A Day at the Races - Sandown Race Track

Saturday, July 3, 2010:

Our primiary plan for this day was to visit Sandown Race Track located in the town of Escher, about 20 miles southeast of London. We annually spend a day at the Saratoga

Race track (in New York) in August, and we were interested in seeing how race tracks in England compare to those we know in the US. We took the train, from London (out of Waterloo Station), and found it to be a very easy trip. Upon arriving at the train station in Escher, we found taht Sandown was a short 10 minute walk away.

The first thing that struck us about Sandown was its size. Compared to US race tracks, the actual rack track seemed equal in size, if not bigger, but the surrounding facility is much smaller. During the course of the day, I found that I really liked the smaller size because it allowed us to move from one area to another much more quickly and, as a result, take in a lot more of the activity.

For example, the parade ring (where the horses are walked around and the jockeys meet the owners for pre-race chit-chat) and the winner's circle

(where the winning jockey and owner are photographed and presented with their trophies) sit directly behind the grandstand and are only 30 feet from each other. Also, the grandstand itself is very small (seating only several hundred people). Most people seemed to spend their time on their feet, in the area between the grandstand seating and the actual track -- which was a much wider and more expansive area then we are used to seeing.

The betting at this track was also different for us. First, although there was a brochure available that explained the betting system, the Brits use terms that were foreign to us to describe the different betting

combinations that are available. For example, there is no such thing as a "win, place or show" bet. Similarly, they don't use the term "boxing." I am sure that comparable types of bets exist, but we had some difficulty trying to figure it all out. So we just placed bets "to win." That phrase (and that type of bet) is universal!

Second, there are two different betting services available to take your bets. The first is a government sponsored system, like the state systems we find across the US. The second, however, is much more fun and it consists of "bookies." They have a different name for them there, but that's what they are.

Just below the grandstand area, these individual bet-takers set up electronic

tote boards under umbrellas (with their names prominently displayed), and offer a set list of "odds" for the horses in each race. While the odds offered by the government are constantly ch

anging to reflect the way in which bets are being placed, the bookies' odds do not change. What makes the bookie system more interesting is that each bookie has set his/her odds independently and they do not all match. So, if you decide you like the look of a particular horse and you plan to bet on him/her regardless of the odds, you can then shop around and find the bookie offering the highest return on your money. It's kind of a neat system.

Sadly, we found the bookie system a bit intimidating. The action around the bookies can get rather fast and furious. So we stuck with the government betting windows. As usual, we were very conservative with our betting -- limiting ourselves to two pound bets per race -- but I got lucky in two races and managed to come out ahead for the day. Sadly, Katherine was not quite as lucky.

We thoroughly enjoyed our day at the races. It was a wonderful way to spend a beautiful Saturday afternoon.