Chester racecourse

Gave them an ICECREAM

Can I phone a friend?

My guess...if letting in for nothing...others might start bitter complaining.  So will go with turning them away.

Asked for ...

Photo Identity
Utility Bill
Proof of Earnings
Bank Account Details

Finger Printed

Oh no - That was just to have a Ten-Bob bet with ChesterBet.

Onlooker on chester bet they are really ripping the public off not only with the returns but now on a rolling caption on the big screens say the shows are2/1 7/2 5/1 on the build up to the race Chester bet will be advertising approximat odds 5/1 8/1 12/1 maybe not exactly like that but you know what I’m getting at .

Tattcorner got the answer right I would be surprised if those race goers ever returned

By the way it was not just a few

Is the whole Chester Racecourse - Bars etc - now - 'Card Only' .... like at many Football grounds?

Yes everything card only onlooker and attendances are plummeting I only went Wednesday Friday on Wednesday after the vase I just went in the architect pub and nipped out every half hour andatched from the wall.

Would you believe the drought cider on course is purple it’s called fruit cider

How much for a Pint of Bitter -

- In the Architect

Think many have the same idea about this place now - met a racing bud in Ye Olde Boot on Friday, chatting racing and forgot about the time until we realised we'd missed the first. Got to the wall, looked at how the latecomers were being searched going into the Dee ( you'd think they were visiting relatives in prison), then decided we'd watch from the wall and go back and forth to the nearby pub. Have now decided that I'll not even consider handing them a penny ever again until at the very least they drop the Tatts dress code - on their website they even show an image of how they'd like an attendee to dress, along with recommendations  of which stores to buy the gear from. Crowd looked pretty sparse, something that pleased me greatly.

For a pint of very good beer and a New Zealand white about £12 .

Price of champagne cheapest £90 highly unlikely you would get to sit down and enjoy it,York next week less than half that price and guaranteed a seat.

You can actually see the racing on the Knavemire as
WELL

Yes you can lucky come to think about it the wall at Chester s a much better option than been on course if you fancy a drink you have the one liebe is referring to the architect.

The dante meeting , to avoid the big crowds is probably the best meeting of the year

Companies doing this to stop staff nicking cash.

But the downside is,a few of the young crowd have told me. They target bars at concerts,footy,races,where the bar is busy.

Order 6 pints,produce dud card,transatition fails,customers says,defo funds there try it again,then says your machine ain’t working.
Bar staff on minimum wage under pressure with long queues,just waves them away saying no problem.free drinks.

Because it looks like you’ve scanned your card,any managers don’t notice.  staff don’t want the hassle.
Same happens to get in venues,Wembley etc.

The business model of seeing labour as irrelevant.  back fires,because there’s no loyalty or responsibility.

Yes elisjohn add to that there’s something special about been there.

Absolutely true comingupthehill

Actually the pubs,bars have cctv monitioring the tills
Changes in expected revenue will be closely scrutunized

Chester used to always be nearly sold out,so they even used to let you go in the centre and could take your own beer in,people were walking in with cases of beer,

But they stopped all that,went card only,plus they fleece you.

So 2 things happen,they don’t go,or they find a way round it.

If prices were competitive,then people wouldn’t be bothered to work round the system,and would attend.

As for the staff,they probably give an agency 17 quid an hour for staff on 9.50 an hour.
Just pay the staff the 17,and get loyal workers..

I’m so lucky - yeah. Cheltenham. We took 5 million on beer sales,but we might of lost 25k as the quantity bought dosent match sales.

Never mind,they might of spilt it,just bank the 5 million.

Comingupthehill

Just one bookmaker turned up in the middle on Wednesday,no bar no food no screen nowhere to keep dry ,he packed down after 4 races ,they have even taken away the facilities for the Cheshire regiment on the Friday where many soldiers old and young would meet up in a big marquee.

It’s called managed decline.

The books say it’s cost effective.

So what can they do.

Sometimes running something at a slight loss,might be worth it long term,if you block growth,you can’t grow.it’s difficult cos how long do you sustain it till you pull the plug.

