A  DAY  AT  THE  ASCOT  

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 Wednesday  the  30th  April  2014  

 Ascot,  30  miles  from  London  is  an  exhilarating  trip  to  one  of  the  World’s  Best  Racing  Venues.  Today   is   the   first   day   of   the   season   that   ends   with   the   ROYAL   ASCOT   RACE   DAY  sometime   in   the   third  week   of   June.     There   are   six   races   scheduled   today  with   first  race   starting   at   2   pm.   We   started   from   Waterloo   station   in   London   at   11:21   and  reached  the  venue  much  before  time  to  soak  in  the  atmosphere.      Do  you  know?  Horse  races  are  measured  in  Furlongs.  One  Furlong  is  200mters.  8  Furlongs  make  a  mile  and  5  make  a  Kilometre.      Each  race  has  different  lengths  and  varying  number  of  horses.    The  first  race  had  only  four  horses  ran  for  1000mtrs.  LONGINES  is  to  Ascot  as  ROLEX  is  to  Wimbledon.  They  are  the  time-­‐keepers.  At  every  race  meeting  at  Ascot  there  are  four  specially  qualified  equine  vets  appointed  to  look  after  the  welfare  of  all  horses  racing.          

A  DAY  AT  THE  ASCOT  

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   The  horses  are  paraded  at  the  Parade  Ring  before  they  are  raced.  This  is  to  help  the  betters  to  see  the  horse  that  they  would  want  to  bet.  

         Horse  age  ranges  from  2  to  7,  most  common  age  being  4.  Jockeys  are  skinny  and  weigh  very   less   so   that   they   don’t   become   a   burden   on   the   horse.   Horse   Trainer   is   as  important  as   the   jockey.  The  breed  of   the  Horse  also  plays  an   important  part   in   the  race.    Gender  of  the  Horse    Can   you   think   of   one   sport   where  men   and  women   compete   against   each   other   as  equals?  Stumped?   Try   horse   racing,   where   female   jockeys   regularly   jump   in   the   hot   seat  alongside  their  male  counterparts.    Colt:  A  male  horse  under  four  years  old    Gelding:  A  castrated  male  horse    Stallion:  A  male  horse  that  has  not  been  castrated    Filly:  A  female  horse  under  four  years  old    Mare:  An  adult  female  horse    

HORSES  ON  PARADE  –  JUST  BEFORE  THE  RACE  

A  DAY  AT  THE  ASCOT  

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 First  Race  of  my  life    In  the  first  race  there  were  four  horses  only.  I  bet  £2  on  an  Horse  named  ESCALATING.    This  had  been  recommended  by  many.   It  was  a   two  year  old  colt.    This  race  was   for  1000  mtrs.   It  was   completed   in  1:04:24  –   as   clocked  by   the   time  keeper.  Before  we  could  blink  the  eye  the  race  was  completed!  But   the   race   was   controversial.   While   the   winner   was   indeed   ESCALATING,   it   was  found   that   at   the   winning   stretch   it   had   brushed   aside   another   horse.   So   the  authorities  had  to  see  the  video  footage  to  confirm  that  it  was  not  deliberate.  Finally  it  was  announced  by  the  authorities  that  the  push  was  accidental  and  ESCALATING  was  declared  winner.  Beginners  LUCK.  I  got  my  £7  pounds  for  my  first  bet!      I  lost  my  other  three  races.    Net  loss:  £3  pounds  on  an  investment  of  £  10.  Not  bad  for  the  first  experience.        

 You   can   see   the   timeline   of   LONGINES   at   the  background.    

 Because   there   is   normally   enough   time  between  races,  public  use  the  opportunity  to  do  many  things  –  such  drink,  eat  and  chat  Some  enthusiasts  do  watch   the  horses  being  paraded   and   exchange   notes   on   the   betting  system.    There  are  various  types  of  bets.    The   Tote   is   the   only   bookmaker   in   Britain  which   is   allowed   to   offer   betting   on   horse  racing.  Other  bookmakers  offer  a  Tote  service  through  syndication,  while  other  bookmakers  

will  accept  a  Tote  bet  and  pay  out  on  exactly  the  same  terms  as  the  Tote.  The  pooled  bets  offered  by  the  Tote  are:  Win,  Place,  Exacta,  Trifecta,  Quadpot,  Placepot,  Jackpot,  Scoop6  and  Swinger.  Some   of   the   above   terms   are   self   explanatory.   Bet   on  winning   the   horse   as   in   first  place,  bet  on  winning   the  horse   in  all   six   races…etc.  etc.  Enough  data   is  available  on  websites  on  these  kinds  of  bets.    You  can  also  pick  a  horse  to  be  placed  –  in  a  particular  order!  This  bet  is  known  as  Toteplace.    

Just  before  the  Finish  Line  in  the  3rd  Race  

A  DAY  AT  THE  ASCOT  

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Obviously  Jackpot  means  winning  the  winner  in  all  the  six  races.  The  possibility  is  very  low.  And  hence   returns  are  high.  The   Jackpot  winner   in   some  high  profile   race  days  may  get  close  to  £5  million!      

     

         The  Fourth  Race    The  fourth  race  conducted  at  3:45  pm  was  an  interesting  one.  We  bet  on  two  horses:  HARRIS  TWEED  &  COCKTAIL  QUEEN   -­‐   £2   pounds   each.   This   is   a   longer   race   of   3.2  kms.  Most  of  it  has  to    be  watched  on  the  screen  and  the  last  leg  is  seen  live  as  the  race  nears  the  finish  line,  that  is  where  one  sees  the  Longines  time  screen.  CQ  is  a  filly  and  4yr  old  with  a  very  low  rating  HT  is  a  gelding  and  7yrs  old,  but  has  a  very  high  rating.  We  bet  on  both  and  lost!!  And  how…  The  winner  was  TAC  DE  BOISTRON  a  7  yr  old  gelding,  with  just  a  bit  higher  rating  than  CQ.  The  way  this  horse  ran  has  every  one  gasping.  At  the  finish   line   it  was  clear  two  lengths  ahead  of  its  nearest  rival!  Because  the  run  was  long,  the  race  was  followed  very  closely  by  the  public  on  the  giant  screen.      We  did  not  attend  the  other  two  races  as  there  was  a  tube  strike  in  London  and  we  had  to  get  back  home,  before  nightfall.  We  had  to  take  a  complicated  train  and  bus  route  home  because  of  the  strike.    

 

   

Punters  watching  the  race  keenly  

The  Prize  Ceremony  –  A  Royal  Family  member  presenting  the  trophy  

A  DAY  AT  THE  ASCOT  

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   Apart   from   the   breed   of   the   horse,   the   Trainer   and   Jockey   play   a   big   part   in   the  fortunes  of  the  horse.    Keen  punters  study  various  aspects  of  the  horse  (its  history  in  winning)  and  pedigree  before  committing  on  the  bet.    

   

Early  Birds  taking  vantage  positions  in  the  lawn