Photos from York Races - Friday 26th July 2013

[mowgli77]

Link to slideshow: http://s102.photobucket.com/user/mowgli77/slideshow/York Races Friday 26th July 2013 David O'Meara Danny Tudhope Hippy Hippy Shake beats Lady Niouf Giant Samurai Picture Dealer Fly Over at the racecourse

[Smarty72]

Re: Photos from York Races - Friday 26th July 2013

Good evening at the races' date=' weather stayed fine. It was packed up towards the betting ring as the Kaiser Chiefs were on after racing but we didn't stay for them. Fairly quiet around the parade ring. Had 2 main bets, Altharoos and Lady Niouf, backed both to win and both came 2nd. :wall Pontefract tomorrow. If anyone is going give us a shout, I'll be there with Whoneedsrio. I've put a few pictures up here, think there are 36 on the slideshow. :ok[/quote'] I went on Friday, my 1st visit since my teenage years with all my family and was a most enjoyable evening, apart from my betting but more of that later. We usually have a days racing in Yorkshire on our holiday from Torquay to Yorkshire (Ripon) and this meeting appealed to us all primarily because the Kaiser Chiefs were playing after, well for 5 out of 7 of us it did, however the Kaiser Chiefs did not appeal to my retired Parents but Mum stayed to watch and Dad waited in the car after the racing. It was an excellent concert and was well worth the entrance for the Grandstand for an evenings racing and Kaiser Chiefs for £19 each (Kids Free) with early bird booking or £22 on the day. It certainly attracted a big crowd and there were a lot of people experiencing there first day at the races and looked as if they were enjoying themselves. If this attracts new punters to the racecourse it is an initiative worth following. But it probably needs a top name band to really make this work, for me the Kaiser Chiefs tick this box. Sandown Park are holding a similar night on Wednesday (PL gave tickets away and was gutted could not go as would have loved to see the Happy Mondays!) but at £35 a ticket seems an expensive night and unlikely to attract many new punters to racing and the Happy Mondays probably have limited appeal. So congratulations to York racecourse for a good night. We were down near the betting ring in front of the grandstand and as Mowgli says this area was packed and the bookies were doing a good trade with queues to place your bets at all the bookies often 10 deep, was difficult to get the price you wanted as by the time you got to the front of the queue the price had often changed! Not so good for the serious punter but the majority of the crowd did not care! The bookies all looked happy and probably had a good evening with only one favorite winning Picture Dealer who looked impressive coming through the field from the rear. All 3 fancied Godolphin runners were also beat, well 2 actually the other declined to race! Jackpot meeting of the day which was not won and the Placepot dividend of £575.80 to a £1 shows how hard it was for the punter. My own betting started well with Nurpur winning the first, had 2nd (EW) with Mon Brav in the second race after deciding that the favorite Picture Dealer was to short in a 20 runner race. Went with the Richard Fahey newcomer in the 2yo maiden Kalahari Kingdom who proved very difficult to load into the stalls and was hoping it would be withdrawn as it antics at the start looked to ruin any chances and so it proved when 7th or 10. Backed the Godolphin favorite Albasharah in the big listed fillys race and put a bigger bet than usual on as I thought it was a class above the rest and looked a banker but never even started when Jockey De Sousa failed to remove the blindfold when the gates opened and then reared unseating the jockey and went for a run around the centre of the course! Due to been under starters orders, the bet stands, despite not participating in the race at all! Pocket talk I agree but feel that this rule is particularly harsh on the punter who does not get any run for his money but obviously the Bookies were happy. Went with Altharoos in the 5th which was 2nd and Satsuma in the last which was 6th. Great evening, lovely weather and am already looking forward to next year for another race meeting in Yorkshire! I really miss the Yorkshire racecourses down here in Torquay where there was so many options to go racing throughout the year from with a choice of Ripon, Wetherby, Thirsk, Catterick and York all close by to parents in Ripon. Whoneedsrio and Mowgli77 I am jealous of you both at the amount of racing available to you!