Be it for betting or just a day out, Newmarket Racecourses offers some utterly British summertime fun, especially on Ladies Day. (Geoff Ziezulewicz/Stars and Stripes)
Be it for betting or just a day out, Newmarket Racecourses offers some utterly British summertime fun, especially on Ladies Day. (Geoff Ziezulewicz/Stars and Stripes)
The ladies came out en masse at Ladies Day at the Newmarket Racecourses. (Geoff Ziezulewicz/Stars and Stripes)
The Pink Bar at the Newmarket Racecourses is the place to get champagne between races. (Geoff Ziezulewicz/Stars and Stripes)
Large, colorful hats and fancy headdress in general are common sites at Ladies Day at the Newmarket Racecourses in England. (Geoff Ziezulewicz/Stars and Stripes)
Ladies Day at the Newmarket Racecourses in England brings out groups of old friends, like this crew of British Golden Girls. (Geoff Ziezulewicz/Stars and Stripes)
The field of horses nears the finish line on a turf track during a race on Ladies Day at the Newmarket Racecourses. (Geoff Ziezulewicz/Stars and Stripes)
The field of horses nears the finish line on a turf track during a race on Ladies Day at the Newmarket Racecourses -- an iconic British summertime event in Newmarket, England. The races are fun, but there is much more to offer at the event than the running of the ponies. (Geoff Ziezulewicz/Stars and Stripes)
Once inside the gate, the Newmarket Racecourses on Ladies Day resembles an American ballpark, where patrons mill about among a variety of vendors and restaurants. (Geoff Ziezulewicz/Stars and Stripes)
Your Stars and Stripes reporter and his foxy date pose for a photo on Ladies Day at the Newmarket Racecourses in England. Not even journalists, a group known for shabby dress, are exempt from the strict dress codes at the event. (Geoff Ziezulewicz/Stars and Stripes)
In retrospect, maybe I had no business placing a bet.
Although it sometimes seems like an old-timey sport, betting on horse racing remains a science of sorts, one that I have never bothered to study.
Still, it was July 8, Ladies Day at the Newmarket Racecourses in England. The biggest horse racing event of the year at the country’s preeminent track was in full bloom, just down the A11 motorway from the U.S. airmen at RAFs Mildenhall and Lakenheath. The sun was out, and the first couple of races had piqued my interest.
So I ambled over to the betting booth and forced a friend to put 10 pounds in for the third race on Agent Archie, a horse whose name I just liked for some reason.
According to the breakdown in my program, this horse “won 3 in a row after promising debut, including 1¼ m handicaps at Yarmouth and Sandown this term. Below form tried at 1½ m at Royal Ascot since and needs to find improvement to defy revised mark."
Did you understand any of that? Me neither. Still, Agent Archie felt right to me, so I went with my gut.
It did not pay off.
But really, it didn’t matter, because a day at the Newmarket Racecourses is not all about the ponies. Yes, watching these massive beasts thunder down the track is a spectacle in and of itself, as is wondering how those tiny jockeys stay on.
Donna Keates, a Newmarket resident, let me in on her formula for picking a winner.
“I just go for the jockey,” she said between sips of white wine. “The look of them, the look of the best jockey, but they’re all ugly.”
Ouch, Donna.
Jim Stocker of nearby Cambridge also espoused going with the gut when betting.
“You either like the name, or the color of the shirts and go with that,” he said. “The girls have been picking by color, and we’ve had two winners wearing pink.”
But aside from the equine aspect or jockey aesthetics, a day at the British races, particularly on Ladies Day, is a great English experience. From the races to the champagne and the outrageous hats and outfits that the womenfolk are known to don, Ladies Day is one of those cultural experiences you don’t soon forget.
These races take place on one long track, not on an oval one that you may have seen in the States. Walking up to the entrance gate, loads of festive Brits sat in an adjacent field turned parking lot, picnicking and basically tailgating before the races.
Once inside the racecourse gate, the vibe is similar to visiting a modern baseball park in the States: a host of restaurants, vendors and revelers surround the stands. There were tons of people at this year’s Ladies Day, and they’ll be just as many next year, but it rarely felt crowded.
Good weather helped it all along, as the sky remained blue throughout the races, and a new 10-million-pound expansion of the racecourse brought the feel of a high-end British garden party to everything.
Newmarket and horse racing have gone hand in hand for centuries. The town dates to the 13th century, and King James I built the first grandstand there 400 years later.
But according to the racecourse’s website, it was Charles II who did more than any other monarch to advance horse racing in England, while dubbing it “the sport of kings.” In 1665, the royal horse enthusiast instituted the first race run in Britain under official, written rules. Shortly after that he exported the sport of horse racing to the American colonies.
The booze flowed like, well, wine on this year’s Ladies Day. And to be sure, the locals were a bit tipsy by the end of the last race. I was expecting some classic British drunken boorishness, but was pleasantly surprised when everyone kept it classy throughout the event.
Still, it’s not an event for a tightwad. Tickets to the premier enclosure, the best place to be on racing day, cost 35 pounds. A bottle of the cheapest bubbly at the champagne bar costs just as much.
Folk in attendance didn’t seem to mind too much.
“It’s an experience,” said Lisa Rutherford of Newmarket. “It’s a good excuse to get dressed up, wear a hat and be with your friends.”
Stocker, the gent who was betting based on shirt color recommended by his lady friends, said that those who come to Ladies Day should realize it’s a special occasion, and treat it as such. Sack away a bit of cash beforehand.
“Come with what you want to lose,” he noted, “then you can feel comfortable.”
Know & Go
Ladies Day isn’t the only event at the Newmarket Racecourses. There are several other fun diversions during the summer, for you and a date or the entire family.Newmarket Nights are a great way to spend a Friday night. The races start early and conclude as the sun sets, immediately followed by live bands at dusk. Scheduled bands include: July 30, James Morrison; Aug. 6, Madness; Aug. 13, Westlife.Summer Saturdays are ideal for getting the entire family in on the action. Adults and interested children can enjoy a day of racing, while younger kids can check out a bevy of free entertainment options in the nearby Garden Enclosure. Ages 18 and younger are admitted free on Summer Saturdays, which run through Aug. 7.For more information on what the racecourses have to offer, see www.newmarketracecourses.co.uk.
