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Very enjoyable day today at York … spent the morning pottering around the city before making my way to the course.
My overriding thought on the day ??? … Have missed very few Ebors since the late 1970’s and I cannot remember a smaller crowd in all that time … maybe it’s deceiving now there seems much more room generally to make your way around but I thought it was positively deserted in comparison to recent years especially.
From a racing perspective, best day I’ve had at the Ebor for a while …
Backed The Fonz in the opener and also had a bit ew on Dazzling Light … but didn’t have the £321 forecast (der)
Akmal pulled way too hard in the 2nd race and looked like he wanted to duck out at one point in the back straight.
Split my bet in the Gimcrack and backed Approve and Crown Prosecutor … but didn’t have the £62 forecast (der) … and was annoyed by the Tote return of £6.90 for a win after he’d opened on the boards @ 14’s
Backed Rosika to win in the Ebor and thought he was all over the winner a furlong out … and also had a bit ew on Salute Him.
Backed Julius Geezer ew in the Roses
Christmas Light in the last looked an unwilling front runner early on and think he saw too much daylight in this small field.
All in all a jolly fine day out
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So, in summarising that times remain hard for racegoers you’ve used the majority of your post to detail your (apparently successful) betting?
It may just be me – I’m well aware that I’m a miserable b*gger by nature – but I don’t understand the desire to tell people what you’ve backed hours after the event(s) in question; what does it achieve? Would you have been similarly forthcoming had your seemingly endless string of profitable selections fared less well? Would you have posted at all?
By all means soak up the adulation of the TRF crowd having put up big-priced winner after big-priced winner, but aftertiming makes for tedious and frankly irritating reading (as do complaints – you’ve got to love the irony).
As far as today’s attendance goes, does anyone have any confirmed numbers? It will be interesting to see how well York have done in comparison to previous years, with many other courses reporting healthy figures in recent weeks.
Well done BHL – nothing like a couple of winners to really make a good day’s racing great.
Armchair, you don’t get it really for me’.
I and am sure others love to hear about the ups and
downs of a day at the races, it’s what it’s all about, sharing your experiences.Yes, AJ, I can confirm you really are a miserable beggar … your only saving grace is that you do at least seem to recognise that fact … so there may at least be some small hope of redemption.
If, and it’s a big if, you have read any of my posts on here you will know that I do not in any way shape or form have a history of after timing on this forum … yes, I had a reasonable day … I back in relatively small amounts compared to some (fivers and tenners) so I haven’t won a huge amount today … just enough to make it a pleasant day out, pay for the day and make for a few good memories.
My bets were as stated 100% (apart from a failed ante post voucher on Hillview Boy in the Ebor) … for the record, my bets detailed 9 horses with 4 losers and 5 yielding a return … if I were searching for glory as an after timer as you state I missed a great opportunity to tell the forumites how I managed to land the forecasts as well … unfortunately, in reality I very rarely feel the urge to waste another £4 on a reverse forecast when I find it hard enough to find the winner, let alone the first and second, you miserable *******
… oh, and by the way, York reported a 9% drop on the first day crowd versus the corresponding fixture last year in the RP today … and I would not be surprised if a similar or larger reduction was reported for today’s crowd.
Hi BHL and All
In my opinion a contributory factor in a fall of attendance may be that the meeting has been extended from 3 to 4 days.
This is all well and good if there is a corresponding increase in the highlights e.g. group races and feature handicaps. However, imo, merely padding out the number of races will not appeal sufficiently to maintain attendances.Glad to hear that you had a successful day though BHL (you are certainly doing better than I am this week mate).
Thanks Marble … appreciated … and an excellent point, Coggy, on the possible diluting effect of the move from 3 to 4 days … personally, I preferred the old 3 day format although, having said that, I wouldn’t be totally averse to changing tradition and seeing the Ebor as a Saturday climax of a 3 day festival.
I see the RP reported the Wednesday crowd as virtually identical to that of last year … have to say that surprises me … maybe it’s testimony to the work they’ve done to create more space for the racegoer to move around the course … maybe it’s down to the number of people attending for the social occasion rather than the racing and spending all day in the seafood and champagne bars without seeing a racehorse all day … all I know is that there was more room in the stands, plenty of room to walk around the bookies boards and no shuffling in single file along the front walkway between the parade ring and the main stand.
As for today, AJ will be thrilled to discover that I can report that my one bet for the day was a loser … £5 each way at 20’s on Light From Mars (one of my expensive "follow over a cliff" horses) who finished the obligatory 5th in the 17 runner handicap.
I did fancy Monsieur Joe and Skylla in the last but decided on no bet because of where they were drawn … c’est la vie … roll on tomorrow and my speculative ante post 66/1 ew shout on Mister Hughie … still think that was an amazing burst of speed he showed at Goodwood from a furlong out to finish fourth behind Borderlescott.
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I don’t care whether you win or lose, BHL, I just don’t need to know about it after the race(s) in question.
Threads like these are only ever intended for one thing – to provide an account of a successful day’s betting in the hope of receiving some praise having failed to detail the horses involved beforehand. Why else would a topic entitled ‘Times Must Still Be Hard’, which could have led to an interesting and informative discussion on race-day attendances in an unstable economic climate, descend in to ‘I backed this winner, this winner and had a couple of places at massive prices’?
Similarly, if I wanted to thrill the TRF masses following a splendid day at York – I have visited the racecourse three times and haven’t got a bad word to say about it – it wouldn’t occur to me to spend the majority of my time (or all of it, in particular cases) listing the winners I had backed. If I’d backed any at all.
Thread titles that suggest a review of a day at the races is imminent can focus on anything from the weather, the crowd, the facilities or just an admiration of the racing – a trip to Newmarket a few years ago left only the memory of watching the wonderful Soviet Song battle (and ultimately stuff) the heart-warming Attraction – but some seem to think that going on and on about unsubstantiated winning bets they is somehow more exciting.
It’s not (in my lowly opinion of course).
Bit of a lengthy response considering you profess to not caring, AJ … seeing as no-one else that’s responded here seems to agree with your reading of the intentions of this thread as being a self serving attempt to glean admiration from the forumites (gee, I never realised I was such a sad b*****d), it pretty much serves to confirm your original self assessment of being a miserable (add self important and pompous to that btw) tw*t.
Thanks for your input … your status as the resident Victor Meldrew of TRF is enhanced … congrats
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