JC / Railbird

International Archive

Ascot Closing

“Fancy Royal Ascot next year? Well, don’t go to Ascot — the meeting is at York.” Ascot, Britain’s most illustrious racetrack, is closing for redevelopment. (Reuters)

Posted in International on September 23, 2004

Open House, Loose Horse

“I arrived, slightly late, at Richard’s to be met by a loose horse galloping down the road with its reins between its legs followed, at a respectable interval, by the screeching wheels of two 4x4s full of expectant horse catchers. Goes well on the firm was the overriding impression the horse gave.” (Telegraph)

Posted in International on September 20, 2004

L’Incroyable Pari

French organizers transformed the Stade de France in Paris into the “world’s smallest horse racing track” Saturday. “The idea was to meld sport and spectacle into a giant show designed to attract new fans to more legitimate racing, and in that sense, it is difficult to say whether the bet paid off. The racing Saturday was certainly unlike anything fans would find at a real racecourse.” Indeed. The show included a “techno-music light-and-horse spectacle between races.” (International Herald Tribune)

Posted in International on September 19, 2004