GCA ‘Ladies' Race Day and AGM

A total of thirty-three delegates and guests congregated at Nottingham Race Course for yet another splendid Ladies Race Day and AGM.  This being the third time this event has now been held, the race day not the AGM of course!

The day started for me at about 8am when I left home to drive to Nottingham.  Although only a 53 mile drive I left myself plenty of time as last year, having taken just under an hour to drive from home to Nottingham city centre, I spent another hour trying to find the hotel due to one way systems, major road works and a serious lack of street name plates.  I wasn’t the only one who had trouble last year either.

This year, armed with my Christmas present, sat-nav, I was guided straight to the hotel and only spent ten minutes or so going round the houses trying to find somewhere to park.  I eventually located the hotel parking area which was big enough for only about six cars, it being a holding area for unloading before they whisked the vehicle off to ‘vallet’ park it elsewhere.  It was of course full and as I was trying to decide what to do now, Jack Goodchild appeared and offered to move his car over a bit so I could squeeze in.  With this first major obstacle now behind me I was able to book in to the hotel and meet and greet others waiting for the coach to arrive which was to transport us to the Race Course.

I don’t know how Julie manages to pick warm October days for these events but she does!  At the first Ladies Day held at Stratford upon Avon in 2005 she picked the warmest October day since records began, last year her touch deserted her just a little as we had a drop of very fine rain for a short while but none the less it was not cold.  This year she was back on top form with shirt sleeve weather for the whole day, (after the formal AGM part of course as we wouldn’t dream of listening to our esteemed chairman’s report in common shirtsleeves).

The format was as before with a welcoming drink for all as we entered one of the first floor suites in the Paddocks Conference Centre from where un uninterrupted view of the race course is afforded from the balcony. The business of the AGM was then conducted with our chairman this year not attempting to break his record of ‘shortest AGM’ as there were rule changes to the constitution and to the duration of tenure for committee members to be explained.  Max assured me that he will be back into record breaker mode for next year.  The financial statements for the previous year were presented and, after a question or two, were accepted.

The business part over we sat down, or to be more correct, continued sitting while a most excellent lunch was served; a salmon and prawn starter was followed by a main course of duck breast with guinea fowl mousse and the repast finished off with an assiette of chocolate in miniature. For those who could manage it coffee and petit fours were also available.

We then had a short talk from a professional tipster who suggested certain horses to us which he said might be worth a bet. After this one I’m going back to picking horses cos’ I like the name. In 2005 the tipster was brilliant, I followed his suggestions and won about thirty quid.  Last year I did the same and lost about the same amount and same again this year.  What I should have asked myself was, if these guys are so clever at picking winners why are we paying them to come and give us tips?  If they were that good they would all surely be sunning themselves on their luxury yachts in the Bahamas.

Anyway it passed the time until the start of the first race.  There is a convenient tote desk in the foyer just outside the suite so those fancying a bit of a flutter, nearly everybody as far as I could see, did not have far to go to place a bet.  I myself had a small bet on each race, well it’s only once a year, and hazarded a small wager on a ‘placepot’ which relies on picking a placed horse in each of the first six races.

There was some excitement on the course during the first race when Jake Payne the jockey on Puskas came flying off his mount due to his saddle slipping. He went down onto the ground and got trampled on by at least one other horse if not more.  We saw him being attended to for quite a long time on the course and then he was loaded into an ambulance and driven slowly away with blue lights flashing.  We heard nothing more about him on the day but I am happy to report that he was not seriously injured and was allowed home after being kept for one night in hospital for observation.

The start of the next race was delayed as they then did not have an ambulance on course until the return of the errant Mr Payne’s transport.  The rest of the afternoon card went forward without anymore dramas; unless you count the looks on the faces of winners and losers coming back from the tote station that is, interrupted only by the serving of tea and sandwiches followed by scones and clotted cream.  It’s a hard life in the GCA!

Everybody I spoke to had nothing but praise for the organisation of the day and our thanks for this must once again go to Julie Mellish of the secretariat.

Hope to see you all back again next year.

Reg Boulton   GCA Committee Member      Ashton Seals Ltd

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