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Lads,
Please see below code for free Arc Gardens ticket for the big day;
qpatjardins
Just 1 per person, need to register on France Galop website first!
Please see below code for free Arc Gardens ticket for the big day;
qpatjardins
Just 1 per person, need to register on France Galop website first!
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any shout out for freebie tickets is good so i'm not having a pop at delboy ....but , beware , ' gardens ' is a concourse after the winning post with no shelter, elevation or access to the grandstand/ paddock . ...this new longchamp i believe will get poor reviews from the 75 euro ticket holders and the local french turf enthusiasts will not even turn up .
imo, Longchamp was always a bit of a dump but at least it was cheap. It has now become an expensive dump.
The French don't really do fast food so, unless you got into the Panoramic Restaurant, it was a hot dog or a choice of ham, cheese or ham and cheese baguettes which had been hanging around a while so you needed a good set of gnashers to chew through one.
They used to show the English racing on some of the TVs around the course (there was usually some good jump racing going on at Kelso) but they have gone and you couldn't place a bet on the UK racing anyway.
I'd rather go to Koln or Hannover.
The French don't really do fast food so, unless you got into the Panoramic Restaurant, it was a hot dog or a choice of ham, cheese or ham and cheese baguettes which had been hanging around a while so you needed a good set of gnashers to chew through one.
They used to show the English racing on some of the TVs around the course (there was usually some good jump racing going on at Kelso) but they have gone and you couldn't place a bet on the UK racing anyway.
I'd rather go to Koln or Hannover.
France Galop are now flogging those 75 euro tickets BOGOF. Bit of a kick in the teeth for those of us - seemingly not many - who have paid full whack.
I decide what an acceptable price is before parting with hard earned. If you thought it was worth 75 euro then it is worth 75 euro 
Cannot believe the size of the price hike.
Beyond belief.
To think when started going cost no more than a 5er....
Women in free with hat on.
Qatar And France galop cashing in on there investment. Poor show imo....
90 euro for 2 days. More if pay cash at gate I think?
Beyond belief.
To think when started going cost no more than a 5er....
Women in free with hat on.
Qatar And France galop cashing in on there investment. Poor show imo....
90 euro for 2 days. More if pay cash at gate I think?
85 euro to pay on the day for the finish line enclosure with no access to the paddock area which is supposedly sold out at 70 euro extra is a total rip off.Who in their right mind would pay 70euro for entry to the paddock?
As windsor knot alludes to the French punters will give this a miss as will many of the British punters in future.
As windsor knot alludes to the French punters will give this a miss as will many of the British punters in future.
Some reflections on my visit to Longchamp:
Pelouse d’Arrivee
Although the old grandstand was demolished, it seems to have been decided to rebuild it from scratch. The layout of the viewing steps is unchanged. Contrary to some expectations there was access to the paddock and moving from there to the viewing area was easy. I was able to obtain a favourable barrier lean for most of the races.
Jardins d’Arc
I had a wander down and it seemed roomy and pleasant, but quite far away from any horseracing.
PMU Betting
This has always been fairly laborious. Sunday was no worse and probably a bit better than on my previous visit.
Food
Anyone wanting to eat at a busy racecourse needs to get to the track 90 minutes before the first race and sort themselves out. Longchamp on Arc day is no different in this regard.
Alcohol
Very long queues until well after the Arc; room for improvement there.
Toilets
Queues were long but no worse than at Cheltenham on Champion Hurdle day.
Atmosphere
I was surprised to hear Arthur Moore quoted as saying there was no atmosphere. The atmosphere in the twenty minutes leading up to the big race was feverish and the race itself unforgettable.
It goes without saying that the long queues would have been much worse had the attendance reached the 55,000 anticipated by France Galop rather for the 35,000 who did turn up (according to The Gurardian). Despite my earlier moaning, the admission price, even at its new swollen level, compares favourably with our big race meetings and other sports.
Pelouse d’Arrivee
Although the old grandstand was demolished, it seems to have been decided to rebuild it from scratch. The layout of the viewing steps is unchanged. Contrary to some expectations there was access to the paddock and moving from there to the viewing area was easy. I was able to obtain a favourable barrier lean for most of the races.
Jardins d’Arc
I had a wander down and it seemed roomy and pleasant, but quite far away from any horseracing.
PMU Betting
This has always been fairly laborious. Sunday was no worse and probably a bit better than on my previous visit.
Food
Anyone wanting to eat at a busy racecourse needs to get to the track 90 minutes before the first race and sort themselves out. Longchamp on Arc day is no different in this regard.
Alcohol
Very long queues until well after the Arc; room for improvement there.
Toilets
Queues were long but no worse than at Cheltenham on Champion Hurdle day.
