SD's Racing Ramble: Give the people a reason to come racing

Having amassed a loyal following on our Races Now YouTube channel thanks to a combination of outstanding tipping and forthright opinions, the unimitable 'SD' has now signed up for a weekly column right here on OddsNow.com! 

Today's latest edition drills down on the dwindling art of racegoing and why more should — and easily can — be done to get the general public attending meetings.

It’s a great time to be a racegoer. December and early January offer an array of action to enjoy at a multitude of racecourses.

My December and early January will, in order, likely consist of visits to: Carlisle, Wolverhampton, Wetherby, Kelso, Wolverhampton, Windsor, Haydock Park, Fakenham, Sedgefield, Wetherby, Catterick, Haydock Park, Ayr, Musselburgh, Wolverhampton and finishing off at Plumpton. There really is something for everyone.

The Racing Post gets some pelters on occasion, but it is to be commended in its sudden interest in the racegoer.

It has a What’s On This Month section and just today (Tuesday), has a column on where to go racing this Christmas. It is a step in the right direction after many years of a lack of focus in this area.

On a more personal level, it’s very magnanimous of Windsor to be holding jumping again this Sunday. The return after 20 years (only 20 as Ascot was being redeveloped — it’s 26 years since scheduled fixtures were held there) is something not to be missed.

The headwinds for racing are gathering, and it is inevitable that racecourse finances will suffer. They are businesses after all, and you don’t need to be Charles Babbage to work out that a black hole is oncoming.

One very easy way to go some way to plugging the gap is to get people going racing. Too many courses have been lackadaisical is this approach. I have no doubt that several courses would have happily raced beyond closed doors since Covid and frankly, change is due.

So many easy things can be done. Admission prices that are realistic with the standard of racing and time of week would be a start.

Racecourses are to be commended in their under-18 policy, though this is poorly marketed. But a general feeling to the paying public of not feeling ripped off or alienated is a must.

Cashless venues lack the choice, particularly for the older generation. Gestapo security attendants could smile once in a while. Bottles of water and items of fruit should not be treated like unexploded bombs and waved through. Food offerings should be reasonably priced, offer a selection and not a nightmare for one’s arteries.

Perhaps it’s best to conclude this and remember the great Richard Landale. Richard, who died earlier this year aged 80 would personally greet racecgoers at every Kelso meeting. He loved the place, and the public loved him. He cared.

Last Sunday, Jonathan Garratt, his predecessor, went around the racecourse personally with a dram for everyone. Richard would have loved that, and so did the racegoers.

An early look at the Massey Ferguson this weekend (sorry James Knight but you can’t beat a bit of heritage) shows a very open race, despite less entries.

Madara looks by far the most likely winner at this stage. He was too far back in the Mackeson (sorry again, James) and a more forceful ride, now we know he gets the trip, could reap dividends. 6/1 is perfectly fair.

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