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My wife and I went to the 2000 Guineas meeting. We had not been to the Newmarket course before and thought it would be a good day out. In chronological order here are my impressions.
1. First impressions were positive. We saw crowds of happy smartly dressed people walking up to the course. Sharp suits with waistcoats and tapered trousers are in this year. Women were often thinly clothed which was a mistake given it was unseasonably cold and there were hail and rain showers during the day. Driving in and parking were easy, except we missed the turnoff for the premier enclosure.
2. A bit surprised to see a ticket tout on the way in. The grandstand/paddock wasn’t sold out so I imagine he was trading premier tickets, which were sold out. I felt rather smug having something apparently oversubscribed.
3. Getting in was fairly easy. We were jostled a bit in the queue for the bag check but it didn’t take long. We entered at the main entrance rather than the premier entrance. The parade ring and buildings looked in very good condition, and the crowds added some atmosphere.
4. We couldn’t find the premier enclosure at first but we got there after asking at the info desk. The enclosure facilities were a bit disappointing. There is an outside food court not obviously better than the one for the grandstand and a couple of restaurants. We went to the Bistro but had to queue for a table. Service was slow and disorganised so we watched the first 3 races on the small restaurant TVs. The Bistro is by the chute to the course so we were able to watch from our window seat the horses come out to the track and the losers come back. I already had put my Gingertipster recommended bets on smarkets in the morning so there was no need to find a bookmaker.
5. The wifi worked fine. I was surprised that a lot of bookmaker adverts came up when I logged in. I had assumed they would be blocked to encourage oncourse betting. Betfair was accessible but smarkets wasn’t. I don’t know why.
6. We went outside to find somewhere to sit for the 2000 Guineas. There was a grandstand in a not-ideal position just after the winning post facing back down the course. The upper tier of green seats was almost empty and I asked a steward if we could sit there, but apparently this was reserved for owners. We decided to stand by the rail but this meant standing for twenty minutes in the cold to bag our place. I was wearing a shirt, woolly jumper, woollen sports jacket and long cashmere coat and still didn’t feel warm. There was a stiff breeze creating a tailwind down the Rowley mile for the runners. I used my binoculars to check the bookmaker prices. These weren’t competitive with exchanges and they were all more or less the same but I didn’t see anyone betting on their phones either before or during the race. The favourite’s odds narrowed towards the off, which happened in a few other races as well. I don’t know if this is normal or just an unusual feature of the day.
7. It was nice to see the horses emerging from the distance but quite hard to follow who was winning even on the big screen as the race split into groups. The race was already won by Magna Grecia by the time he flashed past us on the nearside rail. Donnacha, who is very tall for a jockey and unlikely in my view to persist with the career, paraded in front of the grandstand after the race, which saved everyone the hassle of going back to the prize ring to have another look.
8. I have been thinking about tailwind tactics. With a headwind the obvious tactic is to slipstream. But with a tailwind presumably you also want to be just behind other horses to stop them benefiting as much. Anyway perhaps the small group on the nearside rail benefited more from the wind than the large group that ran down the middle because the back of the large group blocked the tailwind.
9. Some of the crowd left after the 2000 which made things a bit more roomy. For the next race we went up the escalator and pushed through the crowded bar to get to the small section of the main stand marked out for premier ticket holders. We sat at the front. This was fine except somebody got up and brushed in front of us just as the race was finishing.
10. We wandered around for a bit and saw Lester Piggott’s saddle and whip used to ride Nijinsky. The whip is made of whalebone.
11. For the 4 runner Lightning Spear stakes we went back to the rail and I decided to bet on course because I was bored. Knowing nothing about the race, except the overround is usually smaller on lower odds horses, I backed the favourite. I shopped around between the 10/11 and evens and got evens for £10 UAE Jewel from a back row bookie thereby saving myself a whole pound. I recall Alan Potts frowning on this sort of penny-pinching bahaviour in one of his books. But never mind. Come racing! I didn’t check the exchange price at the time but it turned out this was better than the Betfair SP. It won fairly comfortably. Prior to the race we saw Frankie Dettori nearly being thrown off his horse, which finished last. After the race I picked up a discarded Timeform guide to discover the winning favourite was rated well below the second favourite (118 versus 130), but both with a p. How did the market know the winner had more potential than the second? Presumably insiders knew UAE Jewel had improved over 10lb but they wouldn’t know how much the other horse had improved. Or maybe the fact that UAE Jewel changed hands for more than twice as much (£400,000 versus £180,000) as the second was a factor.
