Racecourse number: 1
First visited: 1981
Number of visits: 157
Now let me start this section by saying that I love Haydock Park. I had my first fantastic racecourse experience there as a child. As a teenager it was one of the places I was most happy, attending numerous meetings excitedly with my Mum and Dad. Later with my own growing family I would very much take advantage of its close proximity, just forty minutes from home. By 2019 I had attended more than 150 meetings over the years enjoying corporate hospitality, music events, family fun days and more. I had twice attended as an owner and had even sponsored a race for my fortieth birthday, hiring a private box for family and friends. Since that special day in 2011 I have been taking my Dad to Haydock several times a year, mainly to the big Saturday meetings. More recently a new addition to our team has emerged. Unexpectedly, my teenage daughter Rachel has started to join us on a regular basis. She has been drawn in not so much by the horse racing itself but the sheer excitement of it all, the atmosphere, the regular famous faces in the crowd and the extra non-racing entertainment on offer. Three generations of Tomlinsons were now in regular attendance as we prepared to attend the highlight of the jumps season at Haydock, the Betfair Chase. Our custom must be an absolute dream scenario for the marketing team at Haydock as they battle to attract racegoers in the face of a changing world, economic uncertainty and significant competition for custom. There was however a massive and growing problem which was threatening to ruin the Haydock experience for everyone.
This situation was highlighted two months earlier when the three of us had attended the Sprint Cup meeting at the beginning of September. My Dad and I had previously witnessed great victories by the likes of Petong, Dream Ahead and Gordon Lord Byron. My Dad even fondly recalled the first winner of the race, Be Friendly, from the 1960s owned by Sir Peter O'Sullivan. See above photo of him with the Be Friendly statue. This paragraph should really be about the impressive victory of Hello Youmzain in the Sprint Cup or the final furlong tussle between Time To Study and Alright Sunshine in the Old Borough Cup. Unfortunately the main drama of the day unfolded before we even entered the racecourse. Following some well publicised incidents relating to drinking, fighting and drug taking at Haydock Park there was now an additional security process to go through when arriving at the course. Not unlike airport arrangements there was a queue waiting to go past additional specialist security complete with drug sniffer dog and handler. We had gone through this process once or twice before without incident. On this occasion as we walked past the sniffer dog things took a dramatic turn. The dog suddenly became very interested in my Dad getting a little too close to him and clearly identifying him as a drug carrier. My Dad was then quizzed and then searched by the security team who seemed initially confused as to what happens in this process. At first my Dad was bemused by this unexpected situation but soon became quite upset. He then uttered some significant words, the stuff of nightmares for the Haydock marketing team, "I am never coming here again!"
Now to be clear I don't blame the dog who obviously smelt something of significance. However to the human eye his selection should have been seen as very questionable. Approaching eighty, with failing eye sight and at times struggling to get around you don't need to be Miss Marple to see the flaw in his selection. He joined a surprisingly large number of suited twenty somethings who we soon discovered did very much have something to hide. The security team treated him the same as the others however asking a series of increasingly ridiculous questions. The one crumb of kindness was the suggestion that the dog may have picked up on the scent of his prescription medication! My daughter Rachel and I stayed close by while my Dad was processed and cleared for entry. Whilst we did the extent of Haydock's drug problem became clear. The dog was very excitable as we witnessed drugs being confiscated, more and more people being searched and security staff quizing clearly already high/drunk individuals. This ten minute snapshot was very worrying but ultimately we did not let it ruin our day. My Dad soon bounced back and was able to laugh about it. We were able to reflect fondly on his historical and ongoing capacity to get involved in such mini-adventures.
The situation at Haydock is somewhat complex. Earlier in the year a regular racegoer had described Haydock park as a ticking bomb following the expansion of drinking areas. This was published in the Racing Post soon after a violent brawl broke out in front of the stands before the final race on Grand National trial day. The three of us had attended this day and whilst we did not witness the violence it was most unsettling to hear about it. It was this event and others like it at other courses that had prompted Haydock's new stance on drugs. Certainly drugs had been a factor in this incident but for me there are other significant factors that need consideration. All of them relate to alcohol. To appeal to a new audience, much needed from a revenue point of view, the racecourse has increasingly attracted younger people whose focus is to drink. It did not go unnoticed by me that on Sprint Cup day the old Tote betting facility near the paddock had been replaced by a gin bar! Drinking is further encouraged by allowing it in all areas. This is insane. Most racecourses restrict where you can drink which really helps the balance for everyone. At Haydock the space in front of the stands is often blocked by massive groups of drinkers. Frustratingly many have little or no interest in the racing, often oblivious to races being run. Back in February a significant cause of the trouble was the abandonment of Newbury the week before. Two additional races were added to the Haydock card meaning a lot more drinking time!
