- This topic has 29 replies, 18 voices, and was last updated 16 years, 4 months ago by
.
- Posts
But we are forgetting the other big days around that time ?
the second day at Kempton is on eof the most appealing jumps fixtures of the year. Decent crowd but comfortable. Its a day which has grown a lot in popularity in recent years, but what are middling crowds like at Ascot in mid winter? Im not one of those who dislikes Ascot but its exactly buzzing on such days
and then there is Newburys ever more successful challow Hurdle day. Thats a great fixture with a local feel to it. not sure they would welcome Ascot a day or two before….
As for the lack of comfort on the big day at Kempton, certainly not worse than Cheltenham Festival. i think it takes 22000 just fine….but i was in the annual jumps members enclosure
But we are forgetting the other big days around that time ?
the second day at Kempton is on eof the most appealing jumps fixtures of the year. Decent crowd but comfortable. Its a day which has grown a lot in popularity in recent years, but what are middling crowds like at Ascot in mid winter? Im not one of those who dislikes Ascot but its exactly buzzing on such days
and then there is Newburys ever more successful challow Hurdle day. Thats a great fixture with a local feel to it. not sure they would welcome Ascot a day or two before….
As for the lack of comfort on the big day at Kempton, certainly not worse than Cheltenham Festival. i think it takes 22000 just fine….but i was in the annual jumps members enclosure
The Saturday jumps fixture crowds at Ascot are in the 11-14k region Clive.
This years Newbury crowd was 7,470 but as we both know it was pi$$ing down so possibly not the best guide
Having said that it was around the same in 2008, not sure about the weather then and it was 8,395 in 2007. The highest being 9,322 in 2004The King George crowd has ranged from a low of 16,254 in 2008 up to 29,204 in 1991 but it is generally around the 22,000 mark
However having seen how they have ruined the winners enclosure at Ascot meaning only the nobs and snobs can get a decent view of the winning horse I’m not so sure now.
Have to disagree with you there Phil, the winners enclosure is in the Parade Ring which is in the Grandstand admittance area so accessible to all apart from Silver Ring racegoers and I cannot think of any other UK racecourse which offers better tiered viewing around the parade ring.
Better tiered viewing? Have you tried to get anywhere near the parade ring at Ascot 20 mins before a race Paul? You can’t get near the steps at the top of the tiering let alone near the parade ring at the bottom.
Other than moving the race to Ascot to give more people the chance to see the King George name some plus points for moving it to Ascot?
Transport surely can’t be one? The links are both similar and as for bringing more people into racing….how is moving the King George to another venue going to bring new faces in? It simply isn’t all it does is gives more people ALREADY interested in racing a better chance of getting a ticket.
Does the Boxing Day fixture sell out every year or has it only sold out recently because of the ‘Kauto Star’ factor?
Because Kauto Star isn’t going to be around forever.
I think the simple fact is, there’s no problem holding a race at Ascot & calling it the King George but it would not be the same race.
If it bothers anyone that much, let them put up the funds to hold a race of their own at Ascot.
Oh, and the reason they can hold the World Cup in South Africa when the USA has bigger stadiums is the same reason why there isn’t much point moving the King George to a bigger venue:
Anyone who wants to watch the race can do as it’s on terrestrial television.
The King George should stay at Kempton Park and not be moved anywhere else apart from if conditions made Kempton unraceable in which case the meeting should be run at either Ascot,Sandown,Newbury or Lingfield
I know we harp on a lot about tradition but this meeting is part of Xmas in the same way as presents and turkey.
Ascot while it may be a good venue does have a good amount of NH racing with lots of Graded events and considering the amount of criticism the place as had since it reopened i would be amazed if 40,000 turned up.
Keep the race at Kempton, this is just an argument for arguments sake, sure the King George was a good race when Sandown held it but it still was not the same as runnning it at Kempton.
Paul – normally agree with most of your posts but I’m with Grassy on this one.
If Ffos Las had been built with a 100,000 capacity, would you advocate moving the Cheltenham Gold Cup there so more people could squeeze in?
Like a lot of people that qualify as racing insiders, Brough Scott obviously hasn’t the faintest idea how large crowds actually work.
Ascot gets more than 50,000 people for each day of the Royal meeting, but it’s only possible to get them all in because a) the first race isn’t until 2:30 b) they spread their arrival over several hours and many thousands picnic in the car parks c) ten to twenty thousand arrive by coach on pub, club and works outings.
On Boxing Day, the first race has to be at 12:45 or earlier, the crowd all arrives at the same time and nobody comes by coach. The roads around Ascot would be car parks by midday if a crowd of 50,000 tried to get there in midwinter.
Aside from that, jumping at Ascot is an utterly soulless experience, with the chase course so far away from the stands that it’s like watching the first appearance of Omar Sharif in Lawrence Of Arabia.
AP
If Brough Scott had suggested a Berkshire Chase to replace the Lancashire Chase (sponsored by Betfair) then I’d agree
Haydock is no longer deserving of a conditions chase at any distance whereas Ascot does deserve a Grade 1 over 3m+.
There’s the Reynoldstown for novices but there isn’t – and if memory serves never has been – an open 3m+ conditions chase at any Grade.
Ascot may be having some problems with its going but it remains a fine chasing track with robust fences, so its more than worthy of such races IMO
Can’t entertain having the KG moved, not least because it provides an utterly different test to the Gold Cup; the two complement themselves admirably, and those horses who do manage to win both can be singled out as genuine ‘all round greats’
with the chase course so far away from the stands
About to post something similar AP. Ascot feels like a flat track that just happens to stage jumps racing
Can anyone remember what Scott’s last daft idea was? I’m not sure but was it to run in the classics as 4yo’s instead of 3yo’s?
Having said that it was around the same in 2008, not sure about the weather then and it was 8,395 in 2007. The highest being 9,322 in 2004
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.