Saturday 1 February 2020

A Whinge on Racecourse Access Roads, Car Parks and Car Park Attendants – The Power of the First Impression


Over the years since I started The Owner’s Opinion blog, the pendulum has swung between quite robust, strategic articles and highly practical and more tactical offerings. Today’s blog is firmly in the latter category.

Psychologists know that the power of the first and last impressions have significantly higher impact than what goes on between them. I’m sure that this applies equally to racecourses, and we all know that there are a number of racecourses in the country that create a magnificent first impression but, alas, there are others that fail miserably. I don’t particularly like to “name and shame”, so I’ll sidestep that, but racecourses I am particularly impressed by include Newbury, the Rowley Mile course at Newmarket and my favourite track in the country, York, as far as large tracks are concerned, whereas unfortunately most of the smaller tracks are somewhat challenged, although that is not an excuse for some of the unimpressive incidents that are all too frequent. I’m not going to mention any specific courses, but you may be able to recognise some of them. Here is my whinge.
  • Lack of signage: the locals may know the area but visiting owners often do not. Navigating your way through towns is never easy, and with many racecourses located out in the countryside it is often difficult to work out the correct way to approach them. When you eventually locate them, often the signage for Owners & Trainers car parks are too small and badly positioned.
  • Racecourse access road: why are so many too narrow, potholed and with rough, inadequate surfacing? That isn’t just the minor tracks – it is the case at some of the biggest courses in the country. It is sometimes unclear whether they are two-lane roads, so it is left to drivers to decide. Sometimes you find that two-lane roads become one-way only at various times, though nothing explains what triggers that.
  • Entrance to the car park: how many times have you encountered the custodian of the car park glaring at you for some unknown and unintended breach of procedure? While a few breezily wave you through on display of your O&T car park badge or ROA PASS card, others seem determined to block the entrance and keep you out, regardless of your entitlement to be there. It is not much of a first impression if the verbals / non-verbals are “You can’t come in”, or “You can’t park here”, or “You can come in, but can only park in that big puddle over there”, or, of course, “Anywhere you like, in the mud”.
  • The car park surface: if I was going for a normal distribution of surfacing, I would say that 20% is lamentably bad; 20% a combination of grass, gravel and mud; 20% Ok apart from when it’s raining (which is hardly uncommon in this country, particularly this winter); 20% quite acceptable and you can park on it and walk over it without getting covered in mud; and 20% superb, as it is hard standing and properly laid out.
  • Signage to Owners & Trainers: sometimes good but often non-existent. My worst experience was going to a minor NH course when I followed the signs to the racecourse car park, only to be told that I’d come to the wrong car park and should have gone to another one, which of course hadn’t been signed at all. The wrong car park did however have an O&T entrance, but when I went there, they wouldn’t allow me in, as apparently I needed to go to the “other one” across the course. They wouldn’t let me through to go to the unsigned, correct one. I had to go back to the car, drive round and find the unsigned correct one and go through the whole process again. They then wouldn’t accept my wife as an owner at the O&T entrance, and the usual embarrassment started of proving who you were. The staff at O&T had obviously been through the same charm school as the car park attendants. The training had certainly been effective – it was consistently dreadful, rude behaviour.
The famous bloodstock agent, David Redvers, on his web site, has something called Redvers’ Rant. I’m obviously launching a new series to rival that called Hughes’s Horrors. Maybe I’ve just reached the age of Victor Meldrew in One Foot in the Grave. If you hear someone ambling round the course muttering, “I just don’t believe it”, you’ll know it’s either David, Victor or me.



I am always interested to hear your views so please do leave a comment. If you can't see the comment box at the bottom of this post then navigate to the post using the right hand navigation or click here > and scroll to the bottom of the page. Look forward to hearing your views. Thanks very much for sharing them.




12 comments:


  1. This is really a good source of information, I will often follow it to know more information and expand my knowledge, I think everyone should know it, thanks Best car park line marking sydney service provider.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Casinos Near Me - Dr. McD
    There are a dozen casinos that host 남원 출장마사지 table 인천광역 출장샵 games that allow you to experience some 강릉 출장샵 of your favorite 안양 출장안마 slots and table games. Some of those games include ‎Gambling · ‎Live dealer 제주 출장샵 casino · ‎Table games

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for some other fantastic post. The place else may just anyone get that type of information in such an write my assignment ideal method of writing? I have a presentation subsequent week, and I’m at the look for such information.

    ReplyDelete
  4. A complaint about racecourse access roads for cars might highlight issues with traffic flow, signage, or overall accessibility. What Window Best It's crucial for venues to prioritize smooth entry and exit to enhance the overall race day.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Writing skills matter when it comes to blogging. I loved reading this information; it was totally enjoyable and welcoming.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Very great blog with all of the information. I truly enjoyed it and shared it with my friends and colleagues.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This blog is outstanding, packed with valuable information. I thoroughly enjoyed it and made sure to share it with my friends and colleagues.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your Blog is very informative .wish to see much more like this. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great insights on racecourse access! It’s essential to have smooth entry and exit points for a fantastic experience. Speaking of experiences, I recently discovered Tiger exchange , an exciting platform for sports betting that enhances the thrill of race days. It’s all about making those first impressions count—both on the track and online!

    ReplyDelete