With the news that Kempton Park is likely to close in the not too distant future the alternative way of looking at this is too ask which racecourse(s) would you like to see the back of. Which ones do you want to see tarmacked over, built starter homes upon for the soaring population or used to, in some way, ease the ‘humanitarian crisis’ currently bringing the nation to its knees?!?
It’d nominated:
(i) Cheltenham. Its meetings are full of people who have no interest whatsoever in racing and are in attendance solely to get drunk as quickly as possible. The Cheltenham ‘roar’ has to be the most unspontaneous and bland thing in sporting history. Its Executive has no regard whatsoever for the welfare of the horses and the fatality rate there is truly horrendous (at the 2016 Festival, for instance it was 14 times larger than a normal meet with that number of runners. Stat courtesy of ‘The Weekender). Meanwhile, how can you take seriously a place that names its new stand after some minor Royal. And don’t give me that claptrap about it being a natural amphitheatre – for huge swathes of the year you can’t run a steeplechase there beyond 2 o’clock!
(ii) Goodwood. The only racetrack I’ve ever attending with zero atmosphere and the whole place is as dull as ditchwater. Boring with a capital ‘B’. Again, is also another place full of people with no interest whatsoever in racing. Strange clientele, as well, who are seemingly doped up on Valium and unaware that a race meeting is even taking place! Very British place in that it continually tells you how wonderful it is but does absolutely nothing to actually prove the fact!
Anyone got any views?!? Surely, we ain’t all going to go ‘New’ Labour and say each and every one of them is wonderful.
It’d nominated:
(i) Cheltenham. Its meetings are full of people who have no interest whatsoever in racing and are in attendance solely to get drunk as quickly as possible. The Cheltenham ‘roar’ has to be the most unspontaneous and bland thing in sporting history. Its Executive has no regard whatsoever for the welfare of the horses and the fatality rate there is truly horrendous (at the 2016 Festival, for instance it was 14 times larger than a normal meet with that number of runners. Stat courtesy of ‘The Weekender). Meanwhile, how can you take seriously a place that names its new stand after some minor Royal. And don’t give me that claptrap about it being a natural amphitheatre – for huge swathes of the year you can’t run a steeplechase there beyond 2 o’clock!
(ii) Goodwood. The only racetrack I’ve ever attending with zero atmosphere and the whole place is as dull as ditchwater. Boring with a capital ‘B’. Again, is also another place full of people with no interest whatsoever in racing. Strange clientele, as well, who are seemingly doped up on Valium and unaware that a race meeting is even taking place! Very British place in that it continually tells you how wonderful it is but does absolutely nothing to actually prove the fact!
Anyone got any views?!? Surely, we ain’t all going to go ‘New’ Labour and say each and every one of them is wonderful.
), then stick to the 'Weekender', a corner, and a bucket of water. Bloody hell, really! The other brothers should kick you off the top table.
