Leicester Racecourse

Racecourse number: 15

First visited: 1989

Number of visits: 57

When I arrived at Leicester University aged eighteen in the autumn of 1989 it was clear my life was about to alter in a massive way. New friends, living away from home and new academic challenges were thrust upon me. In truth the one constant that transferred from my previous life to this was horse racing. In a way though the transfer was more of an upgrade. Suddenly I lived half a mile from a racecourse and close to many other tracks on the Midlands circuit. Over the next few years I would very much take advantage of this.

In those days Leicester staged quite a few Monday and Tuesday afternoon meetings which were integrated into my student life. Initially I had mixed emotions as the awe of my close proximity to the racing action was offset to some extent by guilt over missed lectures. In the end racing beat lectures by a distance, not least because the visits were such good value. I would enter the silver ring for £3 including a basic racecard. The old blue stand, part of which still exists (see above) was supported by good facilities up to about the half furlong pole. I also enjoyed the option to wander down to the one an a half furlong point near the final fence/hurdle which was an excellent vantage point. I also soon cottoned on to the enclosure transfer turnstile being opened up prior to the last race, which gave cheapskates like myself the opportunity to enjoy the better facilities in the Tattersalls enclosure. I was not on my own much to the consternation of the silver ring bookmakers who often saw reduced action on the days get out stakes. At the many Autumn/Winter meetings the weather was often bleak and windy and I recall one particular day when the bookmakers set up half way up the silver ring grandstand to ply their trade. There were more bookies than punters that day. I often ended the meetings helping myself to the published photo finish images which along with losing betting tickets became part of my student decor. 

The Saturday meetings in April and June were the highlight of my Leicester student racing days. In fact Saturday 26th April 1990, my 19th birthday is one of my favourite days ever at the races as I was attending with a big group of friends on a sunny spring afternoon. This is still Leicester's big meeting of the year featuring the Listed Leicestershire Stakes which briefly became a Group 3 contest. A big crowd was treated to competitive racing, with representatives from many of the big stables and top jockeys such as Steve Cauthen and Paul Eddery. Both would ride winners that day for Henry Cecil and Michael Stoute respectively. My group was boosted by backing many of the days winners including Se-Aq, J Brand, Angel Train and big race winner Monsagem. Approaching the final race we grouped some funds together to have a decent collective bet on my selection. The horse in question, Kartajana was making her racecourse debut and would go on to much, much better things. She romped home and between us we had £35 on at what seemed a generous 4-5 as she was backed off the boards. A fantastic day. I also really loved the June Saturday evening meetings in the early 1990s. Sponsored by the Leicester Mercury they often featured a great crowd and a Caribbean style steel band. In 1992 my friends and I had a decent win after a significant stroke of luck on our way to the races. We were walking to the course from nearby Aylestone when a posh car pulled over and asked us for directions to the races. We directed them from the back seat on the way. They seemed well connected to the Paul Cole yard and assured us that the bigger priced runner of two in the 8:45 was the one to be on. On arrival they went to the owners and trainers entrance. We went to the silver ring. Sure enough a few hours later Paul Cole's Just Speculation won convincingly at 11-1 (backed from 14-1) whilst his drifting second favourite Summit Fever could only manage sixth! If Carlsberg did Taxis!

In late 1990 Leicester, at one of its obscure Monday meetings would become the focus of the racing world. I was there when the headline in the Racing Post read simply Leicester Piggott. Indeed this was such a big story that it became part of the mainstream news. Lestor, now fifty six, had two rides following his unexpected return to the saddle. His original retirement was five years earlier. Could his first ride be a fairytale return? I was next to the rail about 100 yards from the finish line. Lestor and his mount were locked together in a tremendous battle with a horse ridden by Gary Carter, another favourite jockey of mine from that period. I was literally right there witnessing something very special. Unfortunately Gary had not read the script and held on to win by a head. Lestor's other ride disappointed and he would have to wait until the following day at Chepstow to ride his first winner back in the saddle. Exactly one year later I attended the same Leicester meeting and this time Lestor made no mistake on the Dick Hern trained Claret. This was incredibly his 102nd winner since his return, with the Breeders Cup win of Royal Academy the undoubted highlight.