Atmosphere
I was surprised to hear Arthur Moore quoted as saying there was no atmosphere. The atmosphere in the twenty minutes leading up to the big race was feverish and the race itself unforgettable.
It goes without saying that the long queues would have been much worse had the attendance reached the 55,000 anticipated by France Galop rather for the 35,000 who did turn up (according to The Gurardian). Despite my earlier moaning, the admission price, even at its new swollen level, compares favourably with our big race meetings and other sports.
Copied from my lay thread .....
The racing was superb as it often is, but the new grandstand (much smaller than the old one) is so gaudy, i didn't like it at all. Everything is coloured Gold to presumably represent luxury, but it fails miserably, instead it's a tacky, plastic look with 'patio' style timber decking everywhere. $145,000,000 down the Seine, someone has made millions !
The food and drink queues were the same as they always were, totally insufficient and unorganised, even electrical power wasn't available in places before the first race.
Toilets were few and disgusting towards the end of the meeting.
One improvement (and contrary to media reports) i thought getting a bet on was 'acceptable', queues were still in place (albeit shorter than previous years) but there also were self-service kiosks and Longchamp staff with mobile hand-held tablets for placing bets. I didn't see this as a significant negative issue.
Was the granstand worth €75 ? Absolutely no way. Ascot premier enclosure for less money is far superior.
Lack of seating is just one on several things that need looking at. Racegoers i was talking with on the return bus also said the Arc Gardens enclosure was very poor. I also thought there were less TV screens than before. I much prefer the old Longchamp even though it was getting 'tired' as i am now.
The racing was superb as it often is, but the new grandstand (much smaller than the old one) is so gaudy, i didn't like it at all. Everything is coloured Gold to presumably represent luxury, but it fails miserably, instead it's a tacky, plastic look with 'patio' style timber decking everywhere. $145,000,000 down the Seine, someone has made millions !
The food and drink queues were the same as they always were, totally insufficient and unorganised, even electrical power wasn't available in places before the first race.
Toilets were few and disgusting towards the end of the meeting.
One improvement (and contrary to media reports) i thought getting a bet on was 'acceptable', queues were still in place (albeit shorter than previous years) but there also were self-service kiosks and Longchamp staff with mobile hand-held tablets for placing bets. I didn't see this as a significant negative issue.
Was the granstand worth €75 ? Absolutely no way. Ascot premier enclosure for less money is far superior.
Lack of seating is just one on several things that need looking at. Racegoers i was talking with on the return bus also said the Arc Gardens enclosure was very poor. I also thought there were less TV screens than before. I much prefer the old Longchamp even though it was getting 'tired' as i am now.
My first visit to the Arc was in 1990. I think it cost the equivalent of a fiver to get in. I've missed about 4 years since then. You know the score, got married, had baby, temporarily had to tow the line for a few years. Anyway, I digress. It took the French years to work out that British Bookies were conducting a roaring trade in the stands, which they eventually clamped down on, then they realised that they could get away with charging more and the prices slowly started to creep up. They were going to demolish the old stand when they thought that they were going to win the 2012 Olympics and stage it at the track, but it got a stay of execution for a few years because the French threw their toys out of the pram.
They really should have left it as it was. We paid 75 Euros a ticket a few months ago, only to be offered half price tickets nearer to the event. The old stand was considerably bigger and longer with a large garden area behind with a few bars and trees for shade, and large screen.The new stand has been built purely for the corporate hospitality mob, you can no longer get downstairs to the Suave Dancer statue area. The queues for food, drink (temporary power supply to most of them so you had to step over a plastic ramp which enclosed the power lines),toilets and betting were so long we (5 of us)decided to try out the garden enclosure. The barrier between the two enclosures was a metal railed fence about 5 ft high with a small gateway where one lady and a couple of security guards stood checking that you had on you your printed from home, A4 sized ticket. All you had to do was walk through, go along the fence a few yards and pass your ticket to your mate the other side of the fence.I could go on and on, but fortunately it was a great race, so I have great memories, and I'll soon forget the negatives.
They really should have left it as it was. We paid 75 Euros a ticket a few months ago, only to be offered half price tickets nearer to the event. The old stand was considerably bigger and longer with a large garden area behind with a few bars and trees for shade, and large screen.The new stand has been built purely for the corporate hospitality mob, you can no longer get downstairs to the Suave Dancer statue area. The queues for food, drink (temporary power supply to most of them so you had to step over a plastic ramp which enclosed the power lines),toilets and betting were so long we (5 of us)decided to try out the garden enclosure. The barrier between the two enclosures was a metal railed fence about 5 ft high with a small gateway where one lady and a couple of security guards stood checking that you had on you your printed from home, A4 sized ticket. All you had to do was walk through, go along the fence a few yards and pass your ticket to your mate the other side of the fence.I could go on and on, but fortunately it was a great race, so I have great memories, and I'll soon forget the negatives.
