Day Out

Do not be put off by images of top hats and exotic headgear at Royal Ascot: these days morning dress is required only in the Royal Enclosure at that meeting and in the Queen's Stand at Epsom on Derby Day. But at many courses there is a dress code for the Members' Enclosure which, for example, may require a man to wear a jacket and tie. Indeed, for some people dressing up is all part of the fun of going racing. If in doubt, do not hesitate to telephone the course for guidance.

The key to dressing for the races is not so much style as comfort: there's no point in looking terribly fashionable if you're freezing cold as the sun goes down. To enjoy a day's racing to the full may require a good deal of walking around, so give particular thought to your footwear.

You will probably want to take with you a newspaper for a list of the runners and expert guidance (possibly one of the two trade papers, the Sporting Life or Racing Post, both of which provide in-depth information), a pen or pencil to note your selections, and enough money to get you through the day! A few courses have banks which will cash you a cheque, and you can purchase Tote betting vouchers at any course by cheque or credit card.

If you take a camera you must disarm the flash, as flash photography can upset the horses (which will in turn upset many of your fellow racegoers). You will not normally be allowed to take food and drink (including alcohol) into the enclosures (unless picnicking in a Course Enclosure), but you will find a wide selection on sale inside.

Most racecourses are well served by public transport, and some have railway stations within a very short walk. For drivers, many courses provide free parking (major meetings are sometimes an exception) and some have an area in a Course Enclosure where you can take your car and picnic while watching the racing.

Bear in mind that race traffic approaching the big meetings can be heavy, so always allow yourself extra time on the major days: much better to arrive too early and spend half an hour in the bar studying the form (or studying other racegoers) than sit fuming in a jam while the second race is being run!

In any case, aim to arrive about an hour before the first race, to give yourself time to get to know the geography of the track and its facilities. Walking on the course itself, when allowed, is often fun and informative - and you will be given plenty of warning to get back to safety betore the horses start thundering down on you!

The 'action' will commence about half an hour before the advertised time of the first race, when the runners will be taken into the pre-parade ring to be saddled up.

Most racecourses are divided into several enclosures and you can pay for admission on the day.

Top of the range is Members or Club Enclosure ,for the use of annual members of that course (like season ticket holders at a soccer ground) but usually available to non-members for a daily charge. The cost varies depending on the course and the nature of the occasion - the average is around Ł12 to Ł15, but perhaps double that on the day of a very big race. For big meetings you can often book in advance (and for some it is essential to do so).

The Members Enclosure - admittance to which is by a small cardboard badge which you should keep displayed - has the best viewing and the best facilities, and your badge allows you to take advantage of all the facilities in the next enclosure down, usually called Tattersalls or Grandstand and Paddock (popularly known as 'Tatts'). Here, for an entrance charge in the region of Ł8 to Ł10 (higher at major meetings), you will have access to the parade ring and winner's enclosure (where the horses can be seen at close quarters) as well as a good view of the track and extensive eating, drinking and betting facilities. The presence of the bookies gives Tatts - usually the largest enclosure on the course - its characteristic hubbub and atmosphere. On the rail which divides Tatts from Members are to be found the 'rails bookmakers', who bet - mostly on credit and without displaying their odds on boards - with some of the heavy hitters among the punting fraternity.

The Silver Ring or Course Enclosure is the cheapest (around Ł3 to Ł5), at most courses without access to the parade ring and winner's enclosure, but with betting and catering facilities. Cars are allowed in the Course Enclosure at some racecourses and picnicking is a very popular pastime.

The exact nature of the enclosures may differ from course to course and from meeting to meeting - for instance, some courses merge enclosures on particular days - but again: if you need guidance telephone in advance.

Children up to the age of sixteen are admitted free to all racecourses if accompanied by an adult (there are age restrictions in the Members Enclosure at some courses). In general, facilities for small children have improved immensely over the last few years, with a creche available on some courses and entertainments, such as bouncy castles, much in evidence on many Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday meetings.

At the other end of the age range, many courses offer concessions to senior citizens.

A day at the races is the ideal social occasion for clubs and other groups, and most courses offer party rates with a generous discount: for details contact the individual course, or Racecourse Communications on 01344 25912.

Special Events on Come Racing site
is an invaluable guide to badge offers, concessions, events and special attractions at British racecourse in the forthcoming month.

Your basic tool for a successful and informed day at the races is the racecard, your programme for the day, available around the racecourse for a small charge. (Do not buy a racecard from other than official sellers. A man who wanders up to you in the car park and offers to sell you one will have 'marked your card' with tips, and will expect to be paid well over face value for his insights!)

The amount of information in the racecard varies from course to course, but wherever you are racing you will find it an invaluable aid to your day. All racecards will have a key to the layout of the information provided, as well as a short summary of each horse, and an estimate of it's chances in a race.
Of course, a large part of the fun is in making up your own mind, but the racecard summary will provide basic information to supplement any impressions you have gained of the horses in the Parade ring, and going down to the start.

At the head of each race listed in the racecard will be details for that event, including the prize money on offer, and it may be helpful to know the different categories of race:

In a Conditions Race (or Weight-for-Age) the horses carry specified weights according to such factors as age, sex, whether they have won before or the nature of the races they have won.

A Handicap is a contest in which the weight each horse is to carry is individually allotted (by the official handicapper) according to past performance, the theoretical object being to equalise the chances of all horses in the race. A Nursery is a handicap for two-year-olds. A Rated Stakes on the flat or a Limited Handicap in jump racing is one in which the range of weights is kept narrow: this encourages the participation of high-class horses, who will not have to make large concessions to other runners.

Directly after a Selling Race the winner is offered at public auction - a highly interesting and often entertaining sight for racegoers.

Other types of race - such as Claiming Race, Auction Race or Median Auction Race - will often be explained in the individual race conditions printed in the card.

Novices Race (hurdle or steeplechase), for horses which have not won a hurdle or chase respectively before 1 May of the previous season;

National Hunt Flat Race (popularly known as a 'bumper'), in which prospective jumping horses race without the inconvenience of having to clear obstacles;

Most days at the races develop a rhythm which will probably consist of looking at the runners in the parade ring, choosing your fancy and going off to have a bet, watching the race from the stand or another vantage point, then going down to the winner's enclosure to watch the placed horses come back in. Then off to the parade ring again to assess the next race. (Races are usually run half an hour - or a little longer - apart.)

The parade ring is one of the main features of any racecourse, and the people you see in the middle are owners, trainers, racecourse officials and stewards of the meeting. Five to ten minutes before the 'off time' the jockeys will appear, and shortly afterwards they will mount their horses and set off to the starting point of the race.

Punctuate this rhythm with the occasional drink or snack, and before you know it the day's programme -usually six or seven races -will be coming to an end and you'll be planning your next race day.

Do not, for example, watch every race from the same position, however good it might be. Go down to the rails for a race or two and experience the thrill of a close finish - hooves pounding, whips cracking, jockeys urging. Try to get to the start of a race - especially a flat race started from stalls, to witness at close hand the loading and the explosive moment when the gates crash open and the runners spring into their stride. At a jumping meeting, stand by a fence or hurdle as the field comes over to get the true flavour, danger and spectacle of the sport.

Before the race, go and look at the runners in the pre-parade ring, where they will be led round before being saddled (an activity you can normally watch) and taken off into the parade ring proper: you will get valuable clues about the well-being and demeanour of the runners.

After the race, the winner and either two or three placed horses return to the winner's enclosure to be greeted by their trainers and usually by their delighted owners. The presentation of trophies and the auction of the winner (after a selling race) take place here.