Lingfield Park Racecourse

Racecourse number: 53

First visited: 2015

Number of visits: 1

Of all the racecourses, I have probably watched the most races from Lingfield Park. Since around 1990 the course has dominated the fixture list following the construction of an all-weather track. This has provided the industry year round betting opportunities ever since, but the course also retains its turf track on which it still stages Derby and Oaks trials in the spring. It also still holds national hunt racing so in a sense it was three courses I came to visit in August 2015. On this evening card I was treated to seven flat races, four on the turf followed by three on the all-weather. I say treated as this was a belated birthday gift for me, a racing weekend away staying at the Lingfield Marriott hotel with a room overlooking the course. On arrival, looking out onto the course at around the one furlong pole, I was surprised at the layout of the track and in particular the lack of significant stands. Was this really the course I had seen so many horses kick for home on the final bend? As we were there in plenty of time we had the opportunity to have a good look round before racing began. When it did things did not start well.

I had put a lot of study into the form at this meeting and I arrived full of confidence from a betting point of view. At the previous Saturday night Lingfield meeting I had won the Placepot in a successful dummy run and put together a decent perm looking to double up. Race one looked a straight forward win for the Mick Channon trained Harlequin Rock. I was on at 2-1 but as normal I was looking for a second smaller bet in the race. Initially I was minded to side with Silver Springs from the in form David Evans stable but instead I switched to Man Of Time who was making his handicap debut and likely to show improvement. We watched the first race from our hotel balcony which was a surreal experience and meant that I wasn't able to monitor the pre-race betting. In the race Harlequin Rock never looked like winning, dropping right out of contention. Nothing was able to pass all the way leader Silver Springs! My daughter Rachel recorded the end of the race on her IPad with me in the background embarrassing myself saying “no, no, not Silver Springs, I meant to back that!” Now I am not normally a bad loser. In many ways I am a professional loser in that I have lost more times than most but these were very specific circumstances. This was my first race at a new course and I felt like I had missed a good priced winner. It also meant I was down on the first leg of the Placepot when I could have had one of three less fancied placed horses which would have been a great start. To make things worse I was full of a cold, being hassled by what seemed like a swarm of wasps and struggling in the oppressive southern heat. This was probably the hottest meeting I have ever attended. My mood was not improved when I discovered the winner returned at 25-1. Had I been on the course proper I was sure to have had at least a small bet. I really was frustrated and had an overwhelming sense that there was no way I could recover from this from a betting point of view. Eventually though and in some ways amazingly that’s exactly what I did.

To start on the comeback trail I needed to find a winner. As luck would have it the first race at Ayr included a runner for my own trainer Philip Kirby. Iftikaar was looking to double up following a recent facile win. This was the only horse I had planned to back away from Lingfield that evening. They did not let me down with an equally easy win, albeit as a short priced favourite. This was just what I needed to move things in the right direction. In race two my turnaround continued though I did approach with uncertainty, knowing it was a pretty wide open contest. I had narrowed the field down to three options but somehow found myself holding a betting slip for option four Pyla who I had backed at 4-1. This was a last minute switch following the money for this selection, knowing the 4-1 would soon disappear.  Ridden off the pace by Oisin Murphy, Pyla came through with a steady late run to seal victory and build me some much needed momentum.

Lingfield, despite the lack of significant stands, is blessed with high quality and extensive facilities. The amount of space, the variety of food options and betting access were all very good. Family friendly activities were also on hand to smooth things along for the Tomlinsons. My team enjoyed the bouncy castle, face painting and stayed behind after racing to witness The Take That Experience. Pretty good value at £19 per adult for a one enclosure set up. In truth the course reminded me somewhat of Haydock Park in that significant facilities were dedicated to the drinking racegoer with Pimms replacing John Smiths Bitter. I am not a great fan of this scenario but I understand the economic necessity of it if horse racing as I know it is to continue. I can live with a few stag and hen parties, they certainly bring some diversity and character to the racecourse. One unwelcome sight at Lingfield though was a dedicated area within Ladbrokes for the dreaded betting terminals. Never used one, never want to. Don’t get me started on these.

Races three and four on the card saw me make further progress. In race three I could only manage a decent priced second. Once again Oisin Murphy came out on top with the strong favourite well beaten. Race four had only four runners but was still a very tricky, all contenders having a credible claim. The joint favourites had both had plenty of chances to win previously but now had found an easier opportunity to break their duck in this maiden race. However, my preference was for Milady, who had disappointed on her only run to date when she had started as favourite. A slow start had been blamed for her poor show that day and improvement for the experience was anticipated. At 9-2, this was my kind of profile and my kind of price. I had a decent bet on and following a comfortable win my zero to hero status was building as we queued for the winnings.

Operating at Lingfield that evening were two notable bookmakers. Barry Dennis, once of Channel Four Racing fame was in attendance. A real character who was great value, interacting with the crowd, posing for photos and generally adding to the night’s entertainment. I had a couple of losing bets with him. Another bookmaker of interest was ‘Big Jim’ who had a unique selling approach. Offer very poor prices but for those who do have a bet – free sweets. It was late in the meeting when my daughter spotted this opportunity but once she did, half our bets were placed with him. The difficulty was getting a decent price with him. Amazingly, this did not deter many casual punters from having a bet with him despite better prices available right next door! Races five and six were the first on the all- weather track and passed without major incident or winners for me. Other than to confirm that I would not have won the Placepot anyway. At the time this felt significant as the dividend now seemed likely to run into the thousands.

With one race to go I was content with my night’s work and really starting to enjoy myself, especially now the oppressive heat had abated. Eight year old Jake however was not in a good place. It was now past his bed time and the long day combined with the heat and an hour’s castle bouncing had taken its toll. Following stern words from his mother I took Jake off for a change of scene, waiting outside the weighing room for the jockeys to come out for the final race. Something I had done many times with my own Dad at Haydock thirty years earlier. Whilst waiting I was studying the form trying to identify one more winner. So far the meeting had been a graveyard for the obvious, favourite after favourite being turned over. I had narrowed the race down to mid-priced contenders Light Wave and Oakley Girl. Very soon my mind would be made up for me in a fabulous and unexpected way. One jockey came out ahead of the others and wandered over to talk to my son who was now crouched down next to the paddock. After asking him his name and age, double winning jockey Oisin Murphy commented on Jake’s face paint and then asked the perfectly reasonable question “Do you like horses Jake?” His response was less than enthusiastic, a facial expression that said at best – not really. Oisin’s classy response was “I see, your dad likes horses.” Very true. I congratulated him on his two winners and he responded by strongly suggesting he was about to make it three, though he was a bit worried about the favourite Barsanti. Fantastic. Off he went to mount up, signing a couple of autographs on the way. I was really impressed by this softly spoken young Irish jockey who is really starting to make a name for himself. He had no need to initiate this conversation and I really did not expect it. It came across as a genuine attempt to engage with a young enthusiast in his sport. In truth I was even more impressed when Oakley Girl with Oisin doing the steering out battled Barsanti in the final furlong to conclude a brilliant evening. Another winner, this time at 7-2. I was absolutely thrilled but before we collected our returns we darted to the winner’s enclosure to give the winner a cheer and clap. From him passing the winning post to collecting our returns I believe I called my new favourite jockey top man at least ten times, much to the disgust of a slightly happier Jake. This result finally erased the fading memory of Silver Springs and replaced it with a much better more lasting memory – an encounter with a future top jockey and a winner live at the all-weather track at Lingfield Park. A top evening, a top racecourse and in Oisin a top man!