The Racing Network

Speak to anyone involved in the racing industry and, more likely than not, you’ll find that they navigate their way around the country via racecourses. So Brighton, Worcester and York are all pretty easy cities to find; Cambridge is somewhere on the way to Newmarket and London (which is apparently quite a big place) is relatively close to Epsom, Sandown and Kempton. 

Naturally, one needs to be careful: Folkestone isn’t very near to Folkestone Racecourse (especially now that it's closed) and Bangor Racecourse is miles away from Bangor, although it is just a stone’s throw from Bangor-on-Dee, a quaint village, significantly lacking in airports, cathedrals and universities. 

North of Perth, navigation becomes tricky. Racecourses are thin on the ground (okay, they’re non-existent), but the territory is rich in landmarks named after famous horses: There’s a mountain called Ben Nevis, another called Arkle; they even named Scottish towns after the dual winner of the Schweppes Gold Trophy (Rosyth), the 1977 Oaks and St Leger winner (Dunfermline) and a port in the Orkney Islands after the winner of the 2002 Sefton Novices’ Hurdle (Stromness).  

But don’t just think about racecourses as a series of points on a map, racecourses are linking people together in more meaningful ways too. Yes, there are networking events to be attended, but I’m not thinking about race-day corporate hospitality, nor even the dear old Chamber of Commerce, valuable though these occasions are. I’m talking about superfast broadband. 

Once BT have finished connecting fibre optic cable across the country, I’m told that a significant number of rural properties in Cumbria will still be unable to access superfast broadband. That’s why we’ve just signed an agreement with a company called Kencomp, who are installing wireless equipment to the top of our grandstand, which will bounce high frequency broadband signals to residents and businesses in the less accessible areas around the Cartmel Peninsula. The equipment will form part of a network which will ensure reliable coverage across to Coniston and beyond. 

It means that more people will be able to live and work in the area. The days of the big commute will be over: No longer will the young people of Cumbria be forced to leave home to seek work in the giant conurbations. You know: the ones near Haydock and Aintree...

It’ll open opportunities for entrepreneurs to launch businesses from home, to spend their money in the local shops and place their bets* on Saphir Du Rheu, our selection for Saturday’s Hennessy Gold Cup, online.

* Subject to the bookmaker being a Cartmel Racecourse sponsor and having BHA Authorised Betting Partner Status. Entrepreneurs must be aged 18 or over to place bets. Players are reminded that your investment may go down as well as up - especially if past performance is any guide (which it isn't).