"

In addition, Shropshire is one of the snobbiest counties in the UK. Shropshire people hate all their neighbours. Bangor suffers from not having a covered stand to shelter in when the weather is bad. Some stalwarts actually enjoy getting drenched but that is not for me. Food and drink facilities are poor and there is also a restrained atmosphere because the finishing line is removed from all enclosures. Yes, you can make the effort to walk about a 100 yards to the winning post but few people do this, so the finishes are fought out in an untheatrical atmosphere. Standard of racing is generally poor, watch out for Pipe and Johnjo' Neill raiders.

 Last time I went to the track (and it will be the last time) a Heather Dalton horse sprang a 20/1 surprise. Her argument for the horse's win was she had changed the animal's diet. This kind of information is not of course included in Raceform/Racing Post/Timeform form analysis. so what kind of chance have we mere punters got? Answer - avoid gaff tracks like Bangor and Ludlow. lots of people seem to be against Chepstow. I took my family there in 1999 and during the course of the meeting my eldest son was stung by wasp. He quickly received effective treatment from the Red Cross people on the course who also arranged for him to visit the local Chepstow hospital immediately afterwards. At the hospital, we were seen instantly by a consultant in the hospital who allayed our fears about the vicious sting he had received. We finished off the evening in the Chepstow Pizza Express where an excellent local and friendly girl gave us brilliant service. So we left Chepstow with good memories, even though our son had been stung by a wasp!! Funny, isn't it, how we judge racecourses??

 Incidentally, I won at Chepstow during that visit on a John Dunlop tyo raider. I have subsequently found Chepstow to be one of my most proftitable courses. Favourites Sandown, Hexham, Newmarket July (definitely not Rowley Mile), Aintree, Lingfield, Goodwood and Brighton (if weather is good applies to Bri and Goodwood). Worst by some way was Taunton. Musselburgh at the time I visited was awful but the course has changed beyond all recognition since. Ripon is a beautiful course but spoilt by being full of drunks......."