I wish I'd known you'd be there, Clivex! I took Minsterman, who was desperate for clear skies for his snapping activities, and it would've been nice to have said 'hallo' and even 'fancy a drink?'
It's actually a £60,000 Cheltenham bonus, Martin! So far, BOUGGLER and MEDERMIT qualify.
It's everything that Stamp says, except it usually has a bitterly cold micro-climate, not in evidence today, or a sodden infield (and often track to match), making parking a tractor-in, tractor-out affair. You can also roam to the other side of the track and stand right by any of the jumps - personally, now I don't work there any more (or very rarely), I like to walk up the hill of the final straight to the jumps by the top there - you'll probably be the only person there if you do! - which gives a fantastic view of the whole course to the distant white windmill at North Chailey, and shows you the horses very closely, then dodge across to the far side and watch from the top o'the hill jumps again, as they line up for that swooshing downhill run and the two obstacles ahead.
Fontwell Park, ironically during the year they used the inappropriate logo 'get closer to the action' pushed its infield watchers further back than they'd ever been! Today, I got right next to the rails by the hilltop fences to see who did what (fortunately, no fallers there).
What Plumpton could do with are a few more outdoor seats, and bars from which you can view the racing. It also needs, like many gaffs, a middle way between an overpriced and badly-served restaurant and the outdoor wagons or very cramped bars. A bistro would sort that omission out.
Very pleased you like it. I haven't been to enough small courses to judge how nice it is. It's several years since I went to Uttoxeter, where the immediate approach isn't great but is set quite nicely, and only once to Newton Abbot, which was all right. But Plumpton has regulars whov'e been attending for decades and wouldn't give a XXXX for anywhere else.
If they can sort out the piss-poor food and serving in the restaurant, that will be an improvement. It doesn't waste money on uniforms for the raceday staff, overblown hotels and grandiose grandstands that don't actually help any more people to see the racing. It does give everyone a decent day out and the manager, Claire Sheppard, and her team are on the go every raceday, walking around all areas and making sure that people are all right (staff or the public) - and, if not, listening to their complaints or suggestions.
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