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Understand where you are coming from Barry.The big meetings are also full of corporate types unable to tell the horse’s head from the tail.<br>However I think that if you pay your £60 ish a head for Royal Ascot or Cheltenham and you want to watch the racing you’re seeing championship racing with the best horses and jockeys from Europe competing (accepting the overcrowding and badly designed grandstand at Ascot). Arguably this represents value and equates to say premiership football. IMO £15-25 for the lower grade stuff equates to watching the football conference and isn’t value (I’m told the crowd at Lingers on Friday was poor)
Lingfield.
Not all "serious" racegoers are in racing purely for betting. Some still enjoy the racecourse experience for what it is.
If as you say the gamblers or "real" racegoers choose to save £15 entry fee and bet on line off course then you cannot blame the racecourses for marketing to an audience that brings in the dosh. If you are not contributing to the race course then they will look elswhere.
As I think McGrath said on the C4 ML one morning it is the the busy evening meetings that pay for the better class days racing. Without the coach parties etc racecourses would have real trouble making ends meet.
I have often said to people that you get far fewer yobs at National Hunt meeting’s than at Flat ones and most of them have agreed with me. Any thoughts?
Probably to do with the times of year War Admiral, as was mentioned above Worcester is one of the exceptions but even then it’s mainly the ‘Summer evening meetings’ that turn into the yobfests.<br>It’s often said that the end of the football season often signals when the arrests at the racecourses begin in numbers and I can certainly believe that to an extent (funny how the word ‘football’ is often involved when talking about the problem?!) I don’t know if I’ve been lucky but I’ve gone to the Cheltenham Festival twice in the last few years and yes there were people there who had obviously drunk so much they could barely stand up but there was nothing like the loutish behaviour I’ve seen when I’ve been to John Smith’s Cup Day at York (vile atmosphere which is a shame as the card is usually a good one) and a Saturday at Ripon last year which I assumed at the time was having an episode of the Channel 4 show Shameless filmed there and I witnessed first-hand some idiot throw his plastic glass of beer at a horse as it trailed home at the rear of the field (he was quickly removed by the stewards) – both incidents happened in the Summer and I’ve been to lots of meetings in the Winter (mainly jumps meetings) and not seen anything like the above.
You get the dickheads at any sporting event but sadly I really do think they are on the increase in the Sport Of Kings. As I said in the first post I’ll be amazed if an incident of this nature at York this Summer doesn’t make the headlines in the RP.
Quote: from InvisibleLayer on 1:18 am on May 13, 2007[br]what do courses want? a real racegoer or a coach party spending shed loads on beer?
As of Uttoxeter the disabled toilets near the parade ring are are only used by people doing the white stuff<br>
Listening to the music of Charlie Parker is commonplace at all racecourses, though mainly at high profile summer flat meetings (Royal Ascot, Glorious Goodwood, York Ebor).
I’d rather have peaceful followers of LeCharles Bentley than coach trip lager louts!  <br>
(Edited by ToneLoc at 2:23 pm on May 14, 2007)
Agree largely with Kevin there.
There are some badish meetings here and there (although unlike at many sports, its not that difficult to get away from idiots) but it would hardly stop me going racing.
I have no problem with the drive for big crowds at evening meetings. The racing isnt usually serious and it generates good revenue and maybe some longer term interest with punters
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in reply to the comment about yobs going to york next, i would second that, i lived in York up until november last year (now i am in Brighton) and i would just like to say that i have never known somewhere to have so many ‘yobbish’ people in the town, now if they all went to that race meeting i feel sorry for the genuine racing lovers who go. as for beer in a barrel on ur back..thats just asking for trouble.
Listening to the music of Charlie Parker is commonplace at all racecourses
:cool: <br>Mike
Hello,
Flat meetings DEFINITELY attract more yobs than NH.<br>Haydock must be the Yob Champion of the courses, with the Manchester/Liverpool rivalry, sometimes interupted by oiks from Leeds etc.<br> The escalation of thuggery went hand in hand with the ever growing number of Friday evening meetings, and Saturday punch ups’ are now almost obligatory.
What do Haydock do ??
Cut down on the trouble free NH meetings introducing roll on roll off fences, :( ….and introduce more YOB FESTS'<br>purely for economic reasons.
It is inevitable some one WILL be killed, possibly this summer. Then Police presence will be the LAW…then Haydock will have to shell out the huge sums Police Forces charge [ask any Football Club Secretary], negating any profit this ill judged change of code will bring in.
Unfortunately, all standards are slipping through out this immoral, cash grabbing , decaying empire and I cannot offer any solutions….:(
regards,
doyley
I haven’t set foot on a British racecourse since 2000 Guineas day last year-and i’m in no hurry to make a return.
I think it was John Gosden who wrote a piece bemoaning yobbery on British racecourses-about 6 years ago-and the situation is worse now.
Someone recently asked me why I go (and purchased a flat) to Saratoga-and I replied "Because no British racegoers go there"
Meant as a joke but…
It’s all about money .. yobs bring in the cash unfortunately, Haydock will be in a right mess after this year .. another fine plan Stanley !!
Quote: from doyley on 7:35 pm on May 14, 2007[br]Hello,
Flat meetings DEFINITELY attract more yobs than NH.<br>Haydock must be the Yob Champion of the courses, with the Manchester/Liverpool rivalry, <br>
<br>Yet the crowds at Cartmel are drawn largely from the same cities, and I’ve never seen a single instance of trouble in 15 trips to the Lakeland idyll. Is there something underlying here to do with behaviour in a given environment, or does Cartmel perhaps not hand out beer like sweeties in the same way Haydock does?
gc<br>
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
Hi Gray,
Could be the proximity of Haydock to the Cities, slightly nearer than Cartmel.<br>Also, Cartmel is Family orientated, the Bank Holiday Fetsivals’ are advertised as such.<br>Whereas, Haydock have traditionally attracted Stag Parties, with an evening in Blackpool to follow Saturday Racing. <br>Over the last few years, Hen Parties have become very popular, which does quieten down the lads somewhat as they try and pull rather than fight!
However, you are quite right to be puzzled, re: Cartmel and Haydock.<br>As I am puzzled that Rugby League fans are, altho’ not lily white, substantially better behaved than football fans, and one would say, are drawn from the same area and social class. :(
regards,
doyley
I have quite a few friends in the north and the culture of drinking until you drop is a lot more prevalent than down here. Seems to be something you grow out of in the south but you see all ages in a right mess at places like York and Ripon
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Quote: from clivex on 2:09 pm on May 16, 2007[br]I have quite a few friends in the north and the culture of drinking until you drop is a lot more prevalent than down here. Seems to be something you grow out of in the south but you see all ages in a right mess at places like York and Ripon
Clivex
How are we supposed to believe someone who’d lie about having friends?:biggrin: <br>You never been to Royal Ascot, by the way?
Yes
Last time i went to Royal ascot it was at
<br>…..York ;)
But frankly it was actually nicer than when at Ascot. :cheesy:
I dont rule out visits to Royal ascot but its not an event i hurry to…depsite being just up the road
<br>Do you still go racing with EC and Stav reet?? ;)
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Quote: from clivex on 4:09 pm on May 16, 2007[br]<br>Do you still go racing with EC and Stav reet?? ;) <br>
Yeah, but only for the bonhomie!;)
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