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Admittedly I’ve only considered the experience for owners and trainers so far, in keeping with the runner quantity/quality aspect of this thread.
For the record, however, I’ve been to Leicester four times so far this decade (either to the “Mallard” all-chase meeting or the August Sunday event), most recently 16 months ago. All made for a pleasant enough customer experience, albeit nothing especially amazing beyond the aforementioned beef roll stall.
I do like that none of the vantage points, be they around the paddock/winner’s enclosure, the stands or the mound next to the final fence, are guarded at all zealously; and that use of the plentiful chairs and tables on the lawn at the summer meeting doesn’t appear dependent on having purchased anything from any on-course food outlet or bar.
Tommo TV broadcast live from after-racing performer Peter Andre’s dressing room caravan during one August visit, though. Two acquired tastes right there…
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.
I’m a pretty regular visitor to Leicester and enjoy the course.
However, coming from South Warwickshire is now basically impossible with the mother-and-father of all roadworks (ends Autumn next year) around unavoidable Coventry followed by the hack through the Leicester ring-road. It’s a three-hour trip at the moment!
The chase course has always come up with decent ground, even in wet conditions. I presumed this was due to a slight downward camber across the width of the course?
Mike
Mike,
Your post reminded me of the old tale of the tourists stopping in the Irish village for directions, only to be told, ‘Oh, you can’t get there from here!’ And if you’ve ever driven in the west of Ireland, you’d conclude that the man was probably right.
Your post reminded me of the old tale of the tourists stopping in the Irish village for directions, only to be told, ‘Oh, you can’t get there from here!’ And if you’ve ever driven in the west of Ireland, you’d conclude that the man was probably right.
This reminded me of the film “The Quite man”.
Station Master: D’you see that road over there?
Sean Thornton: Yes.
Station Master: Well don’t go that way, it’ll take you nowhere.Mike.
Enjoyed my day there yesterday although I’d more chance of licking my own elbow than picking a winner. The aforementioned Kim Bailey was once again braving the Leicester experience and a local teacher must have fancied an afternoon at the races because there were quite a number of youngsters in uniform in the Premier enclosure. Truckers Highway won with a bit in hand and Goodbye Dancer hosed up in the last. My only chance of looking like a winner, Road To Freedom was going nicely when departing four from home in the race won by Valid Point who according to the PA was greeted in the winners enclosure by soon to be married Jim Old on crutches. Wish I’d seen him before the race as I might have taken the hint.
I think it would be a great pity if Leicester stopped racing over the jumps and concentrated just on the Flat.
There have been several courses over the not-too-distant years that have stopped National Hunt racing, such as Nottingham and Windsor.
When Windsor temporarily took over Ascot’s jumping a few years ago to help out and the action was televised by the BBC, it made good viewing, with its figure-of-eight course.I always think that the loss of any jumps racing is a shame because even a moderate jumps race, with the thrills and spills of the action, is infinitely more entertaining than a moderate Flat race, not least because at least you get value for money with the much longer distances.
Why should Leicester stop putting on jumps races which, although they might not be the most exciting and high-value in the world, provide good entertainment for racegoers and television viewers? I have been to lots of moderate, even quite poor quality, jumps meetings, usually midweek, and have nearly always had a good day because of the entertainment value of watching the jumping, with the likely falls and other unpredictable happenings.
I always think it is a pity when so-called racing fans advocate axing an aspect of the sport which provides a useful service to owners, trainers and racegoers, especially those who like to support their local course, even if the fare is decidedly moderate.
I remember getting slated by one or two senior members of this forum for suggesting it would be a pity to lose Folkestone and Hereford racecourses when they were earmarked for closure. The law of hard-headed business reality had to be paramount, even if it meant the loss of two pleasant and idiosyncratic courses.
I had some enjoyable days at both courses, even though the racing was moderate to say the least. The same goes for jumping at Leicester in my book.
Leicester is deemed in one guide book to have “too much head-on racing, which is no spectacle at all” but I would still hate to see the jumping lost.
‘too much head-on racing, which is no spectacle at all’… using that argument the July Course at Newmarket would need to go as well…
I like Leicester as a jumps course. The chase course at least often provides decent ground when everywhere else is bottomless. And as others have said the beef rolls are second to none.
The only reason I don’t go that often is the shocking traffic on the ring road.
Besides, quality of racing is not necessarily an indicator of the racecourse quality. Personally I think Ludlow’s configuration is appalling (too sharp, too flat, uninviting and soft fences), but that course does quite well from the fixture list.
Your views on Ludlow are interesting. The chase course is moderately sharp I grant (but not actually as sharp as people seem to think). The hurdles course is not sharp at all, a proper galloping track which is why Nicky Henderson has been happy to run the likes of My Tent or Yours and Punjabi there. Oh, and the prize money puts many top courses to shame.
I always think it is a pity when so-called racing fans advocate axing an aspect of the sport which provides a useful service to owners, trainers and racegoers, especially those who like to support their local course, even if the fare is decidedly moderate.
See above. The course is clearly not well supported by owners, trainers, or racegoers. Still why let a good ramble get in the way of the facts.
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