I have so many fond memories of my visits to Leicester through this period, attending roughly fifty meetings between 1989 and 1995. I witnessed some dramatic finishes and last fence tumbles. I watched some national hunt greats like Stearsby and Terao. One day following a must attend lecture I turned up for just one race to see future Derby contender Muhtarram. Racing all year round, flat and jumps was such a bonus. I celebrated some great wins (Milton Bryan) and suffered some big losses (Fly To The Stars). I even managed to get myself on the front page of the Sporting Life, stood next to the last fence. Sometimes attending alone, often with friends and later with my future wife Claire this was truly a golden period in by racing experience. Whilst attending Leicester University I doubled the number of racecourses I had visited from fourteen to twenty-eight. From this point there was never any doubt that I would ultimately visit them all. 

Hexham Racecourse

                 

Racecourse number: 38

First visited: 1998

Number of visits: 2

In November 2014 my Dad and I attended Hexham races to watch Transient Bay make his debut over hurdles. Following a couple of promising runs in national hunt flat races the previous year this marked the start of his second season as a racehorse. This was my Dad’s first visit to Hexham and my second. The course has a quite picturesque setting in rural surroundings with a natural hillside amphitheatre which provides good viewing. The racecard identifies the course as Britain’s most scenic. I can see where they are coming from. Perhaps though the statement should be qualified with “weather permitting.” This cold, cloudy day would not do the course justice. Undeterred, on arrival we went to collect our owner’s badges. A simple task you would imagine.

Not on this day. Most racecourses allocate at least six free badges to owners and offer additional ones at half price. On this occasion my name was listed to get a free extra badge allocated to the jockey, no doubt to maximise our free badges. I was given free entry and able to pay half price for my Dad but there was an issue. My dad was given a voucher for a free bowl of soup but I was not. I had the audacity to politely request the same. My jockey’s badge it seemed was frowned upon and did not qualify for soup so I was given short shrift by the team managing this entry process. I could have protested further, perhaps ironically stating that I would still make my allotted weight even after consuming the soup. However, the queue was building up behind us and I could instinctively tell I was onto a loser. Now I like soup, especially on a day like this but it’s not really about the soup. Anywhere you go as a customer you want to be made to feel welcome. In horseracing owners are absolutely key to its longevity. Not for the first time at a racecourse owner’s entrance I did not feel particularly welcome or appreciated. Later, Soup-gate as I shall now refer to it took an ironic turn for the worse.

Transient Bay’s race was the second on the card, a novice hurdle over two and a half miles. Seven would run with prizemoney for the first four. Certainly an exciting prospect as we all gathered in the parade ring prior to the race. The partnership of twenty was reasonably well represented as the regular attendees were becoming established. Over the runs to come I would do my best to be one of them. The situation at Hexham would have been even more exciting had we known at the time that one of the runners would go on to win the Grand National. In truth, I had not even considered One For Arthur as a strong contender for this lowly race let alone as a future national hunt star. Lucinda Russell’s runner would finish a promising third this day before going on to much bigger and better things. Prior to the race there was lengthy discussion with our jockey, Kyle James. Surrounded by around ten people he outlined his thoughts directly to me, which did make me feel quite special. In short, his expectation was not high in terms of victory but he did predict a promising run to build on. One concern at the time was that Phil’s horses were not in great form. In fact his Up the Bees had just disappointed in the first race. One thing we were not concerned about was the hurdles themselves for our giant thoroughbred. They were no more than a tiny trip hazard to him. The official race record reports we were held up behind, pushed along 5^th, soon struggling, pulled up 4 out. Not a great effort really and there was disappointment, initially mixed with a little concern as we were pulled up with almost a circuit to go. Speaking to Kyle straight after the run he felt the horse was not himself, was soon very tired and that the run was way too bad to be true.

