What's this all about?

Very strange, just looked after you posted
Stratford off at 4.22, so gonna clash
Next Ripon race at 5.00
Doesn't make sense

Looks like a **** up, but they did trial 25 minute gaps a while back DG.

Happened regularly at evening meetings in the 80s.

Sporting Life

When the card first appeared five days ago, the fifth race was scheduled for 15:55hrs. I strongly suspect that is where the Sporting Life error has crept in - BTW, am I the only oldie to notice the large number of stupid errors that have now crept into everyday life?

Do people not do a quick double-check before they finish a task? I find it very irritating.

Anyway, I have no idea why the 15:55 was put back to 16:00 and thus left us with only a 25 minute race gap to the 16:25. But I am at Ripon tomorrow and am going to go into the raceday office to see why, just out of curiosity.

Chances are, though, nobody will actually know! Raceday scheduling with other tracks is my guess...

Are they trying to get another race into the programme ?
Or maybe somebody just trying to shorten the hours worked by race-course employees ?
Trimming the wage-bill more likely i think.

Still nobody at the Sporting Life has spotted they have Ripon down to run three races in 30 minutes.

just to make sure they have a clash, they have left the parade ring a minute after post time.

musselburgh 3.40
stratford 3.55
ripon 4.00

beggars belief that they STILL cannot get this right

They announced it on track that the race was 4.30 not 4.25

Yup, Ribero is correct. At track, race was announced as 16:30hrs. BUT, a similar 'error' at Catterick and Kempton today!!

I am glad my generation were taught how it is better to delay something for a few seconds while doing a double-check rather than rush it out without looking and get it wrong.Today's world accepts needless errors far to glibly and easily.

BTW, I did go into the racecourse office at Ripon yesterday, but not to check why the race times had been mixed up (because it had been corrected by then) but to complain that £10.05 for a cup of coffee and a chicken salad roll was a bit too much!!!  Blank faces was the reaction and a shrug of the shoulders!!

Even York last week does not charge that much..just think about it. £10.05 for a coffee and a roll!!! Will be taking a packed lunch to eat in the car park from now on...

The Knight.
Phil Bull did that 40 years ago saying the food and drink  was far to expensive. So he put the picnic  basket in the roller.
Hope you are well.
Ronnie.

Sorry  Alex  Bird.

Hi Ronnie..yes, very good. Still racing all over from Newmarket to Thirsk and sometimes beyond!!

Sad to see the attendances decline. But in summer months more and more people turning up for a 'day out' with not a single idea about what they are looking at. Quite what that does for the sport long-term I do not know.

Until racing wakes up and admits that racing is 95% about betting no clever words or smart marketing will restore its fortunes. Of course, though, admitting that would be going against the'touchy-feely' (mostly false) emotions of society today!!! So, future looks bleak.

Anyway, yup packed lunch for me from now on, so well done Ripon. You had my pants down for the sake of £10 yesterday but from now on (around 5 visits a year) I won't be spending my usual £7-£8 on a sarnie and a cup of tea/coffee there. Very shrewd business economics!!!

Hope you remain well and hope you still get out racing - I believe I read on here you were at York last week? I was there Wednesday and Friday but here is a funny thing to end. Up on the top floor of the Gimcrack Stand at York (the one with the barber's poles within the County Stand) I estimate there were more people in that bit on the Wednesday than at the whole of Nottingham races the night before!!! Attendances at 80% of Nottingham meetings are truly terrible.

Keep well.