I've never managed to get to go to Newton Abbot foxy but like Cartmel, it's definitely on my bucket list.

Les Landes Jersey

6 Bookies ALL WITH DIFFERENT ODDS  no follow my leader there all have their own opinion...

unlike cartmel slippy newton abbot is an excellent viewing track.the friday we are talking about  at newton abbot in the 4 years since they restructured the card we have seen such horses as those below run at the fixture.

copper kay, irish cavalier,wonderful charm,taquin du seuil,solar impulse,double ross,native river,ballyoptic,frodon,art mauresque,black corton,old guard,san benedeto,misterton,marias benefit,diego du charmil and beer goggles,not bad for a friday in october.

hello posy i do plan to go to sandown this winter and el pic will be on the agenda glad to hear its still very good.

sorry 2004

it was a great day at sandown in a way it was like a football match all 3 had there supporters it certainly brought a crowd in.i cant think of a champion chase that matched it,perhaps pearlyman,dessie and very promising.

the meeting taking place or the outcome andrew ?

Just been last 2 days to Haydock. What was I thinking. The most sterile atmosphere I have ever come across on a racecourse. The management have driven this one time great course into oblivion.Crap cards, nothing for the racegoers to get excited about, terrible food choices and sky high prices. A truly shocking experience. My local course and I won't be back.

They couldn't even arrange a presentation of the prize to the godolphin connections when Huge Future won its race. Embarrassing

totally agree posy about the winter days out at ascot it really is as good as anywhere ,clashes with haydock a lot so i dont get to go as much as i would like to,re the new stand {not that new anymore }its different class how anybody could not enjoy those facilaties on a winter afternoon is beyond me.

probable non runner this year democrat i would say 1/5 no 11/4 yes.

Go to Goodwood. Stay in Midhurst!

Cheers

Bangor is fantastic glasgow

Thanks for the replys.

summary of our irish trip - first time at all three for me

laytown - good family atmosphere, lots of women/children, people from far and near, decent facilities for a once per year event, definitely glad I went, walked the beach early next morning and no sign of there having been racing the day before, must take a lot of work!

kilbeggan - the irish racing experts in the group were pleasantly surprised by the facilities, generally good viewing, smallish crowd (lots of space to move around, easy to get served at the bar), thought I had two decent winners (Queeny and Freewheelin Dylan) coming to the last only to get beat by horse on the inside, had a few beers and singalong in Larrigys afterwards (many thanks to Workrider for the lift), stayed at fantastic airb'n'b in Durrow, had a few beers in O'Connors in Tullamore beforehand, first pub I've been to where they had the full days prices on the panel like you find in betting shops...

navan - goodish viewing (not for the 5f races unfortunately as amazingly no large screen!!), very well kept track, poorish facilities for a track which gets decent racing, lots of bookies, smallish crowd but still difficult to get served at bar until they brought in additional staff, probably more set up for NH racing

sounds a good all round trip by the way.

Totally agree about Ascot, i love it there, a lucky course for me albeit tinged with sadness when Frankel won the Champion and seeing HRC looking so ill.

I knew it was the last time i would see either of them.

Are you still 11/4 Foxy ?

two places in worcester well worth a visit are browns which is by the river opposite the premier inn at the cricket ground food very good there,or the other side of town the dragon inn which sell a great choice of drinks from church end brewery i prefer the one called goats milk,if you like indian food there are plenty around the dragon both places i mention are within walking distance of the racecourse,ludlow has a very good reputation for restaurants i find the place over rated however the church inn is fine and sells hereford pale ale from wye valley brewery which is very good,the viewing from the top of the stands at ludlow is as good a view anywhere in racing also at ludlow unlike many now they still allow you to go by the fences and freely walk around the inside of the course.the card at chepstow will be very good i could not say the same for the town,surprised your not doing newton abbot of the friday thats a great little town and a wonderful racecourse.

As promised , here is a brief summary of my trip ; Flybe flight from Glasgow to Birmingham on October 9th , train to Worcester where I based myself for 4 nights . Wednesday 10th ; drove to Ludlow races in hired car . It was the warmest October day I'd ever witnessed . Found the layout of pre parade and parade ring being in the centre of the course to be unusual . Along with the winner's enclosure and weighing room . I had a good wander around , and the facilities seemed decent enough . A big screen allowed all racegoers to follow the action with ease . I happened to see a steam train pass the track , and a few minutes later , 2 WW 2 era fighter planes flew past in formation . Quite surreal . It was a weird sensation driving over the matting in place to protect the track , even at the slow speed I travelled at . I noticed the proximity of the rail track meant that space was at a premium , so hence the layout . Also the golf course accommodated within seems to pose no logistical problems . A good racing experience in my book , but why so many security people ? There seemed to be too many for the duties required .
I was able to walk to Worcester racecourse . The first thing that I noticed was that the winning post is not adjacent to the grandstand , that must be pretty unusual .I also noted that because the course was hemmed in by the river , it had a very long and narrow parade ring/pre parade ring . As the horses are walked across the course , and enter the pre parade ring at the end furthest away from the stand . The habit of trying to see the runners as they first appear , and get saddled etc , can cause you to be left "landlocked " . That is the security people open a gateway for the runners to leave the parade ring and access the course prior to racing . This causes a bottle neck for punters heading to the betting ring/stand if they're too slow . The gates are only opened again by security after the last horse leaves the parade ring . Once again , a big screen lets everybody see the action . The course looked to be a bit careworn and basic compared to many others . Nevertheless , I enjoyed the experience . It was a fairly sparse crowd , so I think it might be an endurance if the crowd is overly large . Saturday 13th , I drove to Chepstow races . I thought the layout was good , with the parade ring being positioned in front of the stands , and the natural slopes allowing the big crowd to see from almost any point . Add to that the 2 big screens , and you can see why there was a big crowd . I never did seek out the pre parade ring , and found it slightly problematic to gain access to a disabled toilet ( which a steward helpfully rectified ) . This did not take away from an enjoyable experience . As predicted by other forum members , the standard of racing was a notch or two higher than both Ludlow and Worcester . I enjoyed the trip , although I lost on the betting front overall , and that's another 3 racecourses ticked off the list . The weather was kind to me all three days I went to the races , and that's another bonus . My first trip to Wales since 1986 , and not been in Worcester ( city ) since 1990 . My best piece of advice from the trip is this , always check that your sat' nav' system ( unused for 5/6 years ) is in good working order ! Thanks to all forum members who posted tips and suggestions .