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It is billed as Countryside Day – so it could well be.
Having never "read" a ferret race before it could well be a first for me
Regarding new courses i am doing Towcester on Hennesy Day and in April i will be doing the Friday evening fixture at Chepstow for the Dunraven Bowl staying in the George Hotel in the town itself.
Been a bit of a while since this thread got a bump. I know one or two Forumites find it a bit anorakish, and others find it utterly pointless, but I seem to remember everything from precises on Channel Islands racing and details of some good eateries near racecourses having been exchanged last time! Always interested to read where relative newbies have gravitated towards for their formative racing experiences, too.
Whichever. Updated personal list now reads;
RULES
All 61 EXCEPT FOR Bath, Beverley, Brighton, Chester, Epsom, Great Leighs, Hamilton, Musselburgh, Newcastle, Newmarket Rowley, Nottingham, Redcar, Salisbury, Thirsk, Yarmouth, York.
Windsor has been visited as both a Flat and jumps venue, Wolverhampton as jumps only.
POINT-TO-POINTS
Can never remember all of these, but for today at least I’ll go for;
Ampton, Andoversford, Ashorne, Badbury Rings, Bangor PTP, Black Forest Lodge, Bonvilston, Brafield-on-the-Green, Catsfield, Chaddesley Corbett, Charing, Charm Park, Chipley Park, Clifton-on-Dunsmore, Cold Harbour, Cottenham, Dalton Park, Didmarton, Dingley, Dunthrop, Easingwold, Eaton Hall (now defunct), Garnons, Garthorpe, Godstone, Guilsborough, Hackwood Park, Higham, High Easter, Horseheath, Kimble, Kingston Blount, Laleston, Larkhill, Lower Machen, Marks Tey, Milborne St Andrew, North Carlton, Peper Harow, Sheriff Hutton, Ston Easton, Thorpe Lodge, Umberleigh, Upper Sapey, Whitfield, Witton Castle and Ystradowen.
Up to five more Pointing visits in the offing this month, destination of all of them TBC. I still bloody love racegoing, me.
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.
Have been to all NH venues
except
:
Fontwell
Plumpton
Folkestone
Lingfield
Exeter
Hexham
Newcastle
Carlisle
Ayr
Kelso
Catterick
MusselburghFlat courses I have been to:
Yarmouth
Wolverhampton
Nottingham
Chester
Bath
Newmarket July
YorkIn Ireland have been to:
Listowel
Tralee
Navan*
Thurles
Ballinrobe
Kilbeggan
Leopardstown
Naas
Punchestown*PTP courses done:
Bitterley*
Chaddesley Corbett
Cottenham
Weston Park
Maisemore Park*
Eyton on Severn
Brampton Bryan
Howick
Siddington
Bangor
Alpraham
Tabley
Clifton on Dunsmore
Sandon
Ashorne
Dunthrop
Cold Harbour
Bredwardine*
Upper Sapey
Whitwick
Garnons
Dingley
Eaton Hall
Upton on SevernTop venues*
Charles Town
Laurel Park
Belmont Park
Gulfstream Park
Monmouth Park
Colonial Downs
Timonium
Morven Park (steeplechase)
Rosecroft Raceway (harness)
Shenandoah County Fair (harness)
The Meadowlands (harness)I’m probably missing one or two.
Need to get away from the east coast.As it’s silly season (i.e. between Chelters & Aintree) time to revive this thread as there are a few of us Newbies knocking about.
I think I got into racing approx 1979/80 – I was about 5 at the time – and my theory (as my memory is patchy) is that while stuck in a fifth storey council maisonette on a winters Saturday focused on the colourful pictures from the telly. Bearing in mind Racing was shown on 2 out of 3 available TV channels in those days it was hard to miss.
Got a vague memory of Scot Lane finishing alone at Towcester – did this really happen? Also have a vague memory of watching the 1980 National (Ben Nevis – 4 finished)
Whatever it was, that was me hooked and an obsession had begun.
Anyway, enough rambling, over the interim years been to the following courses:-
England:-
Aintree (2006 National – great to walk the course, terrible viewing on Tatts Mound – might well have watched it on telly)
Ascot – Took my then girlfriend (unsuprisingly bearing in mind my username, called Katie) on an early date to a summer flat meeting. We’re now married with a little girl (second on the way)
Bath
Cheltenham – Every festival + other meets (not every day) 1995 – 2005
Fontwell – Cracking little track
Haydock Park – Before the portable fences (General Wolfe won the Peter Marsh)
Hereford
Ludlow
Newbury – Gold Trophy day
Newmarket (July)
Newton Abbot
Kempton Park – b4 the polytrack (jumping)
Salisbury
Sandown Park – "Whitbread" day (in its ATR incarnation)
Stratford
Towcester
Uttoxeter
Windsor – Jumping (temp home for Long Walk hurdle – Baracouda won)
Wolverhampton – Including first Floodlit race
Worcester – my first racemeeting (1985)Ireland:-
Fairyhouse
NaasHong Kong:-
Happy Valley
Sha TinNot done a point-to-point despite growing up approx 15mins drive from Chaddersley Corbett (GC will kill me!) – recommend a pint of Bathams at the Swan in the village
Also done a few dog tracks:-
Cradley Heath (now a housing estate), bring back memories of a few pints before catching the last four races for free after they opened the gates!
Monmore Green
Hall Green
Swindon
Portsmouth
WalthamstowHope to add one more this year as family commitments have halted my progress. Hope to one day complete the UK set
Blimey, don’t I waffle. Add Chepstow (jumping) to that list.
Incidentally, added a little boy to the family.
Awwww, congrats CarryOnKatie!
Soooooo, what is the kids’ first racecourse visit going to be? I could tell a fib and mention Chaddesley Corbett’s got a massive adventure playground…
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.
