A Beginner’s Guide to a Day At The Races
If you are new to the colourful and thrilling world of horse racing and plan to visit a racecourse for the first time, it is really important to get the most out of your race day experience by understanding the many facilities available and options on offer for your day out.
First piece of advice: plan your journey and aim to arrive at the track not less than an hour before the advertised time of the first race. By the time you have parked your car, queued to collect your ticket, or made your way through the turnstyles and familiarised yourself with the layout of the course and the different enclosures, the runners will already be in the parade ring for the first race. It would be a shame to cut it too fine and end up missing at least one of the races.
Which enclosure ticket should I buy?
Most racecourses have at least three ticket options available:
Course area: This is the area on the inside of the racecourse and has fewer facilities than on the Paddock or Club side. It is great value however, entry usually being per vehicle, often meaning that four or five people can have a day at the races for around £20! While you will find only modest viewing facilities, you will find betting facilities and some food options on the course side. Usually there are children’s play areas and picnic benches.
Paddock area: Includes entry to the main part of the course and many, but not all of the racecourse facilities, including a grandstand view, access to the paddock area and the winners enclosure.
Club area (sometimes referred to as the Premier area): Usually closest to the winning line, includes the best grandstand views and enhanced facilities, dining options, etc.
Note: At most racecourses you can pre-book entry tickets online, usually at a discounted rate.
On entering the racecourse you will find
The Paddock: The area with most of the facilities for preparing horses for the race and for receiving the horses back after the race, including:
Saddling boxes: The area where the trainer and his staff place the saddle and all other equipment on the horse prior to the racecourse.
Pre-parade ring: Normally somewhere quiet, away from the crowds, this is the area where horses are saddled and then walked around to keep them supple and relaxed ahead of being presented to the public.
Parade ring: This is where the horses walk around and are viewed by the public. This is a key test of the horse’s temperament and any signs of nerves or bad behaviour will soon become apparent to punters (and the betting companies). You should consider which horses look fittest, most athletic, most relaxed etc. It is also the area where the jockeys meet the owners and trainer of the horse to discuss race tactics.
Grandstands: The grandstands face the racecourse and are usually situated close to the finishing line. In general, the higher up you go, the better perspective of the track and the more you will see of the race itself. Getting a good position in the grandstand – sometimes it pays to get there five or ten minutes before the start of the race – can really enhance your enjoyment of the race and your connection to the horse you have bet on.
Big screens: These days most racecourses erect a big screen on the inside of the track to allow you to easily see the race live without having to resort to using binoculars.
Unsaddling enclosure: This is where the horses are brought after the race to have the saddle and other equipment removed prior to having a wash down to cool them off after their exertions.
Winners’ enclosure: Sometimes restricted to just the winner, but usually including the second, third and fourth placed horses, this is where the horses that featured in the finish of the race are brought to receive the applause of the crowd. At major race meetings the atmosphere around the winners enclosure can be electric, with fans and connections of those celebrating their victory and showing their appreciation for an outstanding performance.
Food & Drink: Make the most of the different dining options available, from hamburgers and fish ‘n chips to silver service restaurants, from the racecourse pub and cafes to the champagne and seafood bars. In general, the bigger the racecourse the more dining options are available.
Racecourse betting options and betting facilities
Betting ring
Usually in front of the grandstands and facing or adjacent to the track itself, there is very often more than one betting ring on the racecourse, usually depending on the level of facilities that you have purchased on entering the racecourse.
In every betting ring you will find the bookmakers’ stands where bets can be placed on each race. The betting ring is essentially a market where the various ‘bookies’ compete to attract you to place your bet with them. Some offer bigger odds than others, so like any market you’d be well advised to shop around to see what odds are on offer before making your decision on who to bet with.
Once you have selected your horse and stated the amount you wish to bet, you will be given a ‘betting ticket’, essentially a receipt. The betting ticket will show proof of the horse selected, the amount bet, the odds agreed, and the potential returns for you if the horse wins – or if it is placed on an each-way bet. You need to produce the betting ticket after the race in order to receive payment from the bookie.
Note: In the event of you losing your ticket, or any disagreement between you and the bookie, you should ask for the Betting Ring Inspector to help resolve any issues. There will be signs around the betting areas telling you where the Betting Ring Inspector can be found.
Tote betting
While the racecourse bookies can be found in specific areas on both the course side and the main enclosures, all around the course and often inside the grandstands and adjacent to restaurants and bars, you will see Tote betting booths. This is a different way of betting. You still have to select the horse you wish to bet on and the amount you wish to bet, but you won’t know exactly how much you will win until the winning dividends are announced soon after the race. The approximate dividends are displayed on the Tote betting screens and fluctuate every few seconds.
The Tote is based on a pool betting system. In other words, all the money bet on the race goes into a pool, the Tote takes their cut, then the remaining money is divided by the number of winning tickets. Sometimes this can result in bigger payouts than with the bookies – usually on bigger odds horses – and these days it is rare that even the payout for a winning favourite is very much less than you would get with the bookies.
Betting shop
For those wanting the familiarity of the high street betting shop experience, most courses have at least one betting shop that is run along almost identical lines to the shops you will find in your town or village. You can bet there not only on the races taking place at the track, but also on races at other tracks around Britain, Ireland and even further afield. If you wish, you can also bet on other sporting events.