The Final Furlong - Plumpton Racecourse

 

On Sunday May 12^th 2024 the Jason Tomlinson’s Final Racecourse Celebration Handicap Chase took place at Plumpton racecourse in East Sussex. As a race name it doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue but this event was the pinnacle of another wonderful day at the races and also marked the end of my forty three year journey to every racecourse in Great Britain. On the day I remember thinking back to twenty one year old Jason and his visit to Royal Ascot way back in June 1992, which was roughly at the halfway point of my quest. This was a time in my life of great uncertainty about the future. Even then though, I believe I would have been very confident that a final racecourse visit would take place. That I would ultimately complete the set. What this day would entail though and who would be involved would be a much tougher question. Something very hard to predict at that point. However, it would not have been too difficult for twenty-one year old me to imagine a really perfect scenario for such a day.

It would be wonderful if the day had a relaxed, fun and racing friendly atmosphere. Certainly I would want a day with great weather, largely sunny but not too hot. That I would have some wonderful family around me would be amazing but so hard to imagine back in 1992. What about a fabulous, supportive wife and a daughter who was developing her own passion for a day at the races. Sponsoring a race would definitely not have been on my radar back then either but why not, let’s go with that. My story could perhaps be featured in the racecard. That my dad would be there to witness this moment would be a key component to the perfect day, though the passage of time may make this unlikely. Some of my university friends being there would also be really good. Betting success would be a nice bonus for me and ideally my Dad too. What about both of us backing a few winners, my Dad getting not one but two of his legendary doubles up and me somehow backing a 20-1 winner. A winner that I also passed on to a great friend. Maybe, after my sponsored race, I could be interviewed by the racecourse presenter, one who I had much admired over the years, and not make a fool of myself! Oh yes, and it would be really brilliant to win the Placepot! Wow, what a magnificent day that would be…….and as described above, incredibly, fantastically it really was. Apart from the Placepot of course! In the intervening years between Ascot and Plumpton I had discovered that life is good, that I am very lucky man indeed, but you can’t have everything!

The arrangements for the day at my final new British racecourse were a fairly long time in the planning stage and took some careful consideration. I had always thought I would probably finish my journey at Sandown Park. After some initial investigation I was increasingly keen to go with the Plumpton option. I would sponsor a race on their season finale on May 12^th and book a meal in one of the racecourse restaurants. Two weeks earlier I would visit my penultimate racecourse, Sandown Park which would neatly coincide with my birthday, the day before. This was originally confirmed back in November 2023. This decision, to swop Plumpton and Sandown from the original plan ended up being a really good one. Having made this decision though I still had some more to make. What should I name my sponsored race, do I want to sponsor a chase or a hurdle race, who else is coming on the big day and where would we stay nearby, as Plumpton is way too far for a day trip. All this before we had to consider our menu choices for the day. It’s a tough life! On hand to help me with most of this was Plumpton’s sales manager Molly Taylor. From start to finish her efficiency and enthusiasm made the process both positive and pleasurable. This independently owned course is marketed as a hidden gem. It soon dawned on me in the preparations that it was genuinely crazy that I had left it so long to visit this lovely racecourse. More on that later!

I mention that the racecourse is independently owned for a reason. My understanding of the current structure of racecourse ownership is that there are two large groups of racecourses run by The Jockey Club and Arena Racing plus a series of independent courses. The latter, in my experience, are more likely to care about the racing experience of their customers. In my view The Jockey Club courses in particular are much more profit focused rather than racing focused. I have been to Haydock hundreds of times and witnessed the gradual transformation of the crowd from racing fans to drinking fans. Good for profits but rarely now providing my version of a great days racing. At Plumpton, on my big day, I felt like I mattered. I felt like the horse racing mattered. I honestly believe that would not have been the same had I stuck to my original plan with Sandown Park, a Jockey Club course, as my final new racecourse. Anyway, rant over, back to Plumpton where they really seem to have got the balance right, with racing rightly remaining at the heart of their offering.

In the months building up to my Plumpton visit I began reading The History of Plumpton Racecourse by Stewart Nash. I had enjoyed a similar book about Cartmel and thought it would add something to my visit being knowledgeable about its history. I really enjoyed reading about the progression of the course layout over the years. The extended chase course behind the stands sounds amazing and also totally illogical. The fact that dead heats were settled later that day in a race-off was somewhat surprising and brilliant. Also, that the course has its own train station, despite its very rural setting, no doubt helped sustain it through its 140 year history. A reminder that there was no racing commentary or race sponsorship until the 1950s and 1960s was also of note. A great book for racing fans with an interest in social history. In the months prior to the Plumpton meeting of the season I watched the racing there on TV with unrivalled enthusiasm and anticipation. I also made some decisions about the big day. The race I would sponsor would be a steeplechase. After consideration the race name was decided upon and menu choices made for myself and my six guests. Thankfully, my Dad was fit to make it and we would stay at for the weekend at a holiday cottage in nearby Uckfield with my wife Claire and daughter Rachel. In a wonderful development three great friends from university would also be in attendance at the races. We were ready. All we needed was the weather to stay kind.