Thought I’d add something unusual I’ve noticed at Haydock recently:
The ‘Newton Enclosure’ is the Silver Ring. Cheapest to get in, bring the kids, bring a picnic etc etc. Battered old terraced stand, tiny bar, football ground from the 80s esque toilets.
Best view of the jumps course bar none! If you could get into the parade ring from there, it would be the only enclosure a true racegoer at Haydock would ever need.
As it’s silly season (i.e. between Chelters & Aintree) time to revive this thread as there are a few of us Newbies knocking about.
I think I got into racing approx 1979/80 – I was about 5 at the time – and my theory (as my memory is patchy) is that while stuck in a fifth storey council maisonette on a winters Saturday focused on the colourful pictures from the telly. Bearing in mind Racing was shown on 2 out of 3 available TV channels in those days it was hard to miss.
Got a vague memory of Scot Lane finishing alone at Towcester – did this really happen? Also have a vague memory of watching the 1980 National (Ben Nevis – 4 finished)
Whatever it was, that was me hooked and an obsession had begun.
Anyway, enough rambling, over the interim years been to the following courses:-
England:-
Aintree (2006 National – great to walk the course, terrible viewing on Tatts Mound – might well have watched it on telly)
Ascot – Took my then girlfriend (unsuprisingly bearing in mind my username, called Katie) on an early date to a summer flat meeting. We’re now married with a little girl (second on the way)
Bath
Cheltenham – Every festival + other meets (not every day) 1995 – 2005
Fontwell – Cracking little track
Haydock Park – Before the portable fences (General Wolfe won the Peter Marsh)
Hereford
Ludlow
Newbury – Gold Trophy day
Newmarket (July)
Newton Abbot
Kempton Park – b4 the polytrack (jumping)
Salisbury
Sandown Park – "Whitbread" day (in its ATR incarnation)
Stratford
Towcester
Uttoxeter
Windsor – Jumping (temp home for Long Walk hurdle – Baracouda won)
Wolverhampton – Including first Floodlit race
Worcester – my first racemeeting (1985)Ireland:-
Fairyhouse
NaasHong Kong:-
Happy Valley
Sha TinNot done a point-to-point despite growing up approx 15mins drive from Chaddersley Corbett (GC will kill me!) – recommend a pint of Bathams at the Swan in the village
Also done a few dog tracks:-
Cradley Heath (now a housing estate), bring back memories of a few pints before catching the last four races for free after they opened the gates!
Monmore Green
Hall Green
Swindon
Portsmouth
WalthamstowHope to add one more this year as family commitments have halted my progress. Hope to one day complete the UK set
Blimey, don’t I waffle. Add Chepstow (jumping) to that list.
Incidentally, added a little boy to the family.
Officially add Warwick (Classic Chase Day) to that list.
Unofficially add Yarmouth (well skulking by the 10f start outside the perimiter fence on the Haven Caravan Park behind it.
Flew over Duindigt (Holland) on the way back from a business meeting in Amsterdam yesterday.
Aintree
Ascot
Bangor
Cartmel
Chepstow
Doncaster
Haydock
Hereford
Leicester
Nottingham
Punchestown
Ripon
Stratford
Uttoxeter
Wetherby
Worcester
YorkNot bad for town folk.
Been to Stanley races in the Falklands. Dec 26,27 and 28. Mixture of horses(mostly Chilean breds) and humans, but not in the same race. There’s a tote and a bar. The same course commentator has been doing the calling for the best part of 40 years I believe.
Stu
Been to Stanley races in the Falklands. Dec 26,27 and 28. Mixture of horses(mostly Chilean breds) and humans, but not in the same race. There’s a tote and a bar. The same course commentator has been doing the calling for the best part of 40 years I believe.
What’s the going like – frosty, mines in places
And as this is an old thread I can add Great Leighs to my original list meaning I have visited all AW tracks in England
Have emailed GL for an update on the re-opening, can’t wait
I completed the "full set" of UK courses some years ago, indeed my recent visit to Ffos Las meant I have attended every current course at least five times each.
So for something else I’m looking to attend every course for each code it covers – which only leaves an NH meeting at Catterick to have the fuller, full set.
I still have a dozen Irish courses to see off – maybe a challenge for 2013?
After Ireland you can collect France Paul!
My ‘list’ isn’t great. I’m gradually working my way south!
After Ireland you can collect France Paul!
My ‘list’ isn’t great. I’m gradually working my way south!
After my visit to Pontivy I have vowed never to visit a French provincial course again – I had done a handful prior to that.
The only French ones I really want to add to my list are Chantilly and Deauville, I had hoped to do the French Derby this year but as it is the day after the "real" Derby I will give it a miss, I’m usually knackered after Epsom. I may do the Prix de Diane a go.
Looking forward to being back at Longchamp in October again though.
And I almost forgot to add Auteuil – how could I forget that one????
Been to Stanley races in the Falklands. Dec 26,27 and 28. The same course commentator has been doing the calling for the best part of 40 years I believe.
Probably Iain Mackenzie, doing a bit of moonlighting in between point-to-points, hunter chases, Huntingdon and Perth.
The first course I visited was Doncaster and I then managed to visit all 59 courses, completing the last one at Epsom some years ago.
I later slipped up and missed out on Great Leighs because I was waiting in vain for the temporary grandstand to be moved to a better position so that I might actually see something.
I did manage to make the long trek to Ffos Las to complete a revised full set of the current courses that are open. Having said that, I have been only to Newmarket’s July course and not to the Rowley Mile course so really that needs rectifying.
Have seen Les Landes on a trip to Jersey many years ago and took a taxi up to the Meydan course during a holiday in Dubai in January but didn’t actually go to a meeting.
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