Windsor jumps. Back?

[clivexx]

Rumour after rumour and admittedly its not a new subject here but this would be more than welcome

The course is far better suited for watching jump racing than flat (those evening boring sprints with they sun directly in your eyes) and isn it true that the ground stood up well during winter?

Im often cycling along the bank across the river from then course. You look across and it just seems such a waste to be shut for 5 or so months of the year

Admittedly I went to one of the last meetings before the close (and it wasn’t one of the Ascot fixtures which returned briefly) on a Sat afternoon and the crowd was very modest but surely jump racing has a greater profile now ?

[Cork All Star]

I would love to see the jumps back there. The Ascot fixtures staged there about 15 years ago were well attended which shows that crowds will visit for good racing.

I expect the season would have to be fairly short. The Monday nights start in late April and I suppose they would want time to let the ground recover.

[Nathan Hughes]

Richard Hannon has a jumper in his squad
He’ll be looking to dominate the course like he does with his flat team

Member since March 2008

[Gingertipster]

Only time I’ve been to Windsor was a long time ago, over jumps.
I think Royal Derbi won the big race.

Value Is Everything

[apracing]

I went back 25 years to check the program then, and found 15 flat fixtures, running from May 12th to August 23rd, and 8 NH fixtures between November 15th and March 3rd.

So a total of 23 and two lengthy gaps from March 3rd to May 12th, and August 23rd to November 15th, to allow the course to recover.

The program for 2022 consists of 27 flat fixtures, running from April 4th to October 17th. So unless they give up some of those April and October fixtures (more AW at Lingfield perhaps), any NH meetings would have to be in a brief window from mid December to the end of January.

And where would the fixtures come from? Maybe Lingfield as ARC could switch them and save wear and tear on the ground there prior to new meeting we’ve just seen in January.

[apracing]

I’ve been told today that the NH cards that were run at Lingfield last weekend, were a trial run, deemed a success. And that the two NH days will switch to Windsor next year, staged either side of the Ascot Saturday card, with the whole thing marketed as a three day ‘Royal Berkshire Winter Festival’.

There would be no other NH meetings at Windsor, just those two days – at least that’s the current plan. No great surprise though if they were to re-invent the New Years Day meeting.

[clivexx]

ive seen that too but seems a little surprising for just two days. Also Lingfield has its own catchment area. Is there the appetite for three days within a couple of miles in Berkshire?

I was cycling past on river bank today again and it would have been the perfect day for it. Fair better jumps course than flat visually and those calm clear winter days by that stretch of the thames are hard to beat

[Stodge168]

Lingfield were very fortunate this year with an incredibly dry December and January which allowed the new meeting to go ahead without any problem.

In most recent winters, Lingfield is virtually and actually waterlogged in mid January. I presume the idea to move to Windsor would be to race on completely fresh ground improving the chances of racing going ahead.

I’m not convinced there’ll be any change for 2023 – I don’t think the card stands two days. A single day’s racing on the Sunday following the flat card would work and get ITV coverage which a Saturday jumps card won’t in competition with Ascot and Haydock (how many “Super Saturdays” can there be in any year?).

[Cork All Star]

If jump racing is returning at Windsor it should make a proper comeback. Just two days racing looks like a gimmick.

[Author]

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