TWICE, in recent times, Stratford has had an opportunity to rise above its relative anonymity. The first chance was shamefully squandered with the construction of a new stand, stunning only in its hopelessness. The jury remains out on the second chance, for 2004 will be a critical year.
It was a no-brainer for Stratford to become one of the tracks pioneering summer jumping — not only because its racing surface has traditionally been maintained so well but also because summer is when people flock to the town. The one thing against it, largely thanks to that stand, is there is scarcely a course in the land where shade from hot sunshine is in such short supply.
Stratford has made a go of it, though, improving its appeal significantly. Its traditional two-day meeting at the end of May drew 13,000 people this year but it is there that the new problems begin. Tradition counts for little in the 2004 fixture list and Stratford has suffered more than most.
Racing, as they have done, chiefly on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons has exposed them to upheaval under the new fixtures criteria, designed by and for the bookmakers. Stratford is having to move almost half its meetings and, as of next year, will become not just a summer course but a summer Sunday course.
No British racecourse will have staged so many Sunday meetings in a year. Some suspect Stratford is being shunted into a siding, the flow of the summer jumps programme destroyed by the priorities of the betting industry. The more positive view is that it will be a challenging experiment.
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This year’s July Sunday attracted more than 8,000, many in the popular cheap areas in centre course. The sun shone and complexions reddened, though not with the frustration formerly associated with a day at Stratford. Until recently, there was only one entrance and the traffic congestion at arrival and departure time gave a fair imitation of a Robbie Williams concert.
Now, vehicles can also access the course directly off the town’s southern ring road. It is a narrow track, nothing flash, but it is well policed and has removed the stress. Thus far, it is only experimental, a concession from the council, but if the town authorities consider the racecourse an asset they will make it permanent.
Roadsigns in the town are excellent, car parks adequate and staffing efficient. It is worth saying that Stratford, with similar fixtures and a comparable number of coach parties to its neighbour, Worcester, shares none of the problems of rampant drunkenness evident there.
This is not an easy course to get around — the horsewalk to the paddock crossing the main spectator concourse is a real drawback — but raceday presentation is good, with regular interviews in the winner’s enclosure and occasional gimmicks such as jockeys’ autograph sessions. The racecard could profit from a little editorial but is at least in colour.
The betting ring at Stratford is lively and spacious and, in the basement of the stand are two civilised, air-conditioned betting halls — one each for members and Tattersalls. On a sweltering day, this is a cool refuge, albeit a potentially expensive one.
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The need to seek out such shelter is obvious from a cursory glance at the stand, which was built with negligible elevation, no roof and the compulsion for most to watch from behind glass. From the pitifully few terrace steps, you can see half the racecourse while either frying or getting drenched. It is a joke in poor taste.
Indeed, considering the intimacy of the track, barely ten furlongs round, Stratford is one of the worst viewing courses in the country. Even the seats in the old members’ stand have a clear sight of only three fences, while the provision of an open-top bus for owners to obtain a better view merely draws attention to the inadequacies.
One of the principal defects of the stand has been addressed by air-conditioning, and another by creating extra space for the catering highlight of the course, The Winning Post seafood restaurant. The best tables here have a favoured view of racing and £19.50 for a two-course meal is reasonable.
The main dining room remains redolent of a 1950s hotel and the bars here are short on character, range and staffing. Much remains to be done at Stratford but it has improved in key areas. Now, it has to prove itself in new fixtures territory.