It's called being aware of ones surroundings. Maybe you are walking around in a self contained bubble and actually not connected to the outside world. I have been going racing for over forty years. The first thirty I never saw a single altercation. The last five I have seen many. The one at Cheltenham Festival last year was in the Guinness Village. Maybe you were in the Champagne Bar celebrating a 3/1 place?
I'm not saying it didn't happen or there is some massive conspiracy I'm just saying from my experience and that's all any of us can go by surely, is that it isn't that common an occurrence like it is been suggested. And no I've never been to Chester
Maybe you are a bit over sensitive to being near all male parties? Sounds like it to me by your view on a coach load of males arriving and your perception of what might happen. I have been going racing for nearly 30 years and have never seen any trouble. Been to plenty of racecourses too...since July last year - worcester, Exeter, Cheltenham and Warwick. Have not seen a hint of trouble. For the record re Cheltenham was in the best mate enclosure last year and saw no trouble..This year going on the Wednesday and Friday in Tatts. Been in all the different enclosures....Been in hospitality...had a seat in the Guinness grandstand etc etc..normally avoid the champagne bar just cause it's not my thing although was in there for the October meeting recently..but not a hint of trouble in all those visits.
Chester feels like a ticking bomb at nearly every meeting with large groups of men binge drinking and snorting coke. They all walk into town after for more of the same and there are regular brawls. Of course we could argue that this happens in major town centres every week but the counter to that is this is not the crowd that racing used to attract. It is now. Last summer saw mass brawls at Goodwood and Ascot so this is not a regional thing. It’s becoming far more the norm for racing. You don’t need to get involved you can just walk away and let them get on with it. The lady with the pushchair was very unlucky to get caught up in the trouble this weekend. Sniffer dogs are now becoming more common and a number of Scottish racecourses have reported race goers being apprehended taking bags of drugs into courses.
It involved 50 people...i would imagine at least half got caught up in it...how many thousands were there for the meeting? What percentage of crowd does that represent? It's a minority for me.....
chester seems particularly bad , it’s a small very crowded arena , town centre the same , a powder keg of idiocy when the elements are all present , large groups of males ( lads they like to self identify) it becomes tribal very quickly, there isn’t interaction with others in a open way , sure they’re throwing money about , drinks , bookies love them , clueless gambling , all aided and abetted with coke , dante’s hell appeals more . Atm racing provides a soft place for them to have their “fun” , at footie it’s a lot more regulated , it’s a national problem and it’s just that racing provides the perfect conditions for them to perform their rituals ........the problem lies in the cultural one of bingeing drink / drugs with no boundaries
Re this ‘mass brawl’ as the media are calling it. Why if it involved 50 people was only 1 type arrested?!? I also see Haydock Park have gone very ‘New’ Labour in their response saying they adopt a ‘zero tolerance’ approach and that they ‘strongly condemn it’. At first glance it looks an impressive and a responsible stance but then you ask ‘but what the bally ‘eck does that actually mean???’ Reminds me of Newbury making similar noises last summer and when actually pressed for further clarification their ‘zero tolerance’ approach actually involved a member of their bar staff having a ‘quiet word’ with an undesirable and asking them to please tone down their behaviour! My position on drink at racecourses I’ve given many times. I would ban it everywhere bar (no pun intended) the ‘Owners and Trainers Lounge’.