12. We went home after that. I had intended to have a go on the horse riding training machine that I had seen near the entrance but it had closed by the time we got there. We might have stayed for the music after the races but it was a bit cold. Getting out was easy with no delays in traffic.It was an interesting if slightly confusing experience. The class system of owners, annual tickets, premier tickets, grandstand, cheap tickets is understandable once you get the hang of it but I felt we didn’t get a lot for paying for premier. My wife asked why they don’t have grandstands on both sides of the track. I don’t know.
Most people, like my wife, are there for a day out and treat the racing as a spectacle with an optional lottery. A surprisingly large number of people seem to hang around indoors in the bars or betting shops all the time. People like me interested in betting to make a little bit of money or at least as an intellectual puzzle are a tiny minority. I think the betting ring will continue to wither away as the product is rather homogeneous, poor value and probably decreasingly profitable in the secondary pitches. I felt overall it was an ok experience for us as a couple, from both spectacle and betting points of view, but not as memorable as I was hoping it would be. Maybe the fact that we both wanted different things from the experience wasn’t ideal. Better weather would have helped a lot though.
The July meeting on the other course is a pretty cool few days to attend if ever heading back. I’d recommend it to anyone interested in horse racing or otherwise who wants a relaxing day out in a nice environment.
The one thing that struck me about Newmarket was the vastness of the training grounds and courses, the town is no great shakes, but the rest is definitely worth a visit, its pretty close to Cambridge if traveling by train tooI’ve been a member at Newmarket for the past 8 years now and have been going to the Rowley Mile and July Course for around 30 years and I absolutely love it.
I can imagine that for someone visiting the course for the first time and like Kasparov it can take a while to get your bearings.
The 2000 Guineas Meeting is always very busy and I always plan my day to gain the best possible view of the horses for the big race and so this is a rundown of my day on Saturday and more or less every time I visit Newmarket ..
My husband is not a racing fan so I usually make the 1 hour drive from Essex to Newmarket on my own and meet up with like minded friends at the course for coffee, viewing the runners around the parade ring and watching the race.
Would always advise to arrive at the racecourse at least an hour and a half before the first race especially if its your first visit you can give yourself time to familiarise yourself with where everything is.
The first thing I do when I enter the racecourse is to go to my ‘lucky’ racecard lady, she sits in a booth just on the left just as you come into the Premier Enclosure and being supersticious I have to get my card from her. Then its off to pick up a few Placepots to write out while I’m having coffee.
On Saturday the whole course was absolutely buzzing it is the busiest day on tbe Rowley Mile, if you want a more relaxed day come to the 1000 Guineas on the Sunday which is much quieter, personally that is my favourite day of the two.
After I’ve put on my placepot (which usually falls at the first!!) I go to the Pre-Parade ring to get an early view of the runners in the first race before they are saddled up and see how they look and how they are behaving, then its off see them in the Paddock before the jockeys come in. Just as the bell goes for jockeys to mount I dash off round to the course to watch them go down and you have to be quick as they get to the course very quickly once they leave the paddock.
Having chosen most of my horses the night before (none of them Ginger’s!!
)..studying up form on Sporting Life racing its nice to see your horses in the flesh and I was particularly excited to see Mabs Cross in The Palace House again having backed her to win the same race last year. Bets placed I head for my favourite place to watch the race which is the steps facing straight up the Rowley Mile just a few yards past the Winning post it was a bit of a squeeze but managed to get in and was also near the screen so could keep a good eye on the action.
Mabs Cross won the Palace House for a record breaking 2nd year by a neck in an exciting photo finish but before I collected my winnings from the bookie I went back to the Parade Ring to welcome her back into the winners enclosure.The excitement was building for the big race ahead and I got to the Paddock early to get a good view of the runners I had already placed my bets as I wanted to go and get a good view of them all going to post. The Aiden O’Brien horse Magna Grecia was the only one of my 3 horses I hadn’t backed as I wanted to see him first and he looked a picture. One of my friends was just off to the bookie and I asked him to put a bet on Magna Grecia for me who went out and won the race down the stand rail in fine style and as Kasparov said he was paraded in front of the Grandstand after the race.
I didn’t go to the Winners Enclosure to see him after the race as there were so many people around him but waited until he was led out of the paddock and back to the cooling down paddock next to the Pre Parade ring at the back it is very quiet there and the horses are washed down and given a drink of water, it’s the ideal place if you want to take a photo of the 2000 Guineas winner or any horse after they have won without a lot of people about.