Only been to Chester once quite a while ago
You cant appreciate how tight the track is
Also means drinking/viewing is very restricted
Not for me

chester in the early 80s was superb, shergar, law society etc etc ,piggott , armstrong with the fav in the opening race , always last ,   but that tuesday- thurs meeting then was superb

i think those days chester only had about 3 meetings  all year

Frankfurter stall at Lingfield yesterday, card machine stopped working. I offered £15 cash for 2. He said sorry, racecourse wont allow cash. He lost my sale.
These stallholders are terrified of Arena Racing though there is one stall that will accept my cash as long as no Arena staff in sight

Mr c

There was a situation at haydock last summer when the owners of a winner who had won a few quid in the ring went into the champagne bar to celebrate,when ordering he was told card only ,he ordered two taxis and went into a wine bar in newton le willows and spent it there.

Chester went downhill when sangster and barry hills stopped going,
I was stood next to sheik Mohammed one day,
Aidan didn’t even bother going over this year.

At least they’ve got Owen,all the premier league players used to go.

Elisjohn

It would be difficult for people to understand how good the Chester cup / vase meeting was in the 80s

Regarding the premier league players uniteds first premier league they played Blackburn on the Monday night and all the players were at Chester celebrating the following day.

Speaking of Football - and today being Sunday

Remember that Sunday Racing  FOOTBALL TEAMS  Nonsense at Haydock Park -

Where the Jockeys all rode for different Football teams, or something similar - and they had different Football Managers, and/or former players 'Managing' the different teams.

Same silly idea as the current - 'Racing League' jamboree/jolly-ups - that Chapman, Weaver and others all get so artificially  over-excited about

herad chester coe on itv wetting herself they they,d got 30,000 over 3 days,if suns out they get 40,000+ on sun card to watch journeymen horses

i'm sure i have somewhere a 1979 chester cup racecard signed by cecil, cauthen and piggott . i still have the junior members day badge , £2.50. ...went there thursday on a free badge . never seen the place so empty and , as usual here  , enjoyed myself more in the pub .

Things had to catch up with Chester eventually,haven't looked at this years pricing structure but they've been charging something like £42 for an ordinary Saturday in Tatts for several years with some of the worst facilities imaginable,York would be half the price for much better racing and facilities in a different world to what Chester offer,it amazed me for many years how the crowds kept coming,although they did look a decent crowd on the Friday.

ribero -

The BHA proposed Reducing of Saturday Afternoon meetings - especially for a 3-hour period when the MAIN meetings are being shown on TV - will surely be a well-deserved, and over-delayed, 'kick in the Goolies' for Chester - after they have, self-servingly, chosen to race practically every other Saturday Summer afternoon these past few years.

Even clashing with (the same population Pool of) Haydock Park on several occasions.

- and, Yes - Of course ...

CHESTER also chose to race on the Silly and Senseless 'SUPER Saturday' Afternoon Shared by -

NEWMARKET's JULY CUP meeting, and YORK's JOHN SMITH's CUP day - along with ASCOT's Summer Mile meeting, too...

Although - It has to be said that Newmarket's equal Greed in switching the traditional JULY CUP day to Saturday, was a fair attempt at scoring an Own Goal.... especially as the ASCOT Summer meeting had been established in he Calendar since the early 2000s

That Top-End Fixture Overload has - FINALLY - been the Catalyst for the proposed Fixture Timing change - due to - an eventual realisation of an over-long dismissal of PUNTER COMPLAINTS - ever since this Australian idea of cramming all, and Any, race of consequence into SATURDAY FIXTURES.

Blame former BHB Chief Executive, the Australian, GREG NICHOLS for that Idea - and a consequence of his   BHB 'jobs for the boys' appointment.
Greg Nichols now being comfortably re-ensconced at Racing Victoria - and a Director of Racing Australia - whilst awaiting his undoubted big fat BHB Pension.

They - the likes of the BHB - and now the current BHA - would rather be star struck by some 'wonder-man' from
Down Under - than listen to the people who REALLY KNOW the game here .... SERIOUS PUNTERS.

