After The Show Is Over

After two fantastic days racing at Cartmel, many people have asked me, “What happens next on the racecourse?”

Well the clear-up starts straight away and, while we always try to get the park back into shape as quickly as possible, the village will be visited by the judges of Britain in Bloom next week – so we want to be doubly sure that the racecourse is as tidy as possible. 

A dedicated team of casual staff, including local families and members of the Cartmel Cricket Club, collect in the region of 17 tonnes of rubbish. The waste is collated and removed from site by Wicks Waste Management Services, who ensure that 100% of it is recycled. Glass, plastic, cardboard and metal are sorted for re-processing. The rest is treated and converted to “refuse derived fuel” – not sold yet in Britain, but usually exported to Holland for use on the continent. 

This weekend the racecourse will be hired by the local Pony Club for an annual event, while members of the Lakeland Caravan Club will be staging a rally to coincide with the Steam Gathering on Cark Airfield. That’s assuming that we can get all the marquees down in time; it’s a tight turn-around. 

Next week we’ll be hosting the Sunflower Ball, in the Louis Roederer Restaurant on the first floor of the Grandstand, for St Mary’s Hospice. The Grandstand is available throughout the year for weddings, private functions and corporate events. And following that, it’s the Cartmel Agricultural Show on Wednesday 7^th August. 

The divots left by the horse’s hooves have already been neatly forked back into place and this week’s rain has helped to stimulate the grass to grow in preparation for the August Bank Holiday Meeting; all of which will please our Clerk of the Course, Anthea Morshead, who is supervising the action at York on Saturday. She isn’t allowed to have a bet – but you can…  I’d suggest  Mukhadram in the York Stakes at 2.55pm. 

Between watching races during the afternoon, I’ll be spending some time in the garden. Regular readers will be aware of the failed asparagus crop – I’m delighted to report that the fine weather has brought compensation in the form of delicious strawberries, redcurrants and gooseberries.

 

Feelin' Hot Hot Hot

It’s hot down at the racecourse this week and we’re looking forward to a couple of those perfect Cartmel race-days. The sun will be shining, there’ll be picnic blankets, ice-creams, glasses of nice cool drinks, giddy crowds on the fairground and … did I mention… the weather is going to be hot?

Horses don’t generally eat ice-cream (something to do with not liking chocolate or vanilla I think), so we are making alternative arrangements to keep them cool. As part of the legacy from the London Olympics, we have been allowed to use the large fans that were used to blow a fine mist of water droplets over the equine competitors during the 2012 Games. Located in a marquee adjacent to the wash down area, the fans will be able to cool the horses as soon as they come off the track. We’ll also have thousands of litres of water available at strategic points around the racecourse, ensuring that any horses that are pulled up can be cooled quickly too. 

There is £125,000 of prize money on offer for Saturday and Monday and the entries for all the races look really strong. The most valuable race of our season is the £27,000 Totepool Cumbria Crystal Cup, run for the first time last year. The winner on that occasion was What A Steel who will carry an additional 5lb compared to last year if he gets into the race; preference may be for Scotswell who always runs well at Cartmel. 

The £15,000 McGuinness Feeds Handicap Hurdle is the most valuable hurdle race in Britain restricted to lady riders. Donald McCain has stepped in to book Lucy Alexander for Life And Soul and that looks a good combination in a “hot” race. It would be great to see a local winner and I’d give a serious chance to Jimmy Moffatt’s Seize in the Louis Roederer Handicap Steeplechase; he’s 12lb lower in the weights since his last run and looks as though he’ll appreciate the faster going. 

Off the track, the competition is going to be even hotter. Racegoers will be invited to take part in a contest to cook the best BBQ meal, using a selection of mystery ingredients – in a similar format to the TV show Ready Steady Cook. The winners of each 30 minute round will be invited to take part in the sizzling final at the end of each race-day. We’ll also be awarding a prize to the racegoers that set-up the most stylish picnic or BBQ in either public enclosure. 

We’re looking forward to a great weekend. Did I mention that it is going to be hot?

The Nice People Who Solved Our Space Shuttle Problem

I am reliably informed by a member of our friendly catering team (which means that I haven’t checked any of the facts that follow, but I’m going to repeat them anyway) that the rocket boosters on the American space shuttle were built to a size based roughly on the width of two horses’ backsides.

You see the boosters had to travel to the launch-pad by train, passing through a tunnel along the way. The gauge of the US railway line, 4ft 8½ inches, dictated the width of the tunnel - and the American rail tracks were based on our own British ones. So how was the gauge of our tracks determined? Well they were based on the width of the tram tracks which came earlier. The tram tracks were set at roughly the same distance apart as the ruts created by horse-drawn vehicles, to avoid putting unnecessary pressure on the wheels. How far apart were those ruts in the road? …About the width of two horses trotting side by side.

Now I don’t want to sound too dramatic, but NASA aren’t the only organisation to have faced an issue that originates from the days of horse-drawn vehicles.  Here in the medieval village of Cartmel, people often wonder how we manage to get 20,000 racegoers through the narrow roads and rural lanes that surround the racecourse.

