Jimbob
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Could more racecourses be mixed?The '10 courses' thread got me thinking. In these dark economic times, could we not have more mixed courses to creat more revenue for racing? Obviously some courses are unsuitable and some of the jumps courses have meetings in the summer but here is a list of courses I think could be mixed and are not.
Newmarket- It is the home of racing so should really have a NH course. There used to be one. Surely it could be revived?
No explanations for the rest. Just think they would make decent NH/Flat tracks
Thirsk
Huntingdon
Redcar
Pontefract
Cartmel
Plumpton
Aintree?
There are one or two I haven't been to personally in that list I admit but based on either personal experience, or what I know of the course, there is no reason the above courses couldn't be mixed.
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westmeadhawk
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I hate to shoot a good idea down in flames but...
Cartmel is all wrong for the flat.
Jumps on the Rowley Mile would be the end of life as I know it 
Isn't it partly to do with where the trainers are based? So somewhere like Kempton is fine for flat and NH trainers but somewhere like Newton Armpit would not attract flat horses (the track would be ok though!).
If the flat trainers go further south-west than Bath they melt don't they? 
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Jimbob
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Westmead PLEEEEEEAAASE do not understand me. If anybody tries to make a jumps course out of my beloved Rowley Mile I will personally go down there and lie in the middle of the course and refuse to budge!! I do not advocate a jumps course be made of the Rowley Mile or the July Course. Just that the NH course that used to be at Newmarket be revived!
As for Cartmel, you're probably right. It just frustrates me that there's not more racing(of any code) there 
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westmeadhawk
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| Jimbob wrote: | Westmead PLEEEEEEAAASE do not understand me. If anybody tries to make a jumps course out of my beloved Rowley Mile I will personally go down there and lie in the middle of the course and refuse to budge!! I do not advocate a jumps course be made of the Rowley Mile or the July Course. Just that the NH course that used to be at Newmarket be revived!
As for Cartmel, you're probably right. It just frustrates me that there's not more racing(of any code) there |
Sorry Jimbob, I got the wrong end of the stick!
No pun intended 
I didn't know that there used to be an NH course there - you learn something new every day.
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Jimbob
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I'm almost certain it did although googling hasn't come up with anything. I'm going back a long way. Pre WWII I would think  Can someone please confirm this otherwise I will have to dig out all my old racing books and plough through them tomorrow I know I've read about it somewhere
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jennywales
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In principle I agree Jimbob - more courses could indeed be "mixed". There are a couple of practical problems, though. First, introducing mixed meetings at one course might threaten the economic viability of nearby courses (I'm thinking of what would happen to Worcester if Ludlow or Hereford went mixed, but that's a "local" issue for me, and I think Worcester is under threat anyway - but there must be other examples).
Second, quite a few single purpose courses are single purpose for a reason - the state of the drainage and the ability of the course to "repair itself" over a period of time. Ludlow is jumps only, and they race in the depths of winter, but come April/May the course has taken a severe battering, despite the drainage being relatively good, and I don't think they could get it back into condition for a summer Flat season.
On the other side of the coin, I can't see Bath or Salisbury managing a jumps course - they are both on very free-draining chalk downland and the going would probably be too firm.
But other courses might be able to manage.
I recall that I also read somewhere that there was once a jumps course at Newmarket - it may be in "A Long Time Gone", that excellent book about the history of racecourses in UK.
And how about another question. Which course(s) would people revive (ie courses that existed in the past and are now closed/disappeared)?
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geordie_racer
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alexandra palace could be re-built and northern racing were looking at it a few years ago
probably too late for the majority of those that have closed but as i have said, for manchester and birmingham not to have racing is bizzarre.
mixed tracks? wetherby are tlaking aout flat racing in 2011, not sure it think its a good idea. it may have a knock on effect on thirsk, ripon....
why the need for any change inthe number of tracks?
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Andy
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| jennywales wrote: | In principle I agree Jimbob - more courses could indeed be "mixed". There are a couple of practical problems, though. First, introducing mixed meetings at one course might threaten the economic viability of nearby courses (I'm thinking of what would happen to Worcester if Ludlow or Hereford went mixed, but that's a "local" issue for me, and I think Worcester is under threat anyway - but there must be other examples).
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I think that's the main problem here. For certain racecourses to become "mixed" we would need to either increase the number of fixtures that we already have (probably not desirable) or move fixtures from one course to another. The latter will obviously have an impact on the viability of certain courses (as in Jenny's example) and from an accessibility point of view the closure of racecourses cannot be a good thing, especially in these tough economic times where we need to do everything we can to get people to the races.
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Hampton
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Aintree staged mixed meetings until the late 70's but then were scrapped! Their operation is now more geared to Jumps racing!
Newbury might be a good contender. It used to stage a 3 day meeting years ago made up of 2 days jumps & 1 day flat so there could be a mixture!
Ascot may of staged mixed meetings years ago but were phased out. Again a feasible track for mixed meetings.
Others could be: Newcastle, Ayr, Chepstow, Haydock & Sandown (who do hold a mixed meeting anyway!).
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geordie_racer
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| Hampton wrote: | Aintree staged mixed meetings until the late 70's but then were scrapped! Their operation is now more geared to Jumps racing!
Newbury might be a good contender. It used to stage a 3 day meeting years ago made up of 2 days jumps & 1 day flat so there could be a mixture!
Ascot may of staged mixed meetings years ago but were phased out. Again a feasible track for mixed meetings.
Others could be: Newcastle, Ayr, Chepstow, Haydock & Sandown (who do hold a mixed meeting anyway!). |
mixed meetings?
no thanks
seperate seasons?
yes please
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gromero
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There is a jumps track near Newmarket, it's called Huntingdon, and that's close enough thank you very much.
Mixed meetings, god no. The one at Sandown is enough.
Every year we have..."So Frankie, do you watch much of the jumps boys at work?"
Frankie:" ermmm, well, errmmm, yes I watch that Cheltenham Festival"
Don't lie, you're in the middle east getting waited on by 40 young beauties in a 5star suite at the top of some crazily shaped hotel.
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Machiavellian
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They have tv in the middle east you know
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