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Folks,
Was looking at heading over early in the first week of February for a days racing.(from dublin) Sedgefield caught the eye. Was going to fly over Tues morning to Newcastle airport, car hire to racecourse and back to airport in evening for flight home.
Would anyone recommend the course or should I give the idea a miss?
Thanks in advance
You’ll get the whole gamut of opinions on here where little ol’ Sedgy is concerned, as it’s certainly at the lower end of the food chain where British jumps racing is concerned and is possessive of pretty basic facilities, but I always enjoy myself hugely there. There is decent enough viewing, an unpretentious atmosphere, and some fair size fields (albeit mostly in the lower grade / selling handicaps) irrespective of the going.
The meeting you’ve nominated holds a special place for me, as it was at that corresponding fixture far, far too many years ago that I was first introduced to Ted Caine in person and ended up (quite possibly illegally) leading his bumper horse Kin To Quixall around the paddock on his racecourse bow (and sadly last run as well, as he died from colic six months later). Some quite good horses like Intersky Falcon and Tyneandthyneagain were running that day as well, apparently. I may have noticed them briefly.
If I remember rightly, there should be an EBF mares’ chase qualifier on the card (former recent winners include the subsequent Series Final winner Sarah’s Quay) and a reasonable 0-125ish handicap hurdle, though that may have changed again.
One thing I would suggest is to leave your trip over on the day for as long as you dare. Sedgy’s ground is just about at its worst by February, and abandonments are far from a rarity.
Jeremy
(graysonscolumn)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.
If you are flying into Newcastle then I would suggest Hexham as a much better option than Sedgefield.
As Jeremy said Sedgefield is definitely at the lower end of the food chain – round about the plankton level I would veture to suggest.
Sedgefield is my local track Berminn but there isn’t much more to add to what Jeremy has already said.
It’s certainly worth a visit, though crossing the Irish sea is a bit much
The ground up there has been quite good this season, despite heavy rain some days and freezing temperatures on others – I don’t think they have had to call a meeting off yet.
Visit their website, http://www.sedgefield-racecourse.co.uk/# and I’m sure you will be ok regarding being updated on ground and weather conditions.
If you need to book early and for some reason the meeting gets called off, give me a shout, I will show you the delights of the Stockton pubs instead
Mike
Dont bother. I had a share in a selling plater who ran their, you cannot get too the course without a car or spending a fortune on a cab from Darlington.
Its a dump.
Newcastle is better and bar a long walk or a short cab hope you can get too the course on the metro from newcastle airport.Hexham is atractive and takes one hour twenty minutes with course outside of the town.
Gents,
thanks for the replies. Hexham race the Monday which would defo be an option (nothing booked at this stage). According to route planner, its only 25 miles from Newcastle airport which is a bonus. How low or high on the food chain is hexham? If you had to choose one over the other?
MikkyMo, thanks for that. The other half is away at a conference for the few days that week and I have always wanted to get over to the other side of the sea for a race meeting as I have always had such a good time when over on the mainland and the hospitality is second to none (as your kind gesture demonstrates)
thanks for all feedback!
Dont bother. I had a share in a selling plater who ran their, you cannot get too the course without a car or spending a fortune on a cab from Darlington.
Its a dump.
Newcastle is better and bar a long walk or a short cab hope you can get too the course on the metro from newcastle airport.Hexham is atractive and takes one hour twenty minutes with course outside of the town.
Just to correct yorkshirepudding, Sedgefield is not a dump IMO and you don’t need a car to get there or spend a fortune on a cab from Darlington.
Sedgefield is a little village but it is smack in the centre of the main roads that connects Newcastle to places like Stockton and Middlesbrough, so there are frequent buses from Newcastle to Sedgefield.
It’s then a 15 minute walk (at the most) from the village of Sedgefield to the course, or you can jump in a taxi for about £3. Sometimes, Sedgefield racecourse send a little bus up to the village also so you can jump on that and get a free ride to the course.
Segefield Village itself is a lovely little village with some nice quiet pubs, ideal for lunch or an evening meal.
Mike
Hexham is a very stiff track, allot of wiley lenny lungo horses scots raiders ( we need too get the ruddy wall fixed ):P . its not an easy place too come and win at.