Whilst I did manage one early short priced winner, punting success would elude me this day. In our race I backed the John Quinn trained favourite Zermatt who, whilst getting a little further round than Transient Bay was also pulled up. A confident bet on Present Lodger came unstuck when the jockey unseated right in front of us. My Dad was faring no better and after race three, decided to cash in his bowl of soup voucher. Unfortunately in the owners and trainers bar the soup had run out. Don’t worry Dad I bet they have loads left at the general racecourse canteen. They did, and it smelt great but this soup there is not for owners and has to be paid for. No doubt most of it was thrown away at the end of the day! Three years on I can confirm I have largely moved on from Soup-gate and eat soup on a regular basis whether paid for or not. Generally though, facilities at Hexham are not great. Certainly, the lack of a stand is a huge miss, even allowing for the hillside location. The betting shop is also quite intriguing, a bit like the opposite of Dr Who’s Tardis. From the outside it looks ordinary sized but inside there is very little room, small screens and something of a rugby scrum environment to overcome to get a bet on. Overall, you may have sensed the course is not massively to my liking and it would appear the horse agreed. When the fifth race was won by outsider Mrs Grass we knew it would not be our day and was time to cut our losses. Disappointed, cold and yes a little hungry we headed home. Looking at the day positively it was one of those that gave perspective. If the day ever came when we were victorious we would appreciate it more based on days like this.

Ayr Racecourse

Racecourse number: 42

First visited: 2001

Number of visits: 3

Tucked away on the West coast of Scotland Ayr is not the easiest racecourse to get to, pretty much wherever you are based. In 2001 on our return home from a mini-break to Inverness my wife Claire and I made a slight detour and paid a visit to Scotland’s only grade one track. This was a late August flat meeting which provided the added bonus of reasonable weather. Wing Commander won the first race I saw at Ayr for Michael Bell, winning pretty comfortably under Mickey Fenton. I was fairly impressed with the facilities and scale of the course, though the stands were somewhat dated at this stage. Later, Chris Thornton had a runner, Shane, owned by Guy Reed and ridden by Dean McKeown. I remember being disappointed that Chris himself was not in attendance and that Shane was unplaced. Jockeys featuring that day included Joe Fanning, Kim Tinkler, George Duffield and two emerging apprentices, Paul Hanagan and Keith Dalgliesh.

Sixteen years later I returned with my Dad to watch a national hunt fixture. To come this far there had to be a good reason, even for a good set up like Ayr. This day we would see my horse Transient Bay’s long awaited chase debut. I was not going to miss this. One of the largest horses in training, Stenna as he is known always looked like a chaser in the making. If jumping fences could bring about some further improvement in the horse we could maybe progress from moderate handicaps to some of the decent and more valuable staying chases held pretty much every Winter Saturday. This potential had no doubt occupied the thoughts of all partnership members over the summer following three wins in the 2015-16 season, including one at Ayr. Optimism was a little more guarded now however following two inauspicious runs to start the 2016-17 campaign. A pulled up at Uttoxeter was followed by another at Ayr. The first we put down to lack of fitness, the second we possibly ran over half a mile too far. Expectation was certainly mixed but worryingly the spectre of a breathing issue, common in larger horses, was now being talked about.

Nevertheless, I had always planned to ensure I was at the chase debut. Indeed this was my first runner over fences as an owner. So on a cold Sunday in January my Dad and I headed north in preparation for Monday’s meeting. In truth, I did not really want to go in some ways. Not wanting to give up Sunday with my wife and kids was a positive reflection on something approaching domestic bliss. They too genuinely seemed to not want me to go. Possibly my decision to take the family IPad with me could have been a factor! We were booked in to a Premier Inn not far from the racecourse which proved to be a good decision. It was welcoming, modern and certainly not busy. In fact prior to our horse running almost everything about this trip had gone really well. The only negative was cutting across to Ayr on the dodgy A70 in poor driving conditions. There was still a slight chance that the meeting would not go ahead if we had a lot of rain. Thankfully it was misty, murky, grey, quite windy but not very wet. Welcome to Scotland!

