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Scotland

A Day at: Ayr Racecourse

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It was a mixed experience at “Scotland’s premier racecourse”, much like the unsettled weather on “Family Fun Day”.

Last Sunday I finally had the opportunity to visit Ayr Racecourse, which bills itself as “Scotland’s premier racecourse”. This race day wasn’t ‘premium’ but I was keen to go racing at a place where I rarely back any winners.

Ayr is only a short 40 minutes trip by train from Glasgow, situated on the southwest coast of Scotland and therefore quite accessible. I flew in from Dublin to Glasgow International Airport in the morning, then walked to Paisley train station and a £12.50 Off-Peak Day Return ticket brought me all the way down to sleepy Ayr on this drizzly Sunday morning.

There’s enough time for a hearty breakfast (The West Kirk, a Wetherspoon, but architecturally exciting as it’s a converted church), a chilled IPA ( Willie Wastles Sports Bar) and a leisurely stroll through town before hitting the racecourse.

Racecourse Experience

It’s £25 through the gate. Steep for a day full of screaming children – it’s “Family Fun Day” – and a bunch of class 5 and 6 races. My biggest bugbear is that an early bird offer was available: £20, which is much fairer – however, the website didn’t allow me to complete the booking with an Irish address. Reaching out to the racecourse via e-mail didn’t yield a response. Disappointing.

That aside, the racecourse is certainly mostly gorgeous with its old Victorian-style stands, the old clock towering over the grandstand and the pretty flat racecourse that’s 100% observable for the racegoer from the stands.

A big screen was available and added to the racing experience, especially for someone who’s into the actual sport: great viewing from the stands, supported by decent binoculars and the screen, made the actual racing experience work well for me.

I loved the large parade ring as well: you can simply walk to the end of it, where the pre-parade ring is located as well, to get a full view of the horses in the preliminaries right until they leave for the track from there.

The inside part of the stands has a number of bars for drinks – I never had to wait long in line – and ample opportunity to sit and follow the action on the screens from there.

Food & Drink

I’m conflicted. The drinks were seriously good value in this day and age: £5 for a lager, and £5.50 for a Guinness. The variety of food offerings were decent, if not great.

Pricing generally fair for a racecourse, although the coffee prices for a regular cup, which is still rather small in my view, is quite excessive – though that’s the case at most racecourses – especially as the coffee is basically brown water.

I felt truly ripped off at the Ice Cream van where I ordered a small single cone with a sprinkle of chocolate sauce for £4.50, which is a lot of money for a small cone. It was literally the tiniest bit of chocolate sauce to the point where it was barely noticeable at all – which says something because the small single cone was certainly tiny.

The worst part: I only realised it later after I checked my banking app, was getting charged £5.00 (which would have been a ‘regular’ single cone) instead of £4.50.

Expectations are low when buying ice cream at a racecourse. I know it’s overpriced; and yet I got quite a few here in Ireland over the last weeks. It’s a treat. But the ice cream van at Ayr took it to new hights. Sure, it could have been an honest mistake… still not a great experience.

Odds of Return

2/1

Overall it was an enjoyable experience; probably for a racing fan like myself, it would be even more enjoyable on a day that’s not called “Family Fun Day”.

Given the quality of racing isn’t always brilliant and entry is on the steep side, this feels more like one “seen it, done it, next one” I don’t mind coming back one day, most likely that’s not too soon, though.

Equine Photography

A Winning Combination

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Found in a lovely vintage shop in Carlingford, Ireland over the weekend – racing & a good pint of Guineas truly make for a winning combination!

England

A Day at: Brighton Racecourse

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It’s been on my bucket list for a while: finally I made it to Brighton – a racecourse that looks marvellous on TV with its sweeping turns and the blue sea looming large in the background.

I must start with a proper bugbear:  £17 admission for a card with only six races, all class 6, is ‘taking the piss’. Perhaps quality-wise this was the worst raceday I’ve ever been to. Only three of those six races attracted eight runners on the day – shocking stuff; is anyone really surprised the sport is in decline with the public?

In fairness, as a flat racing fan, I found the study for all the six races rewarding, as they were – at the very least – quite competitive and intriguing for their low grade. Which didn’t make it any easier finding the winners, truth told.

For me going over from Dublin for a day-trip, getting to the racecourse was a smooth experience : a quick flight over in the morning to Gatwick, then the train down to the coast, and a 35-minute leisurely walk through Brighton.

Racecourse Experience

First things first: I absolutely love this racecourse! It intrigued me whenever watching racing on TV, and in reality the place is as picturesque as it gets – Brighton could be forcing its way into my personal top-3 of racecourses.

Simply fabulous, Brighton offers everything I love and want from a racecourse – perhaps, bar the missing ice cream van, especially on a hot day.

Of course, it helps when the sun is shining: It’s June and it felt like summer. Appreciated, especially as I returned to a cold and miserable Ireland in the evening, mind – so I really would have loved an ice cream as well!

The closeness of everything is perfect at Brighton. It makes it a cosy place to walk around, get a pint, a burger, watch the horses in the parade ring, take a seat alongside the winning post and walk up to the stand and watch the racing with the sensational scenery in the background.