On the day itself we arrived in good time and soon met up with Mark and Richard who were only a few cars behind us. We briefly took in our surroundings, heading for the front of the stands. There was a nice moment when my photos were displayed on the big screen as we walked towards our base for the day in glorious sunshine. There was also a decent looking line of bookmakers setting up for the day which I thought was an encouraging sign for a healthy betting market. We would be based for the afternoon in the Paddock restaurant which also featured Tote betting facilities and a balcony overlooking the final furlong. A great location. The table also included our complimentary racecards which would be of special interest. My featured pages in the racecard and on the big screen included four of my favourite racing photos. Of me and Claire at Haydock. Of our young family at Chepstow. Me at Brighton and my Dad and I at Doncaster. Alongside these photos were these words:

For Jason Tomlinson today marks the end of a forty three year journey to all the racecourses of Great Britain, starting with his local track Haydock Park way back in 1981. As a teenager Jason explored most of the northern circuit of racecourses. Then, the University of Leicester became a great base from which to access the many courses in and around the midlands. Over many years the tougher to get to Scottish, Welsh and southern courses have been integrated into a lifetime of racing trips and family holidays, culminating in today’s celebrations. Jason is here with a group of family and friends who have all been a part of his quest. In achieving a lifelong ambition Jason wants to thank his family and in particular his Dad John, who was the inspiration for this enjoyable and rewarding journey.

It was great to have three fantastic friends at Plumpton, in contrasting but highly predictable attire. Nick had, as expected, taken the dress to feel comfortable racecourse advice to heart and turned up super casual. Somewhere between finishing a day’s plastering and just nipping to the shop for some milk. Love that guy. Mark, in a flamboyant shirt became an unexpected paddock watcher as the day progressed, making judgement on horse’s appearance and wellbeing before placing a bet. All three had played a part in my journey over the years starting with visits to Leicester races when we were all students there between 1989 and 1992. I would stay with Nick in Bristol prior to him taking me to Bath races for the first time. Much later Mark’s family home in Essex at that time would be my base for a visit to the brand new nearby Chelmsford racecourse. Richard, who joined me at Leicester races on occasion, confessed that he had not really heard of Plumpton racecourse, which to him sounded fictional. I have heard similar comments about Fakenham over the years. Richard had arrived via the nearby Plumpton Green and speculated about this clearly being the inspiration for the names of the iconic children’s TV shows Trumpton and Camberwick Green. To be fair, I’ve heard worse theories. It soon became clear, in early racing conversations and in preparing to put on a Placepot the three, after all these years, were relatively inexperienced racegoers. Nick and Richard’s last visit to the races had been my 40^th Birthday do at Haydock Park thirteen years earlier.

The food in the restaurant was good but not plentiful. The serving staff were plentiful but ironically the service was not good! This is often the case on these days as temporary staff try to manage the timings in a very busy restaurant where the diners are keen to do other things, particularly once the racing starts. Later, in order to finish our meaI we had to watch one of the races at our table on the restaurant TV screens. Earlier, I had greatly enjoyed ex jockey David Crosse in his role of racecourse tipster for the hundred or so diners in the Paddock restaurant. He was very entertaining, achieving a good balance of comedy banter and informative racing selections. He discussed each race but basically told us he was obliged to do so. His main suggestion was to largely ignore everything he had said to that point as he had only one horse worthy of a serious bet on the day. The strong way he delivered this specific tip meant many in the room would confidently bet on Yalla Habibi later on in race five.

Early indications regarding my own betting success were very positive and their initial inspiration came from a very unlikely source indeed. The night before in our cottage I was studying the form on my iPad looking for a few good bets at the non Plumpton racecourses on my big day. Next to me, my Dad was reading an encyclopaedia he had brought with him. This exclusively dealt with the letters S and T. In an outrageous co-incidence my Dad was reading about Danish composer Igor Stravinsky whilst I was assessing and discussing with him the chances of racehorse Igor Stravinsky in the first race at Leopardstown! The horse had solid credentials too following a debut second and is trained by none other than Aiden O’Brien. This second favourite would be my first bet of the day. Whilst an unusual method of identifying winners I can report this process now has a hundred percent strike rate. The horse hit all the right notes under the urgings of Wayne Lordan to provide me with an early winner. I then quickly followed this up with a 7-1 winner in the first race at Plumpton. The grey Illegal D’ainay getting the better of the popular favourite Global Esteem. No winner for anyone in race two where the favourite fell when beaten. The race was won by top weight Sandy Brook. This meant two out of two for regular winning trainer at Plumpton Chris Gordon. This would impact on the betting in race three where his Small Bad Bog was made favourite but ultimately found the Paul Nicholl’s trained Toothless too strong. This would be a key winner for my Dad, my daughter Rachel and others in the group and at much better than expected odds. One I should have backed myself really. I had opposed it expecting it to go off 2-1 not 4-1. Ah well. A winner for me at Ludlow, owned by JP MacManus eased the pain. Ez Tiger won the next race for Alex Hales at a big price and was never considered by any of our party. I had lasted longest on the Placepot but we were all now down.