As Kasparov said lots of people left after the big race which I can never understand when there are still 3 races to run, I always stay to the last race and on Saturday and was fortunate enough to back 14/1 winner Pogo who being by Zebedee was very cleverly named.
Hope you come back to Newmarket another time Kasparov maybe on a quieter day and also visit the July Course where the Premier ticket does offer more in the way of choice of restaurants and has more of a Summer party atmosphere, the July Meeting is very busy and Ladies day often sells out.
If you choose to visit Newmarket Town look up Discover Newmarket on the internet, they arrange tours to visit Frankel at stud, trips to The National Stud, Tattersalls and Palace House horseracing museum once home of Charkes 11 and much more.
I think by now you’ll gather how much I love Newmarket, the horses and the history that surrounds it and hope you come back soon to take a longer and more in depth look around the home of horseracing .Jac
Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...We took our granddaughter on Sunday but I’m afraid she was a bit underwhelmed with it all as she could not get close enough to the horses. She is at an age where she is too heavy for me to pick her up and yet not tall enough to see over the rails.
Personally I much prefer the July course as it does not entail so much climbing of steps to get anywhere. Facilities at all racecourses seem about the same now but I could not find a decent pint of beer. All I could find was Guinness, Euro Fizz or Cider.
I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains
I've walked and I crawled on six crooked highwaysThanks for the detailed posts Kasparov/Trip, i’ve been wanting to head to Newmarket for years now!
When i do i think i want to incorporate the National Stud & Palace House, they look brilliant. It’s a shame they don’t incorporate the Frankel tours anywhere near the race days, although understandable.
Thanks for the detailed reviews, Kasparov and Triptych.
Kas, that’s a most interesting tailwind theory. I think there could well be something in that given the huge dissipation that wind must get when meeting a big bunch of horses.
@KevMc
Thanks Kev, steeple and Nefertiti
I just wanted to give a ‘Newmarket unpacked’ type of review and hope it might help anyone going for the first time to feel a bit more at home.
My way of enjoying the day is not how everyone wants to spend their time whilst at Newmarket racecourse many like to head up to the Restaurants and put all their bets on the Tote and stay inside all day watching the action on the in house screen and drinking with mates, that’s all fine it’s an individual choice as long as you have a great day out.
I just love to get amongst the horses as much as I can and don’t often stop for another tea or coffee until the last race is over, catching up with friends and mulling over our wins and losses of the day and watching the replay of the days racing on the tv screen.Hope you get to visit Palace House soon Kev as Big Orange is there at the moment with the Retraining Of Racehorses who are based there and do two very interesting tours each day. I’m actually going on Friday 17th May before racing as I have visited the Museum several times so just need to spend a couple of hours there. However if you plan to go for the first time give yourself at least 3 hours to get around all the displays and have a bite to eat in the Tack Room before heading up for the races.
Here is a link..
https://www.palacehousenewmarket.co.uk/If you want to visit the National Stud unfortunately it isn’t open on race days so you would need to maybe stay overnight in a local hotel and visit the stud on a non race day..
here is a link to the National StudFrankel Tours are almost like gold dust when they are announced and are booked up very quickly there are only about 8 or 12 announced throughout the flat season and they can be quite expensive too. I have been to see him twice now and would definitely go again. Discover Newmarket put together some packages which include a trip to the gallops, a famous trainers yard, lunch at the Bedford Lodge Hotel and on to Banstead Manor to see Frankel along with Kingman, Oasis Dream and Bated Breath. We did also see Dansili but he has now retired.
Here is a link to Discover Newmarket and Juddmonte Farm Stud where you can watch reruns of all the races of the stallions standing there and find out more about Frankel and days to visit.Hotels in Newmarket are usually at highest prices when racing is taking place, I have stayed at The Rutland Arms in the Town and it’s an ideal base and quite reasonable, a 4 star and very friendly and full of history although bit tatty round the edges it has a small car park and is a stones throw from the Palace House Museum. I can highly recommend the breakfast.
There is another Hotel situated at the bottom of the gallops a Best Western Hotel which is also a 4 star and both get very booked up for big race meetings.Hope you enjoy it as much as I do if you get to visit Kev and Nef..and hope the links help you to find everything you might need in one place…Jac
Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...You mean… no it can’t be true? There’s actually someone on this forum that does not follow my tips?
Loved Kasparov and Triptych’s day’s out.