I imagine it can get crammed and uncomfortable on the bigger days when the place is packed; though, for this low-grade Monday afternoon the course was well attended, and created a lovely, relaxed atmosphere.

The views from the grandstand are magnificent. The rolling hills, the sea in the background and the majority of the track observable with binoculars, plus a big screen to follow the action – this is a wonderful place to watch racing.

Food & Drink

Unfortunately it’s customary at British racetracks that you pay through your nose. Brighton isn’t different, to the most part – for example £3.50 for a small, industrially manufactured chocolate brownie. Saying that, a decent burger for €8 pounds is nearly fair in this climate, and a pint of Hobgoblin IPA for £6.30 most likely a steal!

Brighton is a small track, and on low-grade day as this, only half the bars in stand are manned. No problem, I never had to wait long to get a drink. The variety of offerings wasn’t great, but that might be different on bigger days.

Positive is the ample space outside alongside the rails or parade ring to sit down to eat and drink… or simply to soak up the sun.

Odds of Return

4/6

Brighton is a wonderful place to go racing. The easy access, the views, the lovely grandstand, the cosiness – I’ll be back, for sure. Obviously, especially on low-grade day, admission isn’t cheap. That’s a the main thing I didn’t appreciate.

Scotland

A Day at: Hamilton Park

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I always wanted to get a first-hand experience of Hamilton Park, a track where horses come to a near standstill in the closing stages thanks to a notorious stiff finish to the line.

Last weekend the opportunity for a maiden visit to Hamilton Park finally presented itself: that’s UK racecourse #17 ticked off the list for me. This May 4th visit coincided with the tracks opener for the in 2025 and was also billed as “Family Day”.

It showed: Hamilton Park was rammed with families. Screaming kids everywhere. The place was packed, perhaps the balmy spring weather a great help to get people through the turnstiles as well.

So here’s a quick report of my day at Hamilton Park, and a final assessment of what are the odds of me returning in this life.

Let’s Go Racing

Situated just outside of Glasgow, getting to Hamilton is pretty straightforward: for me that meant catching a flight at 6.50am in Dublin, arriving with ample time for a breakfast fry in Glasgow, before then catching the train from Glasgow Central to Hamilton West, a 30-minute ride with ScotRail.

The £6 for the off-peak return ticket felt fair (plus £16.50 for the luxury of taking the airport express bus to Glasgow city centre).

It’s another 25-minute walk from the station to Hamilton Park – not the most scenic walk, that’s for sure – though, I took a little detour through a rather deserted Hamilton on that Sunday morning.

In any case, as far as travel to a racetrack goes, Hamilton Park is generally quite easy to get to with public transport, and that’s a big plus for me.

Not a Cheap Day

An adult ticket purchased in advance was £27. That’s okay for British racing, but feels steep compared to Ireland, given this was a bog-standard day with the one class 3 Handicap as the ‘feature race’.

In comparison: ‘Early Bird’ tickets for Irish 2000 Guineas or Irish Derby day cost €20 and €25 respectively. Irish Champions Weekend Saturday – arguably one of the best days of flat racing in the world – is still cheaper than the ticket for Hamilton.

I know one can’t compare like for like necessarily. But I do feel it will come to bite the sport in the UK sooner rather than later that parts of society are effectively priced out of it.

And it doesn’t stop with getting through the door. The rip-off proper starts inside. I was gobsmacked by the prices for food and drink. Yes, it’s a sporting event, things cost more there, yet it seems bonkers that you have to pay £7.30 for bad lager, or £12 for a pretty simple Chicken Burger (without chips – those are a fiver on top!).

Three thin donut rings with a glaze of sugar? £4.60. The seven quid for a the Guinness in a plastic cup was nearly “value for money” at that rate.

And let’s not forget going racing without having a bet isn’t really an option for many people, either. So it all adds up: a day at the races is expensive.

That’s nothing new, and it’s not really an issue for me, truth told – I’ll continue to fly over to go racing in Britain, simply. because I love the sport.

Nonetheless, I wish racecourses (not all, but a majority) wouldn’t “take the piss” if it comes to prices for food, drink and or even the cost of entry and having a decent view of the action.

Rant over.

The Racing Experience

The Class 3 Handicap over 1m 5f and Class 2 Novice Stakes over the extended mile were the highlights on the card that offered seven races in total, with a bunch of lower grade handicaps filling the rest of the card.

Sallaal, the winner of the Novice Stakes looked a smart prospect. The 91 rated son of Frankel could go on to do better things, although he seemed quite unruly during the preliminaries, having unseated the rider and needed to be walked all the way to the post.

I truly enjoyed the compact nature of Hamilton Park. The distances between pre-parade- and parade ring, and then to the grandstand, are short. Bars and facilities always close. Betting ring right in front of the stand.

There is one stand, the views are fine from there, except the initial part of the loop when horses turn left for the longer races, everything else is visible, and the long straight with the horses climbing the last 2 furlongs makes provides an excellent view of how each race unfolds when it matters most.

