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What are your opinions? Here’s my humble one
Hi Simon
Interesting article.
I’m all for racing to do what it needs to do to make the sport more popular with the younger crowd but as you say, there needs to be some sort of security in place.
Sadly, it seems that the same younger crowd needs to imbibe as much alcohol as possible to have a good time. I remember a few years ago that a friend’d wife went to Ascot for the day and it commenced with champagne being drunk in the hired limo en route to the course.
Let’s hope that the authorities can do something to stamp it out.
Chris
Ascot has organised a Beer Festival for its Fri 6 / Sat 7 Oct meeting:
As always an interesting read Simon and just confirms my thoughts that if racecourses want to encourage this sort of behaviour they have to somehow protect the children that attend by possibly thinking about raising the age of admittance to 16.
In that short video you can see a few children running
from the scene of the fight with their parents and looking bewildered, what sort of example is being set to them? These drunken groups are getting more and more out of hand encouraged by those that run events at the course.At Newmarket at the July Meeting young girls with designer buggies were parked around the parade ring carrying their bottle of Champagne and glass around with them. The paddock is not the place you really want to bring babies and pushchairs. Last Friday a horse kicked his handler in the stomach bad enough for him to be sent hospital and a few weeks earlier a horse got loose and ran out of the paddock into the crowd (luckily nobody was hurt).
At least Newmarket are making good use of the sniffer dogs at their Newmarket Nights meetings and I gather with some success as apparently they confiscated a great deal of Cannabis from certain racegoers at the gate and this plus an enhanced police presence is set to continue since the ‘Little Mix’ brawl where little girl’s as young as 8 were caught up in drunken brawls.
I’m all for families attending racing its great for children to see and learn about racehorses and the industry so why not have Family Enclosures with picnic areas and entertainment where children under 15 can remain with a responsible adult. I know racecourses do have Family Enclosures but children are allowed to access most areas of the racecourse which includes bars.
With that in place along with sniffer dogs and an enhanced police presence maybe the small remainder of us who just go racing to see the horses can get on with what we enjoy doing best.
JacThings turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...They have sniffer dogs at racecourses? Seriously? I don’t believe they had such things at the Charlottesville riots.
I’m assuming courses must be licensed to sell alcohol the same as anywhere else. Threaten to revoke it if there’s too much trouble and they’ll soon find a way of putting a stop to it.
While family areas are a good idea, it’s unfair to restrict children to them. Instead make the better viewing areas and other important places like near the parade ring alcohol free. This way families and those who came for the racing can access these areas with less fear of trouble. Plus you can then concentrate the security presence more in the areas with alcohol.
Don’t exactly agree with the ‘younger crowd’ comment. Not many young people I know can afford all day booze and charlie sessions at Ascot. You can’t generalise about which demographic causes the trouble, there are dickheads of all ages and they are the problem. They were dickheads when they were sober, booze and/or drugs just make them more likely to kick off.
The presence of coked-up hard drinking ‘lads’ at our racecourses is entirely welcomed by management as it gets the tills rattling in the bar.
As has been stated elsewhere on here, if you’re simply paying to enjoy a day’s racing whilst purchasing a cappuccino or two you really are a low-value customer and frankly, Ascot and others would rather you went to the cinema.
Nick Smith, Ascot’s feeble director of racing and communications dismissed Saturday’s aggro as a couple of ‘minor incidents’ which is obviously bullshit.
If you’re a decent racing fan the message is clear regarding big weekend meetings: go away, stay away, do something else; we don’t want you here.
Mike
Yes Joe they do have sniffer dogs out for the concert evening meetings now and I think Newmarket will make it an ongoing thing now they have had such bad publicity regarding the Little Mix fiasco, also a good thing is they don’t allow people to bring in cases of beer, cans of Pimms etc, you won’t believe what they confiscate at the gate, of course no restriction once you are inside and drinking after racing is also encouraged but try to get a coffee in the Members enclosure 15 minutes after the last race on the July Course and you will find them cashing up with only access to the Bar allowed.
Good point Richard I also feel it’s a shame to restrict children to a Family Area but if they did bring in an age restriction (can’t see it) it would mean families could go racing together and enjoy an afternoon together without the fear of having beer spilt over them if they wander around the areas where drinking is allowed. The Family area at Newmarket has good views of the racing and I do know that Newmarket does have a policy of a drink free paddock and grandstand area at the races which works very well, the only exception is that regarding bottles of Champagne (£50/£60 a hit) they supply disposable carrying cool bags and a plastic glass this seems acceptable to carry into all areas, of course they wouldn’t want to put folk off spending that sort of money
The Rowley Mile part of Newmarket is different although you still can’t take alcohol into the paddock but for non Members to get to the racecourse from the paddock they have to run the gauntlet of a bar stuck right in the middle of the access to the betting ring where drinkers spill out into the betting area, the only other access for non Members is up a steep stairway not ideal for older racegoers of which there are fewer and fewer on big race days.
