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the more suits that are worn at a meeting…the more obnoxious it is…
A bit like The Apprentice, then.
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.
Mum and Dad Column, jumps fans as well but mostly from the comfort of their armchairs, phoned me up the other night as they want to go to a race meeting again (for the first time in around 18 years). Wetherby, within an hour’s drive, was the logical choice, as the viewing and amenities are suitably spacious for them and neither are getting any younger.
I think I managed to persuade them that the upcoming Ladies’ Night there is much less likely to be about dressing up as per Ascot, and rather more about sunbed-marinaded, knicker-free early 20s harridans from Morley falling out of the bar / their dresses (in whichever order).
They’re going to the early June meeting instead. Please God let them be spared the worst then.
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.
I think I managed to persuade them that the upcoming Ladies’ Night there is much less likely to be about dressing up as per Ascot, and rather more about sunbed-marinaded, knicker-free early 20s harridans from Morley falling out of the bar / their dresses (in whichever order).
They’re going to the early June meeting instead. Please God let them be spared the worst then.
gc
I bet Father Column is counting his lucky stars as we speak !
As far as I am concerned ladies can go racing in any state of undress they wish as long as their behaviour is acceptable.
Ginge
Value Is EverythingManaged to find a nice warm radiator to sit on in ‘Owners’ & didn’t move from that spot for most of the afternoon.
So you recommend that everybody does their drinking in the ‘Owners’ then
I had a fantastic day at Sandown when Fiepes ran, but on quite a few occasions, I did see groups of people quite the worse for drink. There were some ‘Hooray Henry’ types swigging away at a champagne bottle, but like the majority, although loud, they were no trouble at all. I did have an incident with three lads who had a bit of go, but that was more to do with working for a German stable than anything. To be honest, it was pretty hot at Sandown, and I’m not surprised a few pints were sunk, but the point is, just because a group of lads have had a few bevvies at the racecourse, it doesn’t mean they want to cause any trouble.
Darren – AngloGerman
Why is it so remarkable to expect people to behave in a civilised manner whatever the circumstances? This is exactly the problem of becoming too tolerant – it is okay as long as it doesn’t affect me – the I am all right Jack society. If people did stay away and left it to you and the yobs someone might actually try and enforce a few standards of behaviour.
But all of these people aren’t actually committing a crime! So what is everyone actually suggesting? that racecourses employ a foot-patrol to walk around and ‘shush’ people when they get a bit too loud? It’s so futile to complain about it; and that’s why I ignore it.
The way this is talked about nowadays (not just on here), I think people have amalgamated these loud-people-at-racecourses with other things, i.e, newspaper articles about ‘hoodie’-violence and footage of binge-drinking women that they see on the news every night, into a panic-inducing whole: all because they share the common thread of alcohol, and feature young-ish people. But I’ve never seen anything that has put me off going again (at York).
There might be some truth in what NWRA says but you want to try watching a race while about 100 people sing a song about various football teams.
I am not a panic merchant myself, I am only in my early 30s and like the odd pint myself so I haven’t quite got a flat cap on yet!GC, If you can take them to Worcester on the Wednesday of Royal Ascot and the crowd is sparse and it is very easy to move about.
Market Raspberry have 2 Friday afternoon meets in June aswell so they could be worth going to, plus if you take them to Wetherby it will be all hurdles only due to the steeplechase track being awful.
I bet Father Column is counting his lucky stars as we speak !
He daren’t!!
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.
GC, If you can take them to Worcester on the Wednesday of Royal Ascot and the crowd is sparse and it is very easy to move about.
Market Raspberry have 2 Friday afternoon meets in June aswell so they could be worth going to, plus if you take them to Wetherby it will be all hurdles only due to the steeplechase track being awful.
Cheers, Neil. I did warn them that the chase course at Wetherby will be out of commission on either date, but they were undeterred by that. "Just as long as we see them jumping something", they countered. Like parents, like son.
They live on the foot of the Pennines rather than, say, south of Manchester, so Worcester would represent a three-hour chug down the M60 / M62 / M6 / M5 for them and the route to Rasen is equally convoluted.
I’d sooner they went to either of those tracks (or indeed Southwell or Uttoxeter), from the point of view of both atmosphere and seeing jumpers jumping at closer order (the viewing at Rasen is also easy enough at ground level to prevent mum – proud owner of two replacement hips – resorting to the stairs of the stands), but Wetherby just affords them that much greater convenience, ultimately.
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.
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