If I had a pound for every person who suggested that we should build a new road around the village, I might just be able to pay for one; not that anyone who has received my tips on a regular basis is likely to give me a pound for anything. (This Saturday, by the way, I’m going for Jonny Delta in the 4.40 at York).

So we went to “plan b” – and brought in the professionals. SEP Events Ltd have been helping the public to gain access to many of Britain’s busiest events since 1989 including: the Aintree Grand National, the Goodwood Festival of Speed, music festivals and this week’s Great Yorkshire Show. In addition to helping us devise a traffic management system which is sanctioned by the County Council, SEP Events design the appropriate road signage, set out thousands of road cones and provide staff for all the key positions including most of our car parks. They are the NASA of the car-parking universe. 

 

SEP’s traffic management system involves the creation of dedicated one-way routes into the racecourse, which are reversed half way through the day to facilitate the get-away. In the meantime, we try to keep surrounding lanes available for local residents to negotiate their way around the village to continue with their normal business. So if you’re approaching the racecourse next week and think you know a short-cut, please help us to avoid gridlock by sticking to the signed routes and don’t rely on your sat-nav, especially if you’re driving a space shuttle or a horse drawn cart.

 

How Important is Sport?

Bill Shankly the Scottish football manager is credited with saying “Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.”

 

Having observed the river of tears flowing from Wimbledon over the last two weeks, no one could mistake the importance of winning to the participants. It was similar at my daughter’s sports day last week - the cheating that goes on in an egg and spoon race; those Mums should be ashamed of themselves! 

 

Yes, sport can inspire us and it may even be good for our health – but it is also providing a major boost to our economy. A recent report, published by Deloitte on behalf of the British Horseracing Authority, has demonstrated that racing generates £1.1 billion of direct expenditure within our economy, plus a further £2.45 billion of indirect expenditure. The core industry employs the equivalent of 17,400 people on a full time basis and involves a wider network of 85,000 employees working in associated businesses including farriers, vets and of course betting related businesses.

 

Despite generating high levels of income and expenditure, very little cash actually leaves the sport in the form of profit to shareholders. While racing delivers £275 million in tax receipts every year and has invested an average of £95 million a year over the last decade in capital projects, just £12 million per annum is distributed through dividends or share buy-backs. That’s less than 1% of the industry’s cash inflows.

 

Horseracing is comfortably the second-most-attended spectator sport in Britain after football, stimulating around 5.6 million visits in 2012. On average each fixture attracts just over 4,050 racegoers, although here at Cartmel the combined appeal of our scenic surroundings and Bank Holiday fixtures has attracted an average of more than 9,700 per day over the last ten years.

 

While 5% of British racegoers stay overnight as part of their trip nationally, at Cartmel the percentage can often exceed 25% with visitors descending on the Lakes from all corners of the country and frequently overseas too. Deloitte estimate that the secondary spend of racing's consumers including travel, accommodation and associated activities is worth more than £1.2 billion to Britain every year - good news for Cartmel's accommodation providers, retailers and restauranteurs.

 

We’re just over two weeks away from our most valuable fixture of the year, when we're looking forward to welcoming another large crowd, but Sandown stage their biggest day on Saturday. I am anticipating Al Kazeem  to confirm his recent Royal Ascot form with Mukhadram to win the £425,000 Coral Eclipse Stakes. I just hope that the jockey isn’t caught holding the egg on the spoon with his finger.

Local Charities Backing a Winner

When you are trying to raise money for charity, it is always handy if you can provide a fun atmosphere and a bit of an incentive for people to hand over their hard-earned cash. That’s why I am so excited about our next race-meeting on Saturday 20^th July when we’ll be helping two charities to raise funds throughout the day. 

We’ll be promoting a huge sweepstake on the big race, the totepool Cumbria Crystal Cup, in aid of St Mary’s Hospice in Ulverston for whom we are hoping to raise up to £10,000. Tickets for the sweepstake cost just £1 each and there will be a cash prize for every person who is drawn from the hat on race-day. The size of the cash prize will be determined by the horses, as each ticket drawn will relate to a runner in the race. The winning horse will yield one lucky ticket-holder the top prize of £500, the equivalent odds of 499/1. There will also be at least £500 to be split between the other winners with runners in the race. 

The sweepstake was the idea of our raceday presenter John Sexton and his wife Margaret, who have been selling tickets since our first meeting of the season in May. Sadly Margaret died last week, having received care and support from the hospice team over a long period of time. While the personal connection makes the charitable drive poignant for everyone who works at the racecourse, the hospice is a charity that touches people throughout our community and I know that our desire to raise funds will be shared by many. 

As well as the busy in-patient unit, the hospice staff offer day care, drop in sessions, complimentary therapies, advice for families and care at home. The annual running costs are around £2.4 million of which just 20% is paid for by the NHS, leaving nearly £2 million per year to be raised from other sources.