My first visit to the Arc was in 1990. I think it cost the equivalent of a fiver to get in. I've missed about 4 years since then. You know the score, got married, had baby, temporarily had to tow the line for a few years. Anyway, I digress. It took the French years to work out that British Bookies were conducting a roaring trade in the stands, which they eventually clamped down on, then they realised that they could get away with charging more and the prices slowly started to creep up. They were going to demolish the old stand when they thought that they were going to win the 2012 Olympics and stage it at the track, but it got a stay of execution for a few years because the French threw their toys out of the pram.
They really should have left it as it was. We paid 75 Euros a ticket a few months ago, only to be offered half price tickets nearer to the event. The old stand was considerably bigger and longer with a large garden area behind with a few bars and trees for shade, and large screen.The new stand has been built purely for the corporate hospitality mob, you can no longer get downstairs to the Suave Dancer statue area. The queues for food, drink (temporary power supply to most of them so you had to step over a plastic ramp which enclosed the power lines),toilets and betting were so long we (5 of us)decided to try out the garden enclosure. The barrier between the two enclosures was a metal railed fence about 5 ft high with a small gateway where one lady and a couple of security guards stood checking that you had on you your printed from home, A4 sized ticket. All you had to do was walk through, go along the fence a few yards and pass your ticket to your mate the other side of the fence.I could go on and on, but fortunately it was a great race, so I have great memories, and I'll soon forget the negatives.
They really should have left it as it was. We paid 75 Euros a ticket a few months ago, only to be offered half price tickets nearer to the event. The old stand was considerably bigger and longer with a large garden area behind with a few bars and trees for shade, and large screen.The new stand has been built purely for the corporate hospitality mob, you can no longer get downstairs to the Suave Dancer statue area. The queues for food, drink (temporary power supply to most of them so you had to step over a plastic ramp which enclosed the power lines),toilets and betting were so long we (5 of us)decided to try out the garden enclosure. The barrier between the two enclosures was a metal railed fence about 5 ft high with a small gateway where one lady and a couple of security guards stood checking that you had on you your printed from home, A4 sized ticket. All you had to do was walk through, go along the fence a few yards and pass your ticket to your mate the other side of the fence.I could go on and on, but fortunately it was a great race, so I have great memories, and I'll soon forget the negatives.
lots of comment on the finnish line enclosure where i was but one floor up was a balances enclosure which seem to have actual seats..dis anyone experience there and at what price
We were in the 75 euro pelouse de l'arrivee, massive queues to get a drink, food, have a slash, & have a bet, murder to get around the place loads of surly, shoulder shrugging surrender monkeys telling you that you can't get in here or go through there. Worst of all was viewing the races, unless you were on the steppings half hour before the off you had to watch from the lawn, so basically on the big screen. I always used to have tickets for what they now call balances, which is the level up & has reserved seating, in 2015 that was 100 euros a pop now it is 249 but I never saw it on sale on the FG website. I have missed 2 Arcs since 1986 but I won't be going back to Longchamp pretty clear the goat herders & bowler hats don't want the Brits there, thats fine Champions day, or maybe the breeders cup next year.
Don,
I was in the same €75 enclosure and tried to get upstrairs (balances) but a lovely lady on the door told me if i paid an extra 'upgrade' fee at the gate i could get in. I didn't bother.
You may have read my comments and i'm inclined to agree about 2019 unless Enable is there, although i didn't see mega issues with getting a bet on.
I was in the same €75 enclosure and tried to get upstrairs (balances) but a lovely lady on the door told me if i paid an extra 'upgrade' fee at the gate i could get in. I didn't bother.
You may have read my comments and i'm inclined to agree about 2019 unless Enable is there, although i didn't see mega issues with getting a bet on.
why would you want to bet on the pmu when you are posting on here..use your phone to bet on the exchange always
my feeling is if you can only get in the 75 euro enclosure future arcs are a no no
Isleham,
I had backed Enable ante-post and only had 5 PMU bets on course (including her) but as previously stated i didn't have any issues betting (or collecting) at all, it was better than previous years, although others may feel differently.
Better to speak to a pretty young French girl with a hand held tablet than calling some boring trader at BF after waiting God knows how many minutes to get through
I had backed Enable ante-post and only had 5 PMU bets on course (including her) but as previously stated i didn't have any issues betting (or collecting) at all, it was better than previous years, although others may feel differently.
