Diversification has become a cornerstone for racecourse business plans over the last twenty years.
However, Ayr’s firework’s evening tonight backfired even before the first rocket was set off.
The course’s jumps fixture on Saturday has attracted entries from a number of yards in England and some of those trainers were less than pleased to find out that horses who would be stabled overnight, which is standard practice for runners travelling long distances, would be only 500 yards from a firework’s display.
The event is staged by the BUY MSH Appeal, which is raising funds to build a new respite house in Ayrshire for children and young people suffering with cancer and other life altering illnesses, and has now been postponed.
Iain Ferguson, Ayr’s head of public relations, said: “The charity have reorganised it for next Friday. We’re just the venue for it.
“Some trainers expressed concerns about it being staged the night before a meeting. It’s not the first time we’ve done it but we have an early start of Saturday – which was only sprung upon us about ten days ago.”
Another factor is that Ayr has increased the prize money for this fixture which in turn has brought more entries from beyond its usual hinterland away from its headline meetings. “The prize money this year has gone up to £100,000,” Ferguson said. “That’s brought in trainers we might otherwise see only at the Scottish National meeting so we’re having more horses staying overnight than normal.”
One of those is Kerry Lee, who is planning to send two runners on the 323-mile journey from her yard in Herefordshire, and first became aware of the display yesterday morning.
“It can be difficult enough taking horses overnight racing at the best of times, but the last thing you want is a firework display going on adjacent to the stables,” she said. “Racehorses, particularly, are terrified of fireworks and this is a time of year when we tread very carefully.
“I’d have made alternative arrangements for overnight stabling. At one point I was looking at asking Carlisle [racecourse] if I could go and stay there. But then that’s harder on the horses because they’ve then got to unload, stay somewhere strange, load back up on the lorry, do another few hours then get to the racecourse. It’s a big relief it’s not happening.”
The racecourse is still investigating the problems on the home straight of the Flat course which led to the abandonment of the Western meeting in September, with a statement expected to be released shortly.
Frankie Dettori expects the draw to have a major impact on the turf races at the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar this weekend.
Dettori had never tackled the tight turns of Del Mar until riding in the concluding race on Wednesday, finishing unplaced, and said afterwards:
"You do not want to be drawn high, anything above seven on the turf track you really have little chance.
"You cannot get yourself into a decent position unless you are up with the pace, because the winning the post is almost just over a furlong from the entrance to the straight.
"You can’t make up three lengths in that distance. I don't know how it will pan on the dirt. I would say this track is much tighter than Santa Anita."
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