Hope and despair

REGULAR TURF ACCOUNT READERS WILL KNOW that I usually see a half-empty glass when it comes to the future of racing. But it’s difficult not to be encouraged by the attendance figures over Christmas. For years crowd numbers have been in free-fall, thanks to the combination of cost — entry to a decent enclosure is rarely less than £25, plus parking (as blatant a rip-off as exists), a racecard and expensive food and drink and you’re down at least £50 a head before you even start betting — and some pretty basic facilities in all bar top-notch venues, plus changing post-Covid habits. But this year there has been a pretty big rise across the board. Newbury’s post-Christmas fixture saw a 48 per cent rise in the crowd to 9,983. Despite…

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The Critic (Digital) - 1 Issue, February 2025

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