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To include opinion of your view of which is the best/worst anywhere in the world purely from experience?
My own top 5 in each category............
Worst
1.Carlisle (flat)
2. Pontefract
3.Yarmouth
4.Newmarket
5.Huntingdon
Best
1.Chilivani
2. Longchamp (old)
3.Perth
4.Hamilton
5.Musselburgh
Where why and when?
My own top 5 in each category............
Worst
1.Carlisle (flat)
2. Pontefract
3.Yarmouth
4.Newmarket
5.Huntingdon
Best
1.Chilivani
2. Longchamp (old)
3.Perth
4.Hamilton
5.Musselburgh
Where why and when?
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Worst 5
1.Southwell with Tommo commentating. 2.Southwell with Tommo "entertaining" and shaking his bucket. 3.Fakenham with Tommo commentating. 4.Uttoxeter with Tommo "entertaining" and shaking his bucket. 5.Hereford with Tommo "entertaining" and shaking his bucket. |
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Love Carlisle personally, but each to their own.
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You need to get out more Muldoon,I forgot to exclude the Thommo factor!!!
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I think Carlisle is a great track as well S.L. I used to love my days out there but haven't been for ages.
Worst racecourse, it has to be Bath, a scruffy gaff track. Southwell is a bit grim as well.I'm not a fan of The Rowley Mile course at Newmarket either. Best - Cheltenham, Sandown, Goodwood, Longchamp and Rosehill in New South Wales. |
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WORST
1- Plumpton 2- Brighton 3- Ascot 4- Southwell 5- Taunton BEST 1- LEOPARDSTOWN (NAP) 2- FAIRYHOUSE (n.b) 3- CHELTENHAM 4- PUNCHESTOWN 5- SANDOWN PARK |
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The Rowley Mile, as everybody knows, should be bulldozed with immediate effect. Goodwood is unquestionably the finest racecourse in the UK; and in France, look no further than Deauville and Clairefontaine.
Without hesitation though, my favourite is Saratoga for its sheer charm and the prevailing sense of history about the place. There's a sweet story about someone who asked directions to the track. He was told to "go straight ahead, take the first right then go back 100 years". That alone encapsulates everything about it for me. |
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WORST
1- Goodwood in bad weather 2- Brighton 3- Newmarket (Rowley) 4- 5- BEST 1- Cheltenham 2- Goodwood in good weather 3- Sandown 4- Fontwell 5- Cartmel |
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I've been to a couple of jumps meetings at Southwell in the last 18 months. Admittedly in good weather but I found it perfectly OK apart from the beach that runs round the course for some reason. Sure it wasn't there when I went in the early 80s. Must be global warming.
Yarmouth is the scruffiest place I have been to in the last few years. Tend to avoid big courses though,except for one visit to Cheltenham (in Oct and even that meeting was only just about bearable for me,given my low tolerance of crowds ). |
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Salmon...then stay far away from Doncaster on Leger day.
Way to crowded and packed in like sardines. Don’t go again because of that. In contrast I’m starting to like Imperial Cup day at Sandown. Nice day all round. |
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A slight difference here but I was bought a card for my birthday loaded up with £100 to use at any of the dozen or so Jockey Club racecourse, were the entrance fee is deducted from the overall balance until it is all used up.