Better to speak to a pretty young French girl with a hand held tablet than calling some boring trader at BF after waiting God knows how many minutes to get through
better to speak to no one and just bet on the site direct
Idle,
Betfair is blocked in France , so unless set up some IT system is not simple to use betting sites. So was suggested to phone BF.
Betfair is blocked in France , so unless set up some IT system is not simple to use betting sites. So was suggested to phone BF.
Sorry , Isle.
Was not insulting your name. Spell check kicked in.
Was not insulting your name. Spell check kicked in.
ee 4g worked fine on course..in fact better than many parts of surrey
its the wifi thats blocked but that can be got round pretty easily
Been to the last 8 Arcs and doubt very much we will return,couldn’t sit down bars lengthy queues and couldn’t see race,ended up going into garden enclosure where there was a pavilion and you could get served straight away but had to queue to put a bet on,no real chance of seeing race and 3 food outlets and Portaloos.stayed in pavilion for disco afterwards and was great fun and made up for all the other problems,Goodwood or Galway next year still to decide.
I travelled with Horseracing Abroad and paid extra (£220) to be in the Finish Line Gold Grandstand. We had an allocated seat for the two days. There was no problem getting a bet on as there were several points manned by women together with some machines. I had never used these before but I found them easy to use and I am a pensioner. The bars were not a problem for me as I never drink when racing. We got a sandwich on our way up at one of the other bars. There was a bit of delay but nothing out of the ordinary. The toilets were fine on our floor also.
£220 might sound excessive but it was for two days quality racing. I have a ticket for Champions Day at Ascot which was £89. I won't have an allocated seat and it is for one day. There are always queues for food there as well.
The experience last weekend wouldn't put me off going again. On a personal note I preferred the old Longchamp but that is from an aesthetic point of view.
£220 might sound excessive but it was for two days quality racing. I have a ticket for Champions Day at Ascot which was £89. I won't have an allocated seat and it is for one day. There are always queues for food there as well.
The experience last weekend wouldn't put me off going again. On a personal note I preferred the old Longchamp but that is from an aesthetic point of view.
On a personal note I preferred the old Longchamp but that is from an aesthetic point of view.
Totally agree, the new grandstand is gaudy, almost tacky in my opinion. Having said that, probably the best weekend of horse racing around in terms of quality fields (although i haven't been to a Breeders Cup) and i would go even it resembled Hexham on wet and windswept afternoon.
Totally agree, the new grandstand is gaudy, almost tacky in my opinion. Having said that, probably the best weekend of horse racing around in terms of quality fields (although i haven't been to a Breeders Cup) and i would go even it resembled Hexham on wet and windswept afternoon.
not going after many years of attendance after last year's experience..forget gaudy and tacky just plain totally uncomfortable
Giving it a miss this year after last years debacle,the place is now segregated with the corporate mob catered for and the ordinary British Irish and French racegoers being treated with contempt.Ripped the heart out of the place and the punters will vote with their feet.
I'm going this year, again with Horseracing Abroad. The Finish Line Gold Grandstand tickets are only £165 this year. See my report above on last year. I'll give a report next week. Madame C says this is her last year as she prefers Deauville and wants us to go in August. I may be travelling on my own in 2020!
Clerkmore:
" I'm going this year, again with Horseracing Abroad. The Finish Line Gold Grandstand tickets are only £165 this year"
Does that include travel and a nights hotel ?
" I'm going this year, again with Horseracing Abroad. The Finish Line Gold Grandstand tickets are only £165 this year"
Does that include travel and a nights hotel ?
national express doing travel and 3 nights paris 199 down from 299 coach transfers included to the course
horseracing abroad , for cheapest hotel 3 days bed and breakfast, including admission and eurostar is£640pp, its finish line enclosure, but you can pay supplement for finish line gold grandstand for£165 extra{ as clerkmore had done i think), you can pay £45 extra as well for paddock access in the owners/ trainers area.The dearest hotel is£2350pp room only, alas all hotels are now sold out. not sure if transfer from hotel to racecourse is included
When I often used to go racing at St Cloud and Maisons-Laffitte on Sundays in the 50's and early 60's it was really cheap and practically empty. I've never had the inclination of the hassle of the Arc nor present day Cheltenham Gold Cup.
know all: When I used to go to Paris coaches used to cruise round with a Guy hanging out shouting Races and you just jumped in. They always tried to cheat visitors with the change or forgetting to come back with it.
The golden days are well and truly gone,8 ueros entry or free on the internet,free programme free caps etc,the early years I went you had unrestricted entry to the paddock and much of the stand seating and you could stand on the stairs at the weighting room,various jazz bands and the like strolling around the concourse and the band of the Welsh Gaurds entertaining us on the grass at the Gladiatuer statue before and after the Arc.
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