It was time for us to collectively step up our game from a betting perspective. Coincidently and conveniently, it was also time for David Crosse’s best bet in race five, Yalla Habibi. We all understandably planned to back this short priced favourite that had won its two previous outings, especially given that prior to this race David had established further credibility by highlighting a winner or two and a decent priced placed runner. In discussion about the race though, I did mention at our table that even the outsider of the five had a chance and that its last race had been at Aintree in a much better race than this. My friend Mark took note and both of us had an optimistic £5 each way on this big priced contender, Tronador. Half way through the race Mark wished he hadn’t listened to me. Tronador was last and under pressure, many lengths behind the other four when they passed us with a circuit to go. I apologised to Mark but also said never say never. In truth, I would happily have accepted a £1 for my £10 bet at this point. Four minutes later it was worth £120! Turning for home as the rivals ahead started to weaken, surprisingly including a disappointing Yalla Habibi, the resurgent Tronador stayed on gamely to take the prize. A fantastic moment.

What followed was a brief anti-climax to the race. When collecting my winnings from an already agitated bookmaker I politely asked not to be paid in the £50 notes he was gathering. He was not happy at all saying he had to take them, legal tender etc. etc. I am pretty sure he has never tried to spend one in Burnley! Ultimately a compromise was reached but it is worth mentioning the generally poor effort from the course bookmakers on this day. Whilst there were quite a few in attendance often poor value prices were being offered, especially by those at the fringes of the busy betting lines. Also, with their varied individual terms on certain races they were exploiting not serving and certainly not entertaining my inexperienced racing friends. Over the years I have greatly enjoyed this aspect of the racing, the wonder of the betting market. I have also had some great encounters and banter with various bookmakers. Whether they want to be or not they are part of the racing spectacle and it’s disappointing when they become a negative element of the raceday experience. In fairness, I do understand the challenges they face from online competition and no doubt other factors working against them, absolutely including the occasional difficult customer! Anyway, an unfortunate niggle just at the wrong moment as it was almost time for my race. We all quickly placed some bets on it and as we walked back to our table right on cue Molly appeared to take us to the parade ring.

Our first job was to pick the best turned out horse. With only four to choose from this would surely be a simple procedure. However, the winning stable hand gets £100 and it was obvious that all four had made a real effort to win it. After a couple of laps of the parade ring it was becoming clearer that either Copperhead or Northern Poet deserved the prize most. Copperhead stood out somewhat as the only chestnut and was nearly given the nod, but in the end we decided on Northern Poet whose mane was neatly plaited and looked generally fantastic. We are clearly good judges of horse flesh, perhaps with Mark’s influence, as the two finished first and second. This was a wonderful twenty minutes or so stood in the centre of the lovely Plumpton parade ring. For me personally, a very special feeling, a culmination of over forty years attending race meetings. Time happily slowed down as we watched the horses parade, took various photos, talked with Molly about Plumpton and saw the jockeys mount and prepare to race. As they set off for my sponsored race commentator Mike Cattermole read out the race title as he is obliged to do. A few minutes earlier though, prior to the start he had kindly commented on my achievement to the four thousand strong crowd.

The race itself was largely uneventful but certainly not boring for a four horse race. I was confident that these experienced chasers would all get round, especially given decent prize money for all finishers. Early on the pace was set by Blade Runner. In truth the race only really began to take shape on the final circuit when Copperhead’s jumping saw him initially take control of the race from Blade Runner with Northern Poet and in particular Jacamar toiling in behind. As they turned for home though there was more than a hint that this could be an exciting finish. Copperhead was only keeping on at the one pace in front. Significantly Northern Poet had now found a change of gear and was soon passing Blade Runner for second who himself was rallying to the cause. As they jumped the second last there was only three lengths between the front three and the margins between them were closing. The home straight is not that long at Plumpton though and Northern Poet never got closer than around two lengths as Copperhead responded to his jockey’s encouragement. A great victory for the emerging talent that is conditional jockey Freddie Gingell and trainer Joe Tizzard. Thankfully, as expected, all four completed the course and returned safely. The majority of our group had backed Copperhead. Nick and I being the exceptions I believe. You would think after visiting all of the British racecourses, attending hundreds of days at the races and watching literally thousands and thousands of races I would be able to correctly pick the winner of a four horse race, especially when choosing two selections. But No! Even worse than that though Copperhead was actually the first horse that I eliminated in my detailed form assessment. An unreliable type often beaten when favourite. To be fair, earlier in his racing career Copperhead was a very promising young chaser winning five times including decent races at Newbury and Ascot. This win though was his first in over four years.