I live on London so only about three courses are close to me and I've just noticed from the T & Cs that it states that it has to be used with a year of purchase (although certain race days/meetings are excluded) and so it has expired now without me using it. They've had the £100 regardless so why does it matter when I went? If it was opened ended then if anything, the longer I left it the less value it would have been considering entrance fees can increase. So that's £100 down the swanee that they basically got for nothing and then they say "come racing." |
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MY BEST EXPERIENCE WAS AT ROYAL ASCOT WHEN I WAS ASKED BY ONE OF THE QUEENS ATTENDANTS IF I WOULD HAVE MY PHOTO TAKEN WITH THE QUEEN .I TOLD THEM I WOULD BUT SHE WOULD HAVE TO WAIT UNTILL AFTER THE LAST RACE.SHE HAS A SENSE OF HUMOUR SHE DIDNT SAY CHEESE SHE SAID CAVIAR.SHE THANKED ME AND TOLD ME TO VISIT HER ANY TIME I WAS IN LONDON .BUT TO MAKE SURE THE ROYAL FLAG WAS FLYING AT FULL MAST TO MAKE SURE SHE WAS AT HOME
THAT WAS PART OF THE HIGHLIGHT .BUT THE MAIN HIGHLIGHT WAS WHEN I REALISED PRINCE CHARLES WAS WEARING THE SAME MICKEY MOUSE WRISTWATCH AS MYSELF.SHE WAS VERY SWEET SHE ASKED ME IF SHE COULD GIVE A LIFT ANYWHERE IN HER GOLD COACH .I SAID IT WAS VERY KIND OF HER BUT I WAS MEETING MY FRIEND IN YATES WINE LODGE AND HES NOT A ROYALIST AND I WOULDNT WANT TO SPOIL HER DAY IF HE STARTED SWEARING AT HER . SHE THANKED ME FOR THE PHOTO AND GAVE ME A KISS ON THE CHEEK AND GAVE ME HER LAST ROLO AND WAVED ME GOODBYE.HER EYES SWELLED AND I SAW A LITTLE TEAR IN HER EYE AS I PICKED UP MY RACING POST AND SHOVED IT IN MY POCKET AND DISSAPEARED INTO THE HORIZON |
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MY WORST EXPERIENCE WAS AT CARTMEL,WHEN I WON A GOLDFISH ON THE COCONUT SHY AT THE FAIR AT THE COURSE.IT SUFFOCATED IN THE POLYTHENE BAG THEY GAVE US BEFORE WE GOT HOME .I COULD SEE IT WAS STRUGLING TO BREATHE SO I PUT SOME VERY SMALL HOLES IN THE POLYTHENE BAG SO IT COULD BREATHE BUT ALL THE WATER DRAINED OUT AND IT SUFFOCATED
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MY WORST EXPERIENCE WAS AT CARTMEL,WHEN I WON A GOLDFISH ON THE COCONUT SHY AT THE FAIR AT THE COURSE.IT SUFFOCATED IN THE POLYTHENE BAG THEY GAVE US BEFORE WE GOT HOME .I COULD SEE IT WAS STRUGLING TO BREATHE SO I PUT SOME VERY SMALL HOLES IN THE POLYTHENE BAG SO IT COULD BREATHE BUT ALL THE WATER DRAINED OUT AND IT SUFFOCATED
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"there she goes with her nose in the air singing do wah diddy"
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Interesting thread until the caps lock cretin at the end - not reading that tripe.
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Worst experience:
Huntingdon on Boxing Day, badly overcrowded. Uttoxeter Midlands Grand National day, overcrowding even worse. Best experience: Newbury NH, clear view of the track. Sandown NH, clear view of the track. Market Rasen, clear view of the track. |
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I went to Pontefract races circa 1978 and Ladbrokes were sponsoring the main race on the card. They were running a competition in the racecard whereby you had to name the winner of their race (5 runners) and three of their speciality bets.
Having worked for Ladbrokes not long prior, the second part of the competition was easy enough, and the outsider of 5 was always going to give me more chance of being the winner of a free night out, for two, wining and dining at The Dragonara Hotal in Leeds (now Hilton). Sure enough, the longest priced winner obliged and I was clicking my heels when my name was drawn out of the hat. Unable to pull in a brothel, my best mate jumped at the chance of accompanying me one Saturday night. Going by bus, we were soon tucking into some French cuisine I couldn't pronounce and about six bottles of their Nuit Saint Georges was consumed hastily before the manager decided enough was enough and railroaded us into signing the bill off. Bang up midnight, no trains, no buses and certainly no taxi fare in our pockets, we embarked on our 13 miles journey home using Shanks' pony. At a quarter to six the following morning, we arrived home safely, only God knows how, and I remember that night 40 years ago as if it was yesterday. |
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I've told this one on here before.
My worst experience was Pimlico on Preakness day 1981. I had arranged our holiday round it to back Pleasant Colony. The town was booked up solid and we ended up staying in The Marylander Motel well out of town. They were surprised when we asked for a room for two nights…. Others rented by the hour, we could see that from the pimps and girls hanging around the lobby. We found a pair of ladies panties under the bed… surprisingly with an M&s label. We had a huge round bath and all night Blue Movies. Baltimore is the only American city we did not like. Downtown area deserted at weekends and shadowy figures watching you from doorways. I was watching two pickpockets operating on the bus to Pimlico racetrack. Then I had to take ones hand out of my pocket as we were getting off the bus. The track was overcrowded, full of drunks and pickpockets. We could only shuffle round. My wife had the strap of her hand bag round her neck and clutched it tightly. Huge crowds round the parade ring; you could not see the horses and massive lines at the betting windows. We gave up and left before the big race and took a taxi back to town. We had our dinner, listening to the race in a restaurant and then phoned friends we have there who we had not planned to see until the next day. Naturally, Pleasant Colony won the race. The next day’s Baltimore Sun headline was “Slim pickings for pick pockets at Pimlico” Our friends took us out to lunch and introduced us to the Mayor who asked how we had enjoyed our day when Mel had told him why we were in Baltimore. |
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Jamilla,you didn't nip down into the casino then?