Sweepstake tickets can be bought from the racecourse office and will also be available on 20^th July. However, if you’re struggling to get here and fancy backing a 499/1 winner, you can also purchase tickets from the hospice by calling 01229 580305. 

Meanwhile, the Thoroughbred Rehabilitation Centre will be parading a number of retired racehorses before the first race; each of them re-trained at their base near Lancaster. The rehabilitation centre was the first enterprise of its kind in Britain and fulfils an important role in converting flighty racehorses into adaptable riding horses, suitable for a new role and a new home. The centre will have a trade-stand packed with merchandise and will be making a bucket collection at each of the exits.

Just Add Racing!

The next race-meeting at Cartmel, on Saturday 20^th and Monday 22^nd July, is traditionally known as the “BBQ Meeting”. While the races, which include the totepool Cumbria Crystal Cup, are the most valuable programmed during our season, the most important performance for many visitors will not be seen on the track - but on a smoking grill somewhere in the middle of the racecourse. 

So, to give yourself plenty of time for practise, and in anticipation of some sunny weather early next week, here are my top tips for a perfect barbecue. 

First – get on the website www.furnessfish.co.uk and buy yourself some fantastic quality meat. If you are pre-booking tickets for the races, you can save time by ordering a refrigerated pack of meat from Furness Fish & Game Supplies with your purchase, which will be waiting for you when you get to the track. Each pack contains a selection of beef steaks, venison burgers, award winning pork sausages and chicken.

Second - light the barbecue. Remember, if it is one of those once-only foil barbecues, make sure that you have something solid underneath so that you don’t scorch the grass. And if you are at the racecourse, please think really carefully about how you dispose of the embers. Every year we have to put out at least one flaming wheelie-bin. Sadly we can’t allow barbecues close to the running rail while the racing is taking place, as the smoke may distract the horses; make sure you allow plenty of time for your meal before racing – or start again after the last race.

Finally, treat yourself to some homemade ketchup – it makes all the difference. You’ll need 1kg of tomatoes, a large onion, a small fennel bulb (or half a large one), a celery stick, an inch long piece of fresh ginger, garlic, a fresh chilli, basil, a teaspoon of coriander seeds, black pepper, salt, 60g of brown sugar and 200ml of red wine vinegar or cider vinegar – whichever you prefer.

Put all the vegetables, herbs and spices into a saucepan and cook gently for 15 minutes. Add the tomatoes and a large glass of water and bring back to the boil, reducing by half. Add the basil leaves, blend in a food processor and then put back on the heat until it takes on the required consistency. Cool and serve!

If you’re trying this recipe on Saturday, enjoy your homemade ketchup with a few sausages or burgers in front of Channel 4 racing and the final day of Royal Ascot. Hot on the heals of last week’s winning selection, I’ll be cheering on Poole Harbour in the cavalry charge that calls itself the Wokingham Handicap Stakes.

Royal Ascot, Audrey Hepburn and Me

So what image does Royal Ascot conjure in your mind? Is it the finely dressed ladies and amazing hats, the men in their morning coats or the horses primed for action?

With three Group 1 races in the first hour and a half of the meeting, you’d think that a racing man would be firmly fixed on the racing action – head firmly embedded in the form book. The truth is that I can’t stop thinking of Audrey Hepburn, dressed in black and white along with all the other ladies in the cast of My Fair Lady, singing “What a smashing, positively dashing spectacle: the Ascot op’ning day”.

The scene sums up the atmosphere perfectly: the chatter is of the horses and the excitement of the races, but it is the crowd which is the true spectacle. The event is about socialising rather than the business of betting and, in that sense, it has more in common with Cartmel than almost any other race-meeting in the year. While the racegoers at Ascot might be better dressed, there won’t much difference between the picnics in the car park nor the fun derived from spending time at the races with friends and family.   

Not that the racing action is irrelevant. The key moment in My Fair Lady comes when Eliza Doolittle, caught up in the excitement of the race, lapses into her cockney accent and shouts, “C’mon Dover… move your bloomin’ arse!”. The thrill of cheering on your selection is the same – at Ascot or at Cartmel and it really doesn’t matter whether you are a hardened gambler, a racing novice, a prince or a pauper.

Despite loving the film and being captivated by Audrey Hepburn, there is just one element of the racing scene which grates each time it comes on the television; the horses are galloping in the wrong direction. I know… it sounds ridiculous, but this is the stuff of nightmares for a racecourse manager – I’ll wake up in the middle of the night, sit bolt upright and shout “Stop – the horses are heading the wrong way!”

As for this week’s selections: there is a strong international challenge for the first two races of the royal meeting which could go the way of the USA and South Africa courtesy of Animal Kingdom and Shea Shea. However, the horse  that I’d really like to succeed is Dawn Approach in third race - the St James Palace Stakes. It all went wrong for the Irish-trained horse in the Derby, when he pulled too hard from the start. It would be great to see him bounce back on Tuesday. 

“What a gripping, absolutely ripping moment at the Ascot op’ning day.”