Only time I’ve been to Newmarket was to the three day Guineas meeting in 1986. Midway Lady won the 1000 before going on to Epsom glory, whilst Dancing Brave ran away with the 2000. Highlight for me though, was seeing my beloved Slip Anchor. He got beaten by Phardante in the Jockey Club which (if memory serves) was SL’s one and only 4yo appearance. Don’t remember much else about the days though; other than – being a straight track = views down the course were awful compared to Salisbury, Newbury and Goodwood. Not that it spoiled my enjoyment as a 19 year old.
Value Is Everything8. I have been thinking about tailwind tactics. With a headwind the obvious tactic is to slipstream. But with a tailwind presumably you also want to be just behind other horses to stop them benefiting as much. Anyway perhaps the small group on the nearside rail benefited more from the wind than the large group that ran down the middle because the back of the large group blocked the tailwind.
Interesting theory, Kasparov. I can see that it might help a bit in being behind other runners – getting the wind up your backside and sheltering others from the tailwind. But imo nowhere near enough to make up for the overall advantage tailwinds give prominently ridden horses. If a horse is out the back getting the most wind, it still needs to make up a lot of ground when things open up. Harder to make up ground on a horse that’s getting help from a tailwind – ie wind keeping the leader going. Front/prominently ridden horses seem to win a massive amount of races when there’s a tailwind – especially on a straight course like Newmarket. Tailwinds are something I look out for when betting (headwinds too for the opposite reason). tbh I didn’t realise there was such a strong tailwind, but imo goes some way to explain results last weekend.
Value Is Everythingkasparov; my retirement present from work was a trip to Newmarket and I must admit to being quite disappointed. Having awful weather didn’t help. But I thought I would be staying in a quaint market town with horses everywhere and I found the place quite run down and a bit seedy. We did see horses eventually, realising that they had hidden walkways taking them to the gallops. One training establishment was next to our B&B but it took us a while to realise it. Mike then decided to take us both to Middleham for a weekend and I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. Horses everywhere; quaint pubs; the castle [of course]. Watching the horses exercise up on the moors to the sound of curlews crying is quite something; as is waking up to the sound of horses hooves on the cobblestones as they go past the castle. The National Stud is nowhere near as good as the one in Ireland [but it would be difficult for anything to top that]. We did go before the new museum opened and I would love to go there [although pleased that we went to the old one before it relocated]. I would like to give Newmarket another go, though. It’s amazing the difference a bit of sunshine makes. And I think my expectation was probably too great as well.
Middleham sounds lovely Moe, tell us a little bit more about it. I think I’m going to start planning a long weekend.
JacThings turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...The Rowley Mile is pleasant enough behind the stands, plenty of grass, an attractive parade ring, access to the pre parade as well. But that ghastly Millenium Stand is dreadfully out of place on Newmarket Heath and is already ageing badly.
Getting from the paddock to the racecourse side of the stand either involves fighting your way through the massed lager drinkers, or climbimg the steps around the end of the stand – neither is ideal for older racegoers, or those with young children.
Then in front of the stand, there’s a vast area of tatty tarmac and a few tired benches that look as if they were rescued from a public park in the 1930s. Not a patch on the July Course, or half a dozen other Grade 1 tracks around the country. If you aren’t an annual member or an alcoholic, there’s very little about the place to make you want go there again.
jac; I wish I could work out how to put pictures up on here. I’d been reading up on the Wars of the Roses too so Middleham was quite magical. If ever you do plan a trip there let me know and we’ll see you there [if you don’t mind, that is]. A lot of the stables are just off the main street, but we did stable tours that took us all over the place. It’s like going back in time to another world. We saw the place where Dante is believed to be buried at Jed O’Keefes yard, where there were coots and allsorts wandering in and out of the stables. The B&B that we stay at has gone too upmarket and exoensive and the Richard III pub is a bit noisy, but the pub across the square seems a bit quieter; we may stay there next time….
There’s actually someone on this forum that does not follow my tips?
It saves time just to lay the one or two you don’t back in a race..
Blackbeard to conquer the World
My trips to The Rowley Mile at Newmarket in the past was different to others as I used to go into to the family enclosure to get a racecard and then back out to go down to the starts.
Have been to the start of The Cambridgeshire when there was 40 runners with the course so wide they had the stalls set up and still had room for the horses to walk behind.
Also walked all the way to The Ceaserwich start and watched races from the devils Dyke.
Yes you can’t see the finish but it’s very peaceful and worth a try.Interesting stuff, Kasparov.
Maybe we could get a TRF racecourse guide started? I’m going to Newcastle for the first time on Northumberland Plate day; I will try to write a similar follow-up. Maybe regular race goers can post hints and tips as well?
Admin- would this merit a new section? I think we had a racecourse guide before.
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