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I like meetings where you can see the horses for most of the race, so like the dog tracks
Don't go so much now as its easier to play on here, but used to go once a week about 30 years ago so been to quite a few tracks. Best Sorry I love Wolverhampton cos thats where I have most of my success these days and go about 4 times a year with family Sandown, Plumpton Huntingdon Newbury Aintree ok thats 6 Worst Newmarket, Cartmel Warwick Southwell Cheltenham, sorry great on tele but you stand on the run in so only see the ends of the races so you end up watching on the big screen |
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ribero1 - with about three bob in our pockets I don't think we would have been welcome.
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ribero1 - not sure we could have done a lot with the three bob in our pockets.
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Strange I seem to one of the few to like the Newmarket courses.
Although Goodwood is high on my list for the facilities and being scenic too much of the action is far away. As mackintoshmatty says the best ones are the ones like dog tracks where you can see all of the race.I include Market Rasen for that although it has a lot of minus points in other ways. |
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my worst experience was at newcastle,,standing next to wullie shafter,,god iv never experienced that smell before
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yes Oldgit I liked Markey Rasen as well, forgot about that one, only went once but had one of my best days there
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yes Oldgit I liked Markey Rasen as well, forgot about that one, only went once but had one of my best days there
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Best: Newton Abbot in August, particularly in the days before summer jumping.
Worst: York: it's either jam-packed in summer, you can't get a place in the stands, and half the racegoers are vomiting drunks; or it's cold and wet in autumn and you can't see half the course anyway. Either way, every race is always a 19-runner handicap won by the 5/2 fav. |
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Best racecourses
1 Ascot jumps 2 Fontwell 3 Plumpton 4 Sandown 5 Kempton jumps Worst 1 Newbury too snooty 2 Cheltenham too crowded 3 Bath dire 4 Huntingdon boring 5 Chepstow |
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Best racecourses
1 Ascot jumps 2 Fontwell 3 Plumpton 4 Sandown 5 Kempton jumps Worst 1 Newbury too snooty 2 Cheltenham too crowded 3 Bath dire 4 Huntingdon boring 5 Chepstow |
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Worst day racing Doncaster.
On the train near Wakefield we slowed down as we approached some railway workers. As we passed them we felt a bump. I said it felt like running over a cat in a car. Later on in the grandstand this bloke at the side of me starts clutching his chest and rolls down the steps. Paramedics came but it didn't look good, I don't know how it ended. I know from the news that night the train had killed a railway worker. |
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Newcastle winter Jump meetings can be dire because of the biting cold winds.
Chester May meetings are vastly overcrowded. Is there still a tunnel from the stands to the paddock that takes forever to get through. I knew someone who missed seeing his horse run well in the Chester Cup as he had been stuck in the tunnel. |
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Windsor is a khazi - overcrowded, expensive and that stupid figure of eight track which disappears behind the stands while the bends artificially interrupt the pace of the race. Having watched Newcastle tonight why not sell off most of the property and convert it into a 2f sprint course.
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Worst - York on Magnet Cup day. Can't move for p1ssed up Geordies having a slash at the side of the stands....and that's just the women!
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Windsor is no longer a figure of eight track
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Are you sure blackbarn;thought it was when I was last there 2/3 years ago
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Posy, they used to use the entire figure of eight for racing, like Fontwell. Now the bit at the top, right hand side, is only used for pulling up. At least I hope that right as I put it into one of my racing quiz questions a few weeks ago; Nobody questioned it!
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Fair spread there guys of the best and worst but the best post was Doo a diddy's imvho,all in Caps to prove he is alive and well.The thing is,to meet Elton John and Boy George at a single meeting must be unique?
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Best
Cheltenham Sandown Newbury(jumps) Windsor for years made money in 70s backing J Holts in sellers. Leicester evening meetings worst Wetherby never been so cold anywhere Redcar even in august waves crashing over sea wall grey and awful Lingfield aw no atmosphere spoke to B Dennis said his son could do this one henceforth Warwick flat did my lot every time Huntingdon again no atmosphere |
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I have visited many times and enjoyed myself but the worst is Doncaster, on St Ledger day its very hard to mind your own business, I like everything else, never had a problem in France, if Doncaster was in the USA I wonder what would happen
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