Reflecting on a day at Ludlow

Last week I visited Ludlow Racecourse for the first time. What I experienced there got me thinking about the state of British horse racing and whether initiatives like Invades might be just what the sport needs.

Ludlow is a gem of a racecourse. The local Ludlow Brewing Company runs the bar, serving up delicious cask and keg beers at very fair prices. The café was warm and welcoming, with hot food at reasonable prices. And the view from the top of the stands? Spectacular - better than any course I've been to before. Nevermind the unique option to enjoy the fence in front of the stands.

We lucked out with a beautiful sunny late-winter afternoon, and even my boyfriend (who hates horse racing) had a genuinely enjoyable time. I'd put Ludlow right up there with Sedgefield and Hexham as one of the most welcoming places for the average racegoer.

But… it was quiet. Eerily so.

I counted maybe a dozen bookmakers, and they didn’t appear to be doing much business at all. The racing quality might have contributed - there weren't many runners, even in the main event (the Forbra Gold Cup) which attracted just four runners. But I’ve been to far worse race days with many more people.

The contrast with recent race meetings where Invades has been involved is striking. According to Samantha Martin's excellent piece in The Times last week, they're now selling around 150,000 tickets yearly. You can almost picture Ludlow management wistfully dreaming of a nearby university. Worcester and Birmingham Unis are probably too far away, especially with other racecourses closer to both.

Not everyone is a fan of what Invades is doing. Some of the critics online say they're just in it for profit, turning racecourses into glorified DJ sets with horses running in the background.

Do I agree with everything Dominic Matcham, the founder of Invades, says? Not at all. Some of his comments about family days and kids at racing events miss the mark, and he could certainly show a bit more respect to dedicated racing fans. But some of those opposing Invades could show a bit more respect to him and the thousands of students who come to horse racing meetings. If you're getting worked up about provocative statements while opposing one of the few initiatives actually getting people through the gates, I have to wonder if you're really thinking about what's best for the sport.

Horse racing isn't in great shape right now. Its main selling point is that it offers a good day out. Yet racecourse after racecourse struggles to deliver on this.

Invades is succeeding where others have failed, outperforming any other initiative I've seen from individual courses or governing bodies. Not everyone who attends an Invades event will become a lifelong racing fan. But I'm convinced many do.

I've been at race days at both Chepstow and Sedgefield when Invades were there, and I've got no complaints. Chepstow had them in a separate area, which worked fine. Sedgefield integrated them with everyone else, resulting in the busiest meeting I've ever seen there.

And I’ve been to racecourses without Invades days, and had a miserable time. I was at Aintree for their 2023 Becher Chase day. A few hundred students having a nice old party time would have definitely been cheerier than the brawls that took place instead. I was at the 2022 Eider meeting at Newcastle, where the drab and dreary function room ‘bar’ was full with ever-rowdier drinkers while barely a soul came out to watch the racing or have a bet. It was quite an unpleasant atmosphere by the end of the day.

The Sedgefield student day experience was genuinely great - better food and drink options, a warm atmosphere, and a buzzing racecourse. While pottering around an empty Ludlow last week had its charms, I'd have much rather seen a few hundred students there supporting the local businesses. And I know this view is shared by plenty other ‘traditional’ racegoer fans.

We might love the freedom to roam around uncrowded racecourses, just as we might enjoy having a pub or