The tickets for the event included free transport to and from the Racecourse, already making the day full of fun as people spoke about which horses to bet on. The coaches came every half an hour and by the time you arrived at the venue, you could place a bet on the horse of your choosing and be ready to watch the first race.
Placing the bets is easy, just depending on how much money you want to put on – it’s best to put a bet on either way i.e., £10 if it loses and £10 if it wins. The odds can be pretty good and you could win back a healthy sum. The bets are placed and the drinks have been bought, now it’s time to trek out over the wintry grass and watch the races.
The first game began at 5 pm and lasted two minutes and forty-three seconds. The winning horse was no. 6 Colinton, with no. 5 Seagulls following in at a close second and no. 12 Amourie finishing third. The winning jockey was Jason Hart, with Katie Scott being the winning trainer.
The second race started at half 5, with no.1 Oceania Legend coming in first, followed by no. 2 Eydon and no. 6 Sunset and Vine. This time, the winning jockey was Daniel Muscutt, with James Ferguson being the lucky trainer.
The third race commenced at 6 pm, with no.1 Vespasian as the victor, no. 3 Yaahobby coming in second and no.4 True Jem coming third. The winning trainers were Simon and Ed Crisford, and the winning jockey was Ross Coakley.
The fourth race began at half 6, with no.5 Odd Socks Havana coming first, the winning jockey and trainer being PJ McDonald and Rebecca Menzies respectively. The second-place title was won by no. 11 Strategic Fortune and third place was seized by no. 9 Rocket Rod.
The second to last race – at 7 pm – was won by no. 6 Jems Bond, with no. 3 Edessann coming in second and was followed by no.7 Penombre. The winning Jockey was Paula Muir and Alan Brown was the winning trainer.
The last and final race started at half 7, with no.3 Khabib coming first with Connor Beasley being the winning Jockey and Roy Craggs the winning trainer. Followed in second place was no. 8 Tathmeen and third place was no.2 One Hart.
Now it’s 8 pm and the last of the races are complete. But what to do? How about visiting the fairground, with the ride of choice – the Cliff-hanger. The ride lasts for about 5 minutes and that is plenty of time to get a sudden wave of an adrenaline rush. Of course, if you are not prone to rides, then there is always the job of holding onto the bags, the phones or the drinks.
The prime time to hit the upstairs disco or the downstairs rave is when everyone is filing in from outside. The rooms are packed and it takes forever to get a drink. But fear not, the night is still young and I think I hear the buses arriving.
Once safely back on the bus, the event took us directly to Riverside for the Swingers Night. Arriving at 10 pm, the night goes on until the early hours of the morning. And I’ll say, what a day we had at the races.
