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Just to point out that I really hope all courses survive , it will be a difficult year for some though , fuel costs are going through the roof for patrons and trainers, with the latter bunch scrapping for peanuts
Courses are going to have to get special offers going on admission costs , to offset fuel and to attract new customers ….will they do it ???? will they heck
I like Katie’s idea about Haydock , it makes sense
Ricky
I have a feeling that Haydock are after just what Katie suggests. It used to have one of the best jumping tracks in Britain & its drop fences were a good preparation for the Grand National. Now the jumps are ridiculous, no test at all. If I am right in remembering they got rid of the old course to put in all weather somewhere.
What about Fakenham? That seems rather modest. Doncaster was very run down & is it still owned by the corporation? Very poor economic climate around there. They would move the St Leger etc. to York.
What about Fakenham? That seems rather modest.
If you take it as a racecourse only perhaps, but it’s a successful small racecourse, they also run a camping and caravan site and there’s a golf course in the middle of the course. They have a tie up with the adjacent Sports Centre. Presumably the course also makes a significant sum from functions using the course buildings. Much the same goes for any amount of racecourses.
Rob
Doncaster was very run down & is it still owned by the corporation? Very poor economic climate around there. They would move the St Leger etc. to York.
Doncaster is not as run down as you think we have had a new racecourse, a new interchange, a new international airport, a new college, a new stadium (which is under threat) a new motorway junction and a new railport are being built.
Doncaster racecourse is a favourite of the mayor as well and is one of Doncaster’s major tourist attractions.
So Doncaster Racecourse will not be going anywhere.
What about Fakenham? That seems rather modest.
If you take it as a racecourse only perhaps, but it’s a successful small racecourse, they also run a camping and caravan site and there’s a golf course in the middle of the course. They have a tie up with the adjacent Sports Centre. Presumably the course also makes a significant sum from functions using the course buildings. Much the same goes for any amount of racecourses.
Rob
Plus it has an incredibly loyal local following – every time I have been it has always been busy and it seems to have the highest proportion of members badges on display than any course I visit.
Doncaster is not as run down as you think we have had a new racecourse, a new interchange, a new international airport, a new college, a new stadium (which is under threat) a new motorway junction and a new railport are being built.
Doncaster racecourse is a favourite of the mayor as well and is one of Doncaster’s major tourist attractions.
So Doncaster Racecourse will not be going anywhere.
Really pleased to hear it. It was my local course when I was growing up & I used to skive school & go to the Bloodstock Sales.
They would move the St Leger etc. to York.
I think the Ebor meeting should be moved to Doncaster: York’s turf is fair to okay, Doncaster’s excellent to top-notch
That’s all that really matters innit
I’ve been to Folkestone only a couple of times but really enjoyed it and thought it was a lovely course.
Good viewing, compact, easy to reach facilities and, when I last went there a long time ago, a nice pond with goldfish in it. A very good atmosphere in an attractive setting.
I can never understand why Folkestone regularly gets criticised, unless things have taken a turn for the worse since my last visit in the 1980s.
The racing was admittedly modest but it was a very good day out. I would be very sorry if it closed or rather the powers-that-be decided to take the lucrative financial inducements instead of continuing with racing.And I’m sure you will be delighted to know the fish pond is still there
http://www.ors-racing.co.uk/Images/General/FolkestoneFishpond.jpg
I’ve been to Folkestone only a couple of times but really enjoyed it and thought it was a lovely course.
Good viewing, compact, easy to reach facilities and, when I last went there a long time ago, a nice pond with goldfish in it. A very good atmosphere in an attractive setting.And I’m sure you will be delighted to know the fish pond is still there
Certainly am, Paul. Thanks very much. I remember really enjoying my days at Folkestone all those years ago.
I think Fontwell is the most enjoyable course I have been to, again because of the setting, the character and the figure-of-eight layout of the course.
Haven’t been there for many years but it’s a cracking course, full of atmosphere. I also had many enjoyable days at Goodwood, down the road, many years ago and was actually a member there for two years in the 1980s.
