NEXT year, Wales’ premier racecourse, Chepstow, will celebrate its centenary.
In her book Fifty Years of Racing at Chepstow, published in 1976, Pat Lucas provides readers with a colourful account of the racecourse’s early years. My memories of Chepstow Racecourse go back to just after the Second World War when my father Billy Lee and uncle Philip Donovan took me there.
We would catch a coach from Kingsway in Cardiff and, if my memory serves me right, it cost just four shillings and six pence return.
I recall the racecourse tipsters such as Gully Gully, who sported a teacher’s mortar board and black gown and, ‘The Captain’ – a regular at Chepstow who used to give out pencils and notebooks as a way of drawing attention to himself.
A tipster of a different sort was the religious gentleman who always stood by the numbers’ board. With banner held high, he would stand for hours telling racegoers to mend their ways. However, unlike the “Can I mark your card guv?” brigade that used to hang around the car and coach parks, his advice came completely free of charge.
Meanwhile, Vale trainers Evan Williams and Christian Williams landed the first two races at Newton Abbot recently. Evan’s Blackacre, under stable jockey Adam Wedge, came home eight lengths ahead of Just A Memory in the handicap chase and Faded Fantasy, partnered by Jack Tudor, took the handicap hurdle race. Blackacre was returned the 6-4 favourite and Faded Fantasy went off at odds of 9-2.
*Please let me have your Chepstow Racecourse memories. E-mail or telephone 02920 736438.
Eleanor’s Worcester win
Llancarfan’s Eleanor Williams, riding her father Evan’s PooroldMackley, landed the two miles and seven furlong handicap hurdle at Worcester on Monday, 1st September. PooroldMackley came home one and a quarter lengths ahead of Chief Black Robe.
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