Doncaster races (family day )

This coming Sunday

Anyone been before and would you recommend.

 

Ponty’s is better but it’s not bad.

 

I used to work for Doncaster County Borough Council before it became a Metropolitan Borough.
Every race week, each employee got two free what were called Burgess tickets to attend the St Leger.
They gave access to the Main Stand area but you had to pay for your own drinks/hospitality.
A few years later my cousin who was a Councillor and sat on the Race Committee, invited me as one of his
guests to a meeting. That was as entirely different experience. Luxury box, nibbles, free bar, the works.
I remember a Saudi prince in an adjoining box told me to back his horse and I did and won £150, which was
a fortune to me. Also went to Ponte races on Corporate hospitality around 1992, with a Sportsmans Dinner invitation in the evening as part of the days event provided by the sponsor. Donny seemed a bit more opulent than Ponty to me, but to be fair, I enjoyed both events. Thoroughly recommended BL. Just go along and take in the sights and sounds and you'll have a good day out.

 

I can recall attending the first Sunday race meeting held in this country, which was at Donny on 26th July 1992. It was before the relaxation of the Sunday trading laws and was something of a test the water project. There were no bookies, and if I recall entry was via purchase of a racecard rather than strictly being payment for admission. At any rate it was a success, with an attendance of over 22,000, and Sunday racing is now a permanent feature. In recent years the attendance on this day has been between 6,000 to 9,000 which is very comfortable for a course of Donny's size. I think that car parking opposite the grandstand is a fiver - the free one these days is about a quarter of a mile further down the road, which is a pain if you've a full team to marshall. There are good discounted family prices available on their website in advance. As regards the racing, there is a good conditions event over a mile and a half, and a supporting card of reasonable quality handicaps. Sure you'll enjoy if it's not too cold.

 

I'm not a Horse Racing fan per se, but have to admit having lived in Donny for 40 years
I enjoyed the couple of social visits I made down to Town Moor, although the Racing was secondary
to me , in the days events. My Cousin from Poole on the other hand absolutely loves the sport. He used to come North
and spend Race week every year at ours. We then used to go down to Poole each year and spend time at his house and
use his beach hut at Sandbanks. He used to go to the Blood Stock sales and then in the afternoon using
my Burgess tickets and some I'd cadged off mates at work, him and his wife used to attend the Race
Meeting on Town Moor. To this very day, he loves Horse Racing and along with other punters in the South, has shares
in a couple of Race horses. There was a big Fair and I always remember a tipster Prince Monolulu who used to wave tips in front of you whilst shouting " I got a horse to beat the favourite." I don't know if it's an age thing, but it seemed to be a lot more
" colourful" and vibrant back then.

 

One bugbear I have with Donny DR is the trees around the bend from Rose Hill into the home straight. They totally obstruct the view from around the 7 furlong marker until into the home straight. I recall that when the idiosyncratic Mr Davies was the elected mayor he attempted to have them removed. I can only assume he was nobbled by the tree huggers because they remain there to this day. During St Leger week the situation is compounded by the temporary marquees which obstruct another three furlongs' worth of the back straight! You're alright if you're watching races up the straight mile though!

 

Yes I've got mates who are regular racegoers who also complain about those same trees.