Born and raised in Brighton, I was first taken racing by my parents during the school holidays in the 1960’s. It cost just four shillings (20p) to enter the East Enclosure on the inside of the track and, as now, children went free.
There were two stands, lots of bookies, colourful tic tac men and always long queues at the Tote windows. It was great fun and I was hooked.
I would look on the ground for discarded winning tote tickets and often found one. Dad had to collect any money.
In term time I finished school at 4.00 so would rush up the hill to catch the last race – always at 4.30 in those days. I stood on the ‘free bit’ down at the four furlong marker and watched the horses scamper down the hill. Bookmakers stood in this area and there were loud speakers so we could hear the race commentary to find out who had won. Great stuff!
My aspirations had gone up a notch or two by the 1970’s and during the memorable long hot summer of ‘76 I became an annual member for the first time.
A year later I was on course to experience a significant moment in racing history. It was June 20 when Hatta, trained locally by John Dunlop, won the Bevendean Maiden Stakes, a two year old event worth £968. On hand to witness his first ever winner was her owner Sheikh Mohammed. He reached Race Hill having travelled from London by train and taxi and thus the creation of Godolphin began.
Ron Hutchinson rode Hatta and I saw other great jockeys of that time like Lester Piggott, Scobie Breasley, Joe Mercer, Willie Carson and Geoff Lewis. Fast forward to the August meeting in 1987 and I was amongst thousands of racegoers witnessing Steve Cauthen ride his 1000th winner in Britian aboard Picnicing for Henry Cecil. The course executive marked this landmark achievement with a presentation of champagne only for Steve to be seen leaving the course devouring a huge ice cream.
A certain Frankie Dettori hitched a ride in Steve’s chauffeur driven Jaguar that day and went on to partner just his sixth career winner when Know All denied Cauthen’s mount in a tight finish. This was the first of 47 Brighton winners for one of racings all time greats.
The peculiarities of Brighton mean it is renowned for developing course specialists, from Operatic Society in the 1960’s and Belper in the 70’s to Shikari’s Son in the 90’s. Then more recently to the like of Beacon Lady, Roy Rocket, Megalala, Junoesque and daddy of them all, with 11 course victories, the Tony Carroll trained Pour La Victiore. Ironically, both Belper and ‘Victoire’ were blind in one eye.
Carroll rode his first ever winner in an apprentice contest here during the 60’s and for the past five seasons has been the outright leading trainer at the track. In 2024 Tony achieved a long held ambition to send out 100 winners in the calendar year when Second Collection won at sister track Wolverhampton just before Christmas.
Me personally, in 1999 I left my full-time work as Deputy Racing Manager at Hove Greyhound Stadium and flirted with raceday work and opportunities on racecourses in the south-east.
Since 2002 I have been privileged to be based in the weighing room at Brighton. This is the nerve centre of any racecourse where BHA officials such as the Stewards and Clerk of the Scales are based – as well, of course, as jockeys and their valets who will tend their every need.
Arriving for the start of the 2022 season participants were greeted by a substantially upgraded weighing room providing every need and facility. My personal responsibility is an essential one yet remarkably humble. I bring to each race meeting the blue number cloths that sit under the saddle to help identify horses in the paddock. I pass the correct number to the jockey once he or she has weighed out prior to the race. Each cloth has two pockets in which lightweight trackers are placed. These provide real time data including speed, position, stride length, running order and timing.
Following the race and before the jockey weighs back in I collect in the cloth and the trackers are removed. After racing the cloths are taken back home to wash and dry and put away until the next meeting.
That is what I shall do on April 12 when the new season gets underway and fresh memories will develop.
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