Following the race I had the pleasure of presenting a trophy to the winning owner, Mrs Pritchard and her husband, who seemed to be a lovely old couple. We then had some photos taken by the official photographer. Next, quite suddenly there was a microphone in front of me and some questions. I briefly reflected on my journey to all the racecourses and discussed the merits of my latest racecourse Plumpton. It went pretty well and I was genuinely relaxed and felt like I was simply having a one to one chat. There were a few dozen people still around the winner’s enclosure who were engaged in our conversation and hopefully a percentage of the thousands in attendance listening around the course too. Following this, we still had just enough time to enjoy a rerun of the race in the winning connections suite, including a quick chat with the owners, a glass of bubbly and assorted snacks. At this point Richard had ducked out briefly, anxious to collect his winnings as soon as possible, much to my amusement. My interview questions came from the racecourse announcer for the day, Lee Mackenzie. I first came across Lee as the commentator on my visit to Exeter way back in 1986. In the initial preparation for my race presentation he had questioned how I had possibly left the wonderful Plumpton to be my last racecourse. He had a point and being based in the south it was one of the first he had visited. So geography was very much a part of the answer. Reflecting on this later though I saw the specific reason it was so late on my journey. It is that Plumpton has no fixtures in the school holidays from the end of May to the end of August. Typically, this is when we would take a week’s family holiday down south and I would sneak in a visit to the likes of Newton Abbot, Salisbury, Windsor, Fontwell and Brighton. After this early May meeting Plumpton do not race again until the end of September. I really enjoyed my encounter and interview with Lee. Later via Molly, the poor guy ended up with a copy of my book!

For the last race my Dad and I did not join the others up in the stands but watched the concluding bumper at the rail, around half a furlong from home. Just prior to the off my Dad became quite emotional about the day he had just witnessed, the completion of my journey and in particular being part of this quality family time. He was just really glad he had come. And so was I. It was something I hoped would happen but at various stages over the last few years health considerations would have made him a non-runner. For him to be there on this day was genuinely special. As if the racing gods where tuned into the situation, fittingly the final race itself was won by my Dad’s choice Dance And Glance who beat my selection (and the unlucky Nick’s) The Sainted Canary ten lengths behind in second. For the second time in an hour I had to accompany my Dad to the William Hill betting shop to clear them out of twenty pounds notes. Two successful doubles for him which had centred on my big race. Fantastic. Cheers to the resurgent Copperhead for that. 

Writing this in June 2024 I have had a little time to reflect on the achievement and can also report on some developments since. Firstly, much to my wife’s dismay, I have discovered this is not the end of the story, just the last stop of my journey to new racecourses. I am still going racing regularly of course! In May my daughter Rachel and I went to York. Her first visit and a return for me after quite some time. It was a quality Saturday card and we were able to explore some of York’s impressive new facilities. Certainly a day for me that highlighted the benefits of returning to courses years later!  For the last twenty years or so I have looked at the fixtures on my Injured Jockeys Calendars and been proud of the diminishing number of courses I have left to visit. Now, strangely there aren’t any. After all this time I can’t believe I have done it. Soon after the Plumpton meeting I received a wonderful e-mail from Lee McKenzie who congratulated me again on my achievement but also said how much he had been enjoying my book. Getting feedback like this from racing enthusiasts has been one of the best things about writing it. I also received an e-mail from Molly which included some amazing professional photography from my race. I plan to get a canvas produced of the four runners down at the start. I have also watched my race again several times, especially the start where my race name gets a mention! I have kept a close eye out for the runners from my race competing again but it would seem they were all running in it prior to a summer break. In addition I have been monitoring owner Mrs. Pritchard's other horse Belgarum who managed to win at Newton Abbot recently. Looking ahead, I am very much looking forward to watching Plumpton on TV in September. Having gone to a course you really do see it next with a new perspective. I would absolutely love to return to Plumpton at some point. Given my Dad is still going racing at thirty years my senior I am hoping I still have plenty of time left for more fantastic racing days and more wonderful memories.