That evening at the hotel, a meal and a few drinks with my Dad proved to be an enlightening and enjoyable experience. Normally our conversations revolve around horse racing, family and football, usually in that order. With additional time on our hands we had a rare reflective conversation about our life paths, choices we made and the future – much bigger stuff than normal. He shared with me some new material – unheard stories from for example when he was doing nursing training and lived with one of his brothers. This was quality time, unusually slow paced in my busy modern lifestyle. As we talked I became very pleased with my decision to take this trip. Too often in the past I have taken the easy option and stayed at home. Now this contentment at forty-five years old may not be my pinnacle in life but that Sunday night in Scotland, anticipating maybe a big day ahead, things felt pretty good. In fact it felt like I was a winner whatever the outcome of the big race. In the background though, an unexpected element to this story was developing online. Having been priced up at around 14-1 in the initial Sunday afternoon market a sustained number of bets meant by the time we awoke the following morning we would be 4-1 second favourite. Clearly someone knew something but why wasn’t that me?

The set up for owners at Ayr is pretty impressive and in many ways sets the standard for others to follow. Owners are correctly prioritised and looked after. Great parking facilities, plenty of well organised staff and an amazing lunch set you up for a great day. Within the confines of the hotel near the parade ring a function room is where the food is served. We shared a table with trainer Phil Kirby and many of the other partnership members. Phil informed us that the Golden Horse tipping line had made Transient Bay one of their bets of the season. He really wasn’t sure why. After lengthy discussion we concluded that, whilst we have a chance, the current 4-1 was very poor value. Perhaps 8-1 was about right. In the third race I had planned to back Brydon Boy, who had recently been defeated by Phil’s Courtown Oscar in a hard-fought battle at Hereford. Phil’s insight would be of interest. He felt my selection would likely be feeling the effects of that duel and offered an alternative selection, Sevenballs of Fire, who he knew was strongly fancied by fellow trainer Iain Jardine. Fair enough, consider my allegiance switched.

The meeting was poorly attended, which is not totally surprising for a cold January Monday but certainly the reasonable quality card and good facilities deserved more. Another disappointment within this spacious racecourse was the presence of only a handful of bookmakers. Hardly a betting market at all, watering down one of my favourite aspects of going racing. Since I was a boy I have loved chasing round after the best price. Having a winner is great but backing it at a briefly available best price is extremely rewarding. So trying to back the favourite in race one and seeing the same price on every board was somewhat deflating. On a positive note both my Dad and I backed the easy winner Fairlee Grey. Then, however we discovered these bookmakers pay out mainly in strangely coloured and sized Scottish bank notes. This would prove mainly a fleeting problem as over the course of the day the performance of our selections would not test the thickness of our wallets or pockets! The racecourse stands had been upgraded since my last visit though elements of the old stands remained, integrated into the new. Race two was won by the Gordon Elliott trained Whizzey Rascal. Quite a few Irish trainers had made the trip this day. He also trained the likely favourite, Holeinthewall Bar for Transient Bay’s race later in the day. Meanwhile in race three Sevenballs of Fire ran poorly, weighed down by my heavy investment. My frustration was compounded by the easy and impressive victory of Brydon Boy. Cheers for that Phil! Following this and a near certain victory at Wolverhampton snatched away on the line, it was beginning to look like this would not be my day. However, success or failure on this day would inevitably be defined by the performance of our chase debutant Transient Bay.

Confidence was largely subdued as Adam Nicol mounted for our big race. The market, or Ayr’s version of that at least, had bounced back the other way with our horse drifting to a more realistic price. Following some great wins the previous season and probably two years building up to a run over fences the run itself proved to be a massive anti-climax. He never looked comfortable jumping and only got halfway round before Adam pulled him up. He was jumping safely but somewhat sluggishly. He was never really travelling with any enthusiasm, a bit like me on the journey home later! Adam explained he was not happy with the horse at any stage and so played things safe. He re-iterated his concerns about the horse’s breathing. The horse had made noises during the race that would require investigation, possibly an operation. Transient Bay himself seemed content enough, which was at least something positive for this disgruntled partnership group to reflect on. During the long journey home I would have given you decent odds on Stenna winning his next race. Nothing pointed to it. There was even a possibility he would not run again. Surprisingly though a few weeks later he did run and win at the rewarding odds of 16-1. Perhaps the Golden Horse people were onto something after all!