Now - We even have Jockeys and Trainer's - along with platitudinous TV Presenters - latching onto the awful Australian description of a horse becoming - "a Saturday horse"

Fair point onlooker,while I think it's outrageous that tracks like Thirsk might lose their premier Saturdays (in one case for a Newmarket meeting that generally attracts just over 30 runners,the highlight being a listed fillies race and also attracts a very poor crowd) the points you make,make it very hard to sympathise with Chester.

chester was a real feel-good racecourse in the late 90s. sad to see it so mismanaged. my last visit was in the notfair box and i so enjoyed the hospitality i nicked a coupla bottles. went back the next day  as a casual racegoer and it was orrible

when the weathers bad the crush is unendurable

Only went the once around 30 years ago for the May meeting, awful track I said I would never go back and I haven't

one thing that I will always remember is that I stopped at the blossoms hotel and had breakfast with David Hood, anyone remember him?

I walked to the course with my bag; it was a green polo sports bag; it tossed down and I am talking monsoon so I popped into the Grosvenor to get out of the rain, the doorman asked if I was staying there so I replied yes

When the rain stopped and I ventured out I bumped into couple of lads from Harrogate one of them who was called Karl. who no doubt Ribero will remember, when i eventually got to the racecourse My mate Reg Boyle said "how can you afford to stop at the Grosvenor"

hi ronnie ....i remember david hood i'm sure . think he took the hills job off a bloke i used to know !..anyway . grosvenor in chester we visited thursday ,still excellent place to have a drink . looked as smart as ever . york wednesday , thurs , possibly friday too . can't wait . proper racecourse .

Shthole scum hope the place closes.

windsor knot

love York been going since I was a junior member, cant wait for this weeks racing, meeting up with a few good pals nice food and a drink on an evening and relive the good old days. been a member; including the junior membership; for 46 years now

We lost our Darren in 2007, so its a bit of a sweet an sour course to be honest, i always go and have a drink with him on his bench in front of the weighing room and leave him a white rose, his ashes where scattered on the rails only 34, he used to love knocking one of the boards

the dante , muisidora and york cup all used to be on radio 2 , with peter bromley in the good old days

David Hood was knocking off my mates daughter when they both worked at Captain Tin Forster's yard. Met him one evening at Blackpool Greyhounds when he was making her acquaintance again.

Certainly enjoyed his oats.

Used to go to Chester a lot in the 60s 70s and 80s . Completely different now , a rip off course only interested in hospitality and fleecing the public. My advice is don't go. They don't deserve or appreciate your custom.

Chester racecourse the biggest rip off track in the country. Dont give them your hard earned.

I'm always keen to go to tracks I've never visited before but after reading all the reviews on here about Chester that course is off the bucket list for sure.
I just know that I would hate the place.

As regards to David Hood my mate was part of his team when Hills sponsored the greyhound Derby and she would do the p.r.work etc with him and I met him a couple of times at the Don through her. I thought he was very engaging and amicable personally and he was very good fun to work with by all accounts.

We only went once, over 20 years ago.
Long queues to get on the track. No room, push and shove meeting. Can't see much from the stands.

Never again.

Place is a khazi , worse value for money than the council tax.

Good afternoon slippy

Although I started the thread and all the criticism is accurate I would still recommend you pay a visit to Chester if you haven’t been it is still a unique racecourse the Friday afternoon in September is probably the best one for a quiet day at the races.

As ribero says these plans that will basically finish some of the small independent tracks are outrageous.

And lose race goers for ever.

Oddly enough it is the best track I have visited as an owner.

Have you own table for the day, superb buffet, all day long so no rush. Good viewing platform for owners in stand accessed via under course walkway.

Puts most other tracks to shame.

Not attended as a punter and tbh looked very, very busy.

Going back quite a good few years now so things might have changed.

Agree barstool some great facilities but out of reach for to many ,on a much lower scale Southwell has gone the same way.

There you have it, perhaps they are looking after the owners and trainers to the detriment of ordinary punters.  I used to go regularly until it suddenly dawned on me that why should I pay a £48 admission, plus travel and food expenses to follow the racing on the big screen, when I can follow it from the comfort of my armchair.  No doubt that their greed has cost them.