. its not an easy place too come and win at.
betting wise or with a horse? Cos I was only coming over to watch the races!!
Just do the right thing and go to Kelso.
Sedgefield is the last course in the country I would run a horse at and I won’t be back at the gaff.
Krlso is a dump, you cannto get too it by public transport, the facilties were crap, the track was a joke. I went once on arc day with my other half a an ex point too point trainer, it was abandoned after two races….
Krlso is a dump, you cannto get too it by public transport, the facilties were crap, the track was a joke. I went once on arc day with my other half a an ex point too point trainer, it was abandoned after two races….
Are there any tracks that you do like or any tracks that you think you can get to by public transport
Mike
How low or high on the food chain is hexham? If you had to choose one over the other?
All three of the courses mentioned, Sedgy, Hexham and Kelso, are strictly lower-grade jumps fare, and how much that floats your boat (it positively propels mine) will probably determine how vital you regard a visit to any or all of them.
Kelso has had the most money thrown at it (in support of highlights such as the Borders National, Morebattle Hurdle and the two-day May meeting with lots of lucrative-ish intermediate races), and seems to be the best-run, but I can’t comment on the facilities as it’s one of only four British jumps tracks I’ve yet to get to.
Pudding is right that Hexham is a stiff track, one of the very stiffest in the country, and its high-lying location at the top of the hills above the town, looking down on Hadrian’s Wall, etc., grants you one of the most scenic views in British racing (as well as one of the most vigorous, inescapable cold showers if it’s raining
).Other than for one meeting in June and one in November the racing at Hexham is very low quality and the prizemoney worse (even more so since Charles Enderby’s calamitous under-spending last year has resulted in a near 50% drop in Levy support this), and facilities regularly fall short with refreshments running out and the power failing; but it is one of the cheapest tracks to get into in the whole country and has a charm and friendliness about it that makes up for the great many shortcomings.
I’d say check out all three someday, if schedule and inclination ever permits.
Jeremy
(graysonscolumn)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.
Kelso is a dump, you cannto get too it by public transport, the facilties were crap, the track was a joke. I went once on arc day with my other half a an ex point too point trainer, it was abandoned after two races….
When I finally got to Kelso a couple of years ago I was able to get a bus to Kelso from Berwick on Tweed rail station and then it was about half a mile walk to the course.
Fakenham (last of the 59 I went to) was a similar distance from a train station (Kings Lynn) but also provides a bus service.
Again a shortish walk to the course.
Most other courses are within a few miles of a train station (although I wasn’t expecting to end up having to walk to Kempton from Hampton last Saturday!!!).Folks,
Was looking at heading over early in the first week of February for a days racing.(from dublin) Sedgefield caught the eye. Was going to fly over Tues morning to Newcastle airport, car hire to racecourse and back to airport in evening for flight home.
Would anyone recommend the course or should I give the idea a miss?
Thanks in advance
Out of the two Hexam and Sedgefield the former is definitely the first choice since you are hiring a car. Nothing wrong with Sedgefield apart from the fact it’s basic but many course are in the UK.
I do prefer Hexam though, it’s miles up in the hills you get a great view of the racing and it’s very countryish……..sort of small and quaint but real racing if you follow my drift. Lots of farmer types mixed in with the usual upper class twits who are all lovely people. Expect to be pushed out the way at the bar by a jockey or a trainer as the place is so small you can’t help but rub shoulders with the celebrities of racing.
The bookies, the paddock, winning enclosure and the main bar are like almost touching each other butit’s real easy to get from a to b which adds to the attraction of the place………..I must have been there 100 times and never once did I think not to go because it lacked anything…..get yer ass on a plane you will have a great day out
(although I wasn’t expecting to end up having to walk to Kempton from Hampton last Saturday!!!).
Ummm… why did you do that?! And its a bit of a boring walk down the lower Sunbury road. You got off a stop early….
Sedgefield is a very ordinary course.To be polite. Ive only been once on a wet Friday night and remember (not for positive reasons) the bingo number caller and the "short skirt competition" in the paddock ( i am not joking…) rather than the racing
Maybe im being harsh and i cant comment on Hexham and Kelso, but would not go out of my way to visit Sedgefield again
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