity there are bound to be courses which are preferred more than others.
As somebody who visits most of the tracks during the course of the year there are some where it wouldn’t worry me one iota if I never visited them again, foremost amongst them (for differing reasons) are Chester, York, Worcester and Wolverhampton – but that doesn’t mean I would want to see any of them shut down as they all have their own loyal followings and a place to play in the overall structure of racing in this country.
Rejoice in the diversity – I know if all racing in this country was on bland, formulaic oval tracks, like they have in the USA for example, then I would walk away from the sport tomorrow.
Rejoice in the diversity – I know if all racing in this country was on bland, formulaic oval tracks, like they have in the USA for example, then I would walk away from the sport tomorrow.
http://www.winterthur.org/pdfs/PTP2011Map.pdf
http://www.trhcevents.org/images/blockh … 123108.jpg
http://www.iroquoissteeplechase.org/Lin … &tabid=285
http://www.steeplechaseatcallaway.org/pdf/2009Map.pdf
http://www.montpelierraces.org/wp-conte … 07/MAP.jpg
http://www.foxfieldraces.com/ckfinder/u … _large.jpg
http://www.shawandowns.com/pdf/SD10map.pdf
http://www.farhillsrace.org/2010FHRaceMap10hr.pdf
http://pahuntcup.org/cms/pdf/PHCcoursemap.pdf
http://www.kentuckydowns.com/media/aerialwide.jpg
http://www.queenscup.org/wp-content/upl … nds500.jpg
etc.The great diversity is surely not the issue here. Of course diversity is great to see. In my opinion the point is most people agree there needs to be a reduction in fixtures, so a reduction in courses is a way of reducing fixtures.
AP has pointed out the number of fixtures were once nowhere near todays numbers, even with (almost) existing numbers of courses.
However, it may not be profitable in this day and age. A reduction in racecourses would certainly make it easier for existing courses to remain profitable after the reduced fixture list – no matter how we like "diversity".
Value Is EverythingThe great diversity is surely not the issue here. Of course diversity is great to see. In my opinion the point is most people agree there needs to be a reduction in fixtures, so a reduction in courses is a way of reducing fixtures
Spot on Ginger, I think one or two of our more experienced contributors are confusing issues here.
Well played Miss Woodford, but in all fairness, these are all Steeplechase courses except for Kentucky Downs (which started out with it’s primary emphasis on steeplechasing).
You are obviously well versed in our (USA) steeplechasing world, as am I (been to all of the racecourses less MD Hunt Cup, My Lady Manor and High Hope). You are correct in stating we have some wonderful "jumps" course designs, even a few that go right-handed. But when it comes to the flat, it’s left turn, left turn, finish. Boring, boring, boring.
As for our friends in the UK and Ireland, they have some great racecourses/designs. I’ve been to all but 2 in the UK (Brighton & Salisbury) and 7 in Ireland; and absolutely love to go racing there whenever I have the chance. I hope they know how fortunate they are, to enjoy such fantastic diversity in racing.
If I had to "lose" a track in the UK, it would have to be Southwell. Dreay location. Dreadful racing. US style racecourse.
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