A DAY AT THE RACES
Yesterday my son and I went to Sandown Park Races. We sat in the Members Room, because, as you can probably tell, we are both Members. Some time ago we were all moved from our old room to a new one. The problem is, a lot of us felt, although it’s very nice in some ways, it’s what a a lot of us would call a Green House. You open the doors, and a huge gust of wind blows straight in. It’s more what you would call Open Plan, making it freezing cold in this weather. So my son drives us there, and there was a huge feeling this meeting should have been called off but Sandown said they had Inspected things and it was fine to go ahead! Of course it was until you tried parking your car and getting beached!! Nice one Sandown.
I mean cars weren’t getting beached in the Grass Car Park were they? Well if they weren’t getting beached – how come the Vehicle that was supposed to be getting them out of ‘Being Beached’ using my own terminology here – got itself beached and couldn’t help the vehicles that were already beached get themselves un-beached?.
Now another slight problem was lack of staff – big time. Usually they have waiting staff. They seem to be young kids. Students maybe? Lovely young kids. Friendly, helpful. No-one at all. So every time you had a cup of tea of something to drink. No one cleared your table. Your dirty plates from your lunch, your wrappers. The table stayed dirty. In the end my son had to clear our table. How many rubbish bins in that room? One”
Now because of the way Sandown Park Race Course is Situated and where their Members Room is when we come out we have to walk a bit, and then go down what we call the Horse Walk and walk literally cross the track where the Horse has raced and galloped. We walked into their hoof prints – is that the right description? I have a back problem which means I have to walk slowly and that terrified me in this weather although my son is brilliant but at the moment he has a bit of a back problem. Why do people have to be so nasty and can’t just take a few seconds for you to be just a little bit careful? Sadly no, they can’t. They start to push you, and become quite abusive because they MUST at all cost’s get past you at that very second. They can’t seem to get it through their heads that your’e terrified of falling and maybe breaking a hip or something.
In the end my son said, Stand at the Corner of the road. I’m getting car and the rest of them can wait while you get it!
So I know what your’e all going to ask if your’e reading this. Why did we go? So I’ll tell you.
Because we checked with Sandown before we went and they said the meeting was on and everything was fine!! We lined up in the queue we always use, we believed them. In that Members Room later people were saying, they should have called it off!!!!
There was one moment though that did make both my son and I laugh. One of the Security Gentlemen who looks after our room has become a Great Friend of ours and he was also have a really bad day trying to keep things in order, and during the last race came and say with me.
“I’ve had it today” he said “And I’ve just had a row with the Hat Man”
Well the Hat Man, as you can guess sell these dreadful Racing Hats at terrible over inflated prices.
“What’s up?” I say trying not to laugh.
“I shouted at him” says my lovely friend. “I said and you sell rotten hats – which he does. Worst hats I’ve ever seen”
That comment made my day!
Just to let you know. My son and I are also members at Kempton Park. It’s gorgeous in their Members Room. We’ve even got our own Private Toilet. We get out the Car onto concrete, walk a few steps, go up in a lift, and we’re straight in the room and I do not have to walk in the steps of any Race Horse – famous or not!
Carol Yeomanson Books 