I also used to love the jumps meetings at Huntingdon, Wetherby and Hexham and the Flat at Pontefract. All good days out.I think Fontwell is the most enjoyable course I have been to, again because of the setting, the character and the figure-of-eight layout of the course
I agree except for the awful new grandstand at Fontwell, you can’t see anything from the steps there
I think Fontwell is the most enjoyable course I have been to, again because of the setting, the character and the figure-of-eight layout of the course
I agree except for the awful new grandstand at Fontwell, you can’t see anything from the steps there
I will have nothing bad said against Fontwell – I was terrified when they announced they were building the new stand, as Phil says viewing isn’t perfect however it had not spoiled the atmosphere or ambiance of the place.
Even now I still try and watch one chase from the centre of the course each time I visit, although not always easy when trying to write a report on the race as well – thank goodness for the recorder in the press room.
Fontwell was the first course I ever visited, more years ago than I care to remember, and – all being well and no unforeseen mishaps like dropping dead unexpectedly – it will also be the last course I visit when I finally hang up my bins in the not far too distant future.
I think Fontwell is the most enjoyable course I have been to, again because of the setting, the character and the figure-of-eight layout of the course
I agree except for the awful new grandstand at Fontwell, you can’t see anything from the steps there
That’s a great pity. Sounds like it has been spoiled. I haven’t been for many years and the new grandstand wouldn’t have been there then.
Amazing how many so-called improvements often turn out to have a downside to them for the viewing public. The new grandstand at Ascot was widely criticised as looking like an aircraft hangar and even lowly Southwell made a blunder when its new-look stand for the all-weather era turned out to be at a bad angle.
At least the ramshackle old wooden stands had some character when I used to visit all those years ago for the humble jumps meetings. Southwell was just a character-filled country course in the middle of nowhere then, the rural atmosphere helped by the leisurely drive through the country lanes on the outskirts of Newark. It’s still a pleasant rural drive but the character of the course has been lost.
I remember the crumbling old stands at Sedgefield. It was much more modern last time I went but the humble nature of the course many years ago had a quaint sort of appeal, in a funny sort of a way (even down to the pies and peas I tucked into in the old-fashioned, humble bar). Obviously I realise that high-standard, modern, luxurious facilities are much better really for racegoers.
I hate it when a course builds a much-vaunted new stand and, when it opens, you can only go up a short distance because the best and top levels are reserved for corporate hospitality boxes (or corporate hostility, as Terry Wogan would no doubt call it).This was on localBBC news today. I really hope they sort something as I like Warwick.
Interesting as it is a Jockey Club course will they stand by it and prop it up or will they feel they can do without it and let it go?
I think the problem most racecourses have is the low number of races they actually run each year, maybe they are too many racecourses and if there were fewer they could race more days and not need to find alternative sources of finance.
For a dual-code track, and as Steve said owned by the Jockey Club, I find it hard to believe Warwick only race 21 days a year. I haven’t been to Warwick for many years and found it a very basic course with a poor grandstand.
I haven’t been to Warwick for many years and found it a very basic course with a poor grandstand.
Very poor viewing at Warwick as well, I seem to remember. I haven’t been there for many years (since the 1980s) but it was a very interrupted view, even from the perch I found at the top of the stands directly above the bookies.
The TV coverage always makes it look like the runners disappear on the far side for seemingly ages behind a building and then there is a very steep descent to a dip, sometimes likened to going down the side of the Eiger.
Last time I went, I couldn’t believe how poor and basic the toilets were. No doubt facilities have improved now.
As Warwick is owned by the Jockey Club and will no doubt be bailed out if financial problems loom because of this hotel setback, it’s probably still safe to keep Redcar as the uneasy favourite for the next racecourse to close.
"Take 6-4 the field".
Despite the big crowds, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Cartmel in the running as well. Don’t rule out Leicester, Ayr and Hexham, as Graham Goode might say.Despite the big crowds, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Cartmel in the running as well.
On what basis? They have added a day to their programme this year, which suggests that their stock is rising rather than falling.
Racedays at Cartmel are MUCH more than just the racecourse. You have clearly never been there.
Rob
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