When I was a child, I remember my father would sit on Saturday morning with the newspaper, choosing his horses for the race that afternoon. If it was a big race day, like the Grand National or Derby Day, his brothers would also pop in. We didn’t dare to make a sound while the all-important discussion took place, then it was off to the bookies for a little bet, and an afternoon in front of the TV. Watching the races was a proper family tradition and we didn’t just follow them on screen, we also went to point-to-points and proper racecourses.
Happily, when I met my hubby he also had an interest in horse racing. We would put on our glad rags and off we’d go for the day, visiting racecourses around the UK. We used to live near Goodwood Racecourse and, after several visits there, we decided to become members. We went to every meeting for several seasons, parking our car near the track and taking a picnic with us.
Our day out would start with coffee by the car followed by a walk over to the Members Bar to suss out the race card. There was always someone around to give a bit of advice – although I can’t say it was always good! We’d watch the racing, eat our food, soak up the atmosphere (and hopefully the sun) and cross our fingers that we’d backed a winner. There were some days when I almost rode the horse across the winning line, I got that excited when my horse was in front!
In winter we’d like to watch horse jumping. This is a whole different experience to watching the summer flat racing in that, instead of a picnic, we’d be all wrapped up for the cold and enjoy a bowl of soup to warm the cockles. But as far as the thrill of the day is concerned it’s the same; the excitement of picking a winner but if your horse and rider fell, the disappointment and also the worry of whether they were ok.
Over the years we’ve visited many racecourses – I could list them all here but it would take a while! We’ve been to Cheltenham to see the Gold Cup, which was so crowded if you moved from your spot on the rail you never got near enough to see the horses again – except on the big screen – and the queues to put a bet on a horse were so long. The larger racecourses can be fun but in general we prefer the slightly smaller meetings when everything seems so much more personal.
We’ve recently been to Jackdaws Castle in the Cotswolds for a wander round the stables. We had a lovely morning, seeing the horses in the stables, watching them training on the gallops, and even visiting the swimming pool and sauna – for the horses, not us! We enjoyed coffee and a bacon butty provided by the stables and to be up close and personal with the horses was truly wonderful.
Yes, I do love a day at the races and it’s the experience – not the winning – that counts!