The last ten years have seen a worrying increase in anti-social behaviour on the racecourse. I have witnessed many unsavoury incidents, been verbally abused and bumped around. If I had a pound for every drink I had seen dropped or knocked over in this period I would be attending in a private box at the next meeting. If this process goes unchecked there will be fewer and fewer non-drinking racegoers attending horse racing, the sport will lose its core appeal and would be in a lot of trouble. To give fair balance I would accept that at times these groups add to the atmosphere of the day and I have also witnessed some great examples of fun and friendly shenanigans. One I remember fondly is a group of lads doing a mock commentary on people walking towards the finish line in between races. My Dad and I engaged by staging a mock exciting finish for them. Nevertheless I would implore Haydock to reduce the areas designated for drinking, and refuse entry to anyone already worse for wear. I also accept that people have a desire to drink at racecourses and that this is an issue in society and certainly not the fault of Haydock or horse racing. Ironically my Dad has become an example of the wrong person being deterred from returning to Haydock following their crackdown on drug takers. We did not attend the Betfair Chase in November this year as the large crowd and new processes were going to be just too much hassle for him. Just like the big race winner that day Haydock's efforts to deal with the issue is Lostintranslation!
Indeed I am saddened that my last two blogs have not been inspired by my journey to all the racecourses of Great Britain but instead by the very real fear that future generations will not get to enjoy it. I can positively report though that my Dad and I returned to Haydock, at a quieter Wednesday fixture in December, when the attending crowd were much more horse racing focused.
Now to be clear I don't blame the dog who obviously smelt something of significance. However to the human eye his selection should have been seen as very questionable. Approaching eighty, with failing eye sight and at times struggling to get around you don't need to be Miss Marple to see the flaw in his selection. He joined a surprisingly large number of suited twenty somethings who we soon discovered did very much have something to hide. The security team treated him the same as the others however asking a series of increasingly ridiculous questions. The one crumb of kindness was the suggestion that the dog may have picked up on the scent of his prescription medication! My daughter Rachel and I stayed close by while my Dad was processed and cleared for entry. Whilst we did the extent of Haydock's drug problem became clear. The dog was very excitable as we witnessed drugs being confiscated, more and more people being searched and security staff quizing clearly already high/drunk individuals. This ten minute snapshot was very worrying but ultimately we did not let it ruin our day. My Dad soon bounced back and was able to laugh about it. We were able to reflect fondly on his historical and ongoing capacity to get involved in such mini-adventures.
The situation at Haydock is somewhat complex. Earlier in the year a regular racegoer had described Haydock park as a ticking bomb following the expansion of drinking areas. This was published in the Racing Post soon after a violent brawl broke out in front of the stands before the final race on Grand National trial day. The three of us had attended this day and whilst we did not witness the violence it was most unsettling to hear about it. It was this event and others like it at other courses that had prompted Haydock's new stance on drugs. Certainly drugs had been a factor in this incident but for me there are other significant factors that need consideration. All of them relate to alcohol. To appeal to a new audience, much needed from a revenue point of view, the racecourse has increasingly attracted younger people whose focus is to drink. It did not go unnoticed by me that on Sprint Cup day the old Tote betting facility near the paddock had been replaced by a gin bar! Drinking is further encouraged by allowing it in all areas. This is insane. Most racecourses restrict where you can drink which really helps the balance for everyone. At Haydock the space in front of the stands is often blocked by massive groups of drinkers. Frustratingly many have little or no interest in the racing, often oblivious to races being run. Back in February a significant cause of the trouble was the abandonment of Newbury the week before. Two additional races were added to the Haydock card meaning a lot more drinking time!
The last ten years have seen a worrying increase in anti-social behaviour on the racecourse. I have witnessed many unsavoury incidents, been verbally abused and bumped around. If I had a pound for every drink I had seen dropped or knocked over in this period I would be attending in a private box at the next meeting. If this process goes unchecked there will be fewer and fewer non-drinking racegoers attending horse racing, the sport will lose its core appeal and would be in a lot of trouble. To give fair balance I would accept that at times these groups add to the atmosphere of the day and I have also witnessed some great examples of fun and friendly shenanigans. One I remember fondly is a group of lads doing a mock commentary on people walking towards the finish line in between races. My Dad and I engaged by staging a mock exciting finish for them. Nevertheless I would implore Haydock to reduce the areas designated for drinking, and refuse entry to anyone already worse for wear. I also accept that people have a desire to drink at racecourses and that this is an issue in society and certainly not the fault of Haydock or horse racing. Ironically my Dad has become an example of the wrong person being deterred from returning to Haydock following their crackdown on drug takers. We did not attend the Betfair Chase in November this year as the large crowd and new processes were going to be just too much hassle for him. Just like the big race winner that day Haydock's efforts to deal with the issue is Lostintranslation!
Indeed I am saddened that my last two blogs have not been inspired by my journey to all the racecourses of Great Britain but instead by the very real fear that future generations will not get to enjoy it. I can positively report though that my Dad and I returned to Haydock, at a quieter Wednesday fixture in December, when the attending crowd were much more horse racing focused.
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