Obviously I don’t know what’s the experience on a normal day, perhaps family day didn’t help, but a few me opportunities to sit and relax would have been welcomed.

The small restaurant and bar/betting shop area inside the grandstand were always full to the brim and it was impossible to find a spot to sit and just sip a coffee or beer while studying the racecard. A small coffee van. like it’s present at most Irish tracks, would have been nice too.

Odds of Return

2/1

Overall I enjoyed my visit to Hamilton Park. The weather helped, and while it was packed, it never felt too uncomfortable, except the lack of options to sit. I mentioned my gripes with costs of going racing here, specially given this wasn’t a “Premier” day.

I wouldn’t mind to be back one day. If I never get back in this life, it won’t be a big issue, either. Maybe not on “Family Day”, though. The view from the stand of the long straight is class, and the compact nature of the course ideal.

Track Report

Tramore Racecourse: An Irish Racing Pearl

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A friendly track with plenty of charm, fine facilities and stunning panoramic views of the Waterford coastline – Tramore is a place where racing feels celebrated.

It’s certainly a place steeped in history: racing at Tramore dates back to the 19th century – at least. While racing in the existing location has taken place since 1912.

History is in the air and you can feel it, smell and hear it when approaching the entrance to the track, with the spectacular coastline standing tall in the background. This isn’t the shiny new Curragh or a renovated Leopardstown. Racing at Tramore feels raw and real.

No surprise, you can sense the age of the place everywhere you go but that doesn’t distract from the fact that the facilities are well maintained. Yes, some wear and tear is visible, which only adds to the charm of the place, though.

The layout of the actual racetrack is interesting. This is a tight, roller-coaster like 7 furlong circuit. It’s up and down, ever turning and I can see how some horses love it while others won’t travel a yard.

This is perfect from a racegoers perspective because you are able watch the horses pretty much the entire race. No big screen needed. You can get a superb look of how the race develops especially once the field races down the hill on the far end of the track before turning for home.

As for filling the empty stomach or quenching the thirst: Tramore simply gets it right, There is lovely bar for pints from the tab. Enough space to sit with screens to follow the racing.

Food options are varied thanks to a fine bistro that offers a variety of fresh food options. There is also a dedicated fish and ship shop at the track. Prices are fair, taking into considerations we’re on a racecourse. It was €15 to get in, a coffee €2.50 and the food is reasonably priced.

Getting around is easy. Parade ring, stands, betting ring and all the other facilities are in close proximity. Despite the age of the racecourse everything here is clean, tidy and as well maintained as can be. Also a big shoutout to all the staff. Every single one had a smile on their face.

A highlight of Tramore’s location is the spectacular scenic view you can get from the parade ring toward the Waterford coastline. You can see the waves crashing on the beach in the background and smell the salt in the air.

The racing on the day of my visit wasn’t spectacular. Maiden Hurdles, low-grade Handicap Chases and a bumper – but it’s the atmosphere that matters. And from that perspective it was a stellar day.

A bumper crowd in attendance marveled in the victories of household names Rachel Blackmore and Paul Townend. Particularly Blackmore’s winning rides were popular with the local crowd.

Perhaps the highlight of the day was the Champions Parade of Cheltenham heroes Honeysuckle – the two-time Champion Hurdle winner, Energumene – the reigning Champion Chaser, and A Plus Tard – the 2022 Gold Cup winner.

A Plus Tard

I wasn’t sure what to expect when heading for County Waterford. In any case: all expectations where certainly exceeded. Tramore Racecourse is a stunning place to go racing. I loved every minute. It’s pushing hard to become my favourite track in Ireland, I must admit.

The combination of coziness, rural charm and history with scenic views, fine facilities and a lovely atmosphere make this a place where the sport of horse racing feels celebrated.

All Photos © Florian Christoph

Ireland

A Day at the Irish National Stud

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Back to normality. Somewhat, at the very least. Thanks to the recent easing of Irish lockdown restrictions open-air visitor attractions are allowed to reopen again.

Because I’m living in County Kildare I have the opportunity to visit the Irish National Stud. I haven’t been for more than a year. So it’s good to be back.

This is the best time of the year to visit the stud because the foals are born. It’s such a beautiful thing to observe: the special bond a mother and her foal have.

While the younger foals follow every step of their mum, the older ones have grown in confidence and somewhat independence. They can be seen having fun fooling around the fields.

It was a typical Irish May day with nearly all seasons present within a single hour. The foals didn’t mind, anyway.

Mums joined in the fun from time to time as well, to the bewilderment of the foals.

Royal Ascot hero Equiano – who is new to the Irish National Stud roster in 2021 – clearly has not lost any of his zest. He was flying around the paddock and enjoyed parading for the camera.

The living legends enjoyed the attention from the kids in the afternoon. Kicking King and Rite Of Passage were particularly keen on cuddles, and perhaps even more so keen on the treats they received over the fence. The almighty Hurricane Fly couldn’t be bothered and was lying far aware in the deep grass soaking up the sun.

At last. Cuddles for Hurricane Fly.

…………….

All Photos copyright Florian Christoph, 2021.