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Dear Towcester,
We are coming to the end of our tether with you. You may remember that incident four years ago when we offered a stern rebuke and told you to mend your ways. You remember – Cettis Warbler winning @100/1 and David Ashforth grabbing a grand for christmas off the back of it. Let me remind you that of every grand that was grabbed for charity, a ton came out of ukracing plc’s pocket. The image of one of the punting underclass proclaiming himself a ‘bookie basher’ is not one we wanted to see repeated.
Here we are over four years later and nothing has been done about your low overrounds or field size limits. We note the abomination of two 16 runner handicaps on your card this evening that can be viewed by punters getting free entry. It makes us sick – you should take a leaf out of Great Leigh’s book – lower your field size limits, up your pirces and empty your grandstands. Oh, and flatten your track – seven or eight minute slogs are not what the betting industry wants these days.
This is your final warning – mend your ways!
Yours
UK RACING PLC
Towcester offers racegoers a beautiful rural setting; FREE, yes FREE entry to see some of the top jockeys in the business in action; and a quaint town Centre to visit before or after the sport (with an excellent Cream Tea Shop to boot!!!).
How can anybody be critical of Towcester?
Having free admission does not make Towcester immune from criticism.
Sure on a day like today it will be lovely and there will be a bumper crowd – provided you are happy to settle for the dried out, overcooked food on offer in the Empress Stand or the ubiquitous burger from Greasy Joe, or whatever his name is.
On a wet winters afternoon it can be the most miserable place on earth to watch racing with absolutely no shelter from the elements if you actually want to view the racing.
I love Towcester and Glenn’s right they go well against the grain and the stands are packed…
My only problem is that I never feckin win there!!!!
Always watch for the horses with form figures line: 00PU804 being backed from 66/1… It’s a plodders course.
Jonjo normally does there as well..
It’s UK racing plc that are complaining not me. I would suggest anyone closeby should take advantage of the free entry to enjoy a fine evening’s sport. It’s good to see one track at least try to build up an independent groundbase of support, so that it isn’t completely reliant on off-course bookies.
Towcester is my local track so I go there as often as I can to enjoy the racing. I feel it is a lovely setting and offers great views. Also you can walk right round the course to get closer to the action if you like which you can’t at so many of the bigger courses. It also offers free entry and the chance to see big name jockeys. I do agree about the terrain there causing surprises with results though as things change so quickly up the final hill leading to the run in and also the races there are definately lower grade so you don’t tend to get big name horses there although I did see Tony McCoy winning there on Refinement a couple of years ago and she has gone on to do very well. Quite a few big name trainers like Jonjo, David Pipe and Kim Bailey support it though although I don’t think Paul Nicholls has ever had a runner there. There are a lot of low grade horses around now though so I suppose they need courses and fixtures like this so they can have a competitive chance.
the races there are definately lower grade so you don’t tend to get big name horses there
Generally agree – although once in a while there is an exception that proves the rule. The most notable being 2:40 7th Feb 2007 "Sporting Life Champion Hurdle Trial Hurdle (Class B)"
1st Collier Bay 8/11
2nd Relkeel 11/8
3rd Escartefigue 11/2It was Relkeel’s first run after being off for 748 days.
It was also the biggest crowd I have ever seen at Towcester and that was a Friday afternoon.
Quite a few big name trainers like Jonjo, David Pipe and Kim Bailey support it though although I don’t think Paul Nicholls has ever had a runner there.
Not far off, as far as I can see Nicholls has only ever had 23 runners at Northamptonshire’s second finest racecourse (number one is Dingley) and just the one winner. Anyone like to have a guess as to the name of the horse?
I give up HJ – how I miss System 2000…
My first thought was that it would have been in a Hunter Chase, perhaps Earthmover, but a search on the RP website confirmed that this is false.
Care to enlighten me?
Northamptonshire’s second finest racecourse (number one is Dingley)
Guilsborough runs both close, no?
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.
We note the abomination of two 16 runner handicaps on your card this evening
What’s more all 16 go to post in the 6.10, ’twill never do
Though there is time for the dark forces to play their ‘withdrawn not under orders’ trump card
Nothing wrong with Towcester, still havent been to their but it is what N.H. racing is all about.
Can be tricky to get to though, Train to Northampton or Milton Keynes then a 1 hour bus ride.
You could almost hear UK racing Plc shouting into the starter’s mouthpiece: this is an order tell them to take Radbrooke Hall away….OK we’re begging you now please please…we want to give punters 3.6/1 first three of fifteen not 4/1 first four of sixteen.
The starter looked completely unfazed. Towcester dances to a different tune.
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