Sportsbook Guardian

Trains Delay – Dark and Dangerous

On Monday a couple of weeks ago (19th Dec) attended Plumpton with the guys from the office, and nine of us looked forward to a meal and a day out at what I had billed to the team as a “proper National Hunt Track”.

First off credit to the ground staff who managed to keep the track raceable, having had it reported as -3 on the tracks ground report website page. Secondly I must thank a low pressure system (or is it high pressure? Meteorologist I am not!) for delivering true National Hunt weather, the rain was heavy and resolutely kept about its task.

Our ride to the track was somewhat enlivened by the first Victoria departing train being canceled due to a conductor not turning up, and further delayed at Haywards Heath by yet another conductor failing to clock in (read hung over)! On a positive this gave us more time to review the form in the Racing Post, and we watched the first race (interesting novice hurdle) crowded round an iPhone that streamed the pictures courtesy of Bet365.

Reading the next day’s reports we weren’t the only ones inconvenienced as the owner of winner Dark and Dangerous was also sat on the same delayed train! I wonder if Mr Phil Morris watched it on his smartphone also? One of our party fancied the Brendan Powell trained (and ridden, but much younger version!) horse and was gutted not to get on, though on course bets of £1100-400 and £1000-400 were struck, so it didn’t go unbacked.

On the subject of punting yours truly got done in a photo and backed Ohio Gold (4/9 SP), though thankfully got the market right and took the 8/11 about early on. After a poor recent visit to Huntingdon, preceded by a generous donation to the Fontwell Bookmakers Benevolent Fund it was nice to finish a visit to the races in the black.

Restaurant Table Service Sporadic!

Anyhow, punting wasn’t the main point of the day, it was a Christmas meal with 8 friends and colleagues from work. Every three months we all descend on a racetrack that is within a train journey of London, we book a table in the restaurant, hopefully enjoy a meal, a good few drinks, and fingers crossed find a few winners. Previously we enjoyed a great meal at Fontwell and the team were really looking forward to Plumpton.

Sadly I must report that the restaurant experience was very disappointing all round. To begin with a simple request to have our party increased from 8 to 9 was made (confirmed as a possibility when booking on phone, hence round table supplied) and this took 3 people around half an hour to be fulfilled with various staff eventually bringing the right cutlery and chair.

I like to eat out at the races, both at the dogs, and horses, and we generally found the service to be really disappointing, and compared to Fontwell a shambles. Various people all conspired to be very inattentive, the food waiters frequently asking “what table number is this?”, the Tote lady popped round only once, bottles of wine weren’t brought over (and so on). We could only laugh when a measure of whisky was served in a half pint glass.

In terms of food, the starter was okay, but half of our party wanted the beef “oh that’s all gone” so we made do with an average turkey. The desert was cheesecake or Christmas pudding, most opted for the cheesecake, which would be below the standard from an off the shelf Tesco version.

Never mind we thought, let’s take advantage of the cheese board extra addition (something like a £fiver, fair enough), and the response once again: “oh that’s all gone”!

I’m not in the habit of writing negative reviews and if there are one of two points for improvement amidst a great experience I prefer to focus on the positives, but Plumpton’s restaurant was the worst I have been to at the races, and for around £60 (food and entry) they could have done much better. I have even gone so far as to write to management for a comment as other race-going diners have expressed similar views.

 

 

Follow on: Plumpton’s management were very swift to respond to my feedback both by telephone and subsequent email, and have apologised and invited for me to visit the track again with an open mind. This is an offer that I intend to do before the end of the year, and hopefully my negative experience will have proved to be a one-off, and I can blog a much more positive visit.

Prague Here We Come!

On a more positive note, Prague is on! I have booked flights for myself and two friends to fly Easyjet to Prague on the second week of October. Tremendously looking forward to what will be my first ever Velka Pardubicka!

In the short term also looking forward to a visit to the restaurant at Towcester on the 22nd, expect to be writing a more favourable blog!

Related Pages:

• Fontwell Park Restaurant Review – Excellent
• Huntingdon Restaurant Review – Tasty Lamb!
• Towcester Restaurant Review – Superb!
• Sandown Racecourse Restaurant Review – Average
• Betfred sign up Northern Racing to Tote license.