Looks like I’m a low value customer Betlarge I actually go racing to enjoy the horses and having a bet and a cuppaccino and a piece of lemon drizzle cake is my idea of heaven. Guess I better book my cinema ticket now. When are they releasing Frankel The Movie!!
JacThings turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...Afraid I have more or less given up going racing now, particularly at weekends.
I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains
I've walked and I crawled on six crooked highwaysOf course racecourses should do all they can to stop this sort of thing, but it should also not be exaggerated, which can often happen in social media where everyone seems to have a camera-phone. It is not a racing problem, it’s society’s… Important to point out this is not the normal racing public causing problems. Yes, ban them for life, although suspect they’re once a year-ists who wouldn’t care anyway.
Might be more problems on the racecourse than there once was, but the same can be said of anywhere. It’s still safer than going to other sporting events. It’s wise to avoid the obvious days that non-racing people frequent – eg Shergar Cup, Music Nights, beer festivals, Saturday evenings etc… and the usual places (like bars) where trouble can strike whether it’s on the racecourse or not… Racing enthusiasts should not be discouraged going racing, just choose when and whereabouts on the racecourse to go.
Value Is EverythingIt’s wise to avoid the obvious days that non-racing people frequent – eg Shergar Cup, Music Nights, beer festivals, Saturday evenings etc… and the usual places (like bars) where trouble can strike whether it’s on the racecourse or not… Racing enthusiasts should not be discouraged going racing, just choose when and whereabouts on the racecourse to go.
So the decent racegoer has to avoid areas of racecourses and indeed multiple entire meetings to accomodate the thugs?
Sounds good.
Mike
It’s wise to avoid the obvious days that non-racing people frequent – eg Shergar Cup, Music Nights, beer festivals, Saturday evenings etc… and the usual places (like bars) where trouble can strike whether it’s on the racecourse or not… Racing enthusiasts should not be discouraged going racing, just choose when and whereabouts on the racecourse to go.
So the decent racegoer has to avoid areas of racecourses and indeed multiple entire meetings to accomodate the thugs?
Sounds good.
Mike
No Mike, the decent racegoer should not need to “avoid areas of racecourses and indeed multiple entire meetings to accomodate the thugs”.
My opening line that you’ve left out is:
Of course racecourses should do all they can to stop this sort of thing
All I am saying is racegoers that are put off going racing due to this sort of behaviour need not be discouraged if chosing when and where to go.
If your son or daughter is thinking of enjoying their pleasurable activity, by visiting a city that is pretty much a safe place but for a small district and/or at certain times of the day… Would you advise him/her not to go, to avoid the whole city? Or only the particular spots that can prove troublesome?
Advising someone to avoid an area is not the same as saying we should “accomodate the thugs”.
I don’t want to see racing enthusiasts being put off going racing altogether by what they’ve seen in a bar or on an untypical racing day. To keep to the violence adage – They’d be cutting off their nose to spite their face.
Value Is EverythingAscot has organised a Beer Festival for its Fri 6 / Sat 7 Oct meeting
It’s wise to avoid the obvious days that non-racing people frequent… beer festivals
The Ascot Beer Festival has been running for over a decade now and I attend most years (I’ve only missed three so far). The days attract a typical real ale crowd- not lager louts- as well as racing people; it’s highly recommended to anyone who enjoys racing and proper beer.
As far as I’m aware, crowd trouble has been non-existent.
Afraid I have more or less given up going racing now, particularly at weekends.
I endeavour to not go anywhere further than my garden at weekends: racecourses, ‘attractions’, city centres, pubs, restaurants, roads, trains, planes… are all pretty unpleasant, be that simply due to the overcrowding, or to the behaviour of some of those who comprise the seething mass
For those of us fortunate enough to be in a position to appreciate it, the weekday world at, in and on the above remains largely as pleasant and civilized an experience as it always was
Mark, a racecourse isn’t a city centre on a weekend. It’s a venue for an event with sport at its core. You are charged for entry.
How do you rationalise the recommendation of Premier League style racing structures to help attract new racegoers when you need to tag on a safety warning to those newcomers about ‘no-go’ areas at certain meetings?
It should not be incumbent on customers to take precautions by avoiding ‘no-go’ areas. If the venue management cannot protect its customers the venue ought to close.
Sniffer dogs at Newbury on Lockinge day too
I think that was just after the Manchester concert attack and I would welcome stronger security on the gate, they didn’t search my sons bag….
Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
It is not a racing problem, it’s society’s…
That’s the nail on the head really. The wider media were yesterday having the exact same debate about drunks on planes as most of you no doubt saw. You can try to stop this behaviour as much as you like, and I think we all agree that racecourses should, but to change society is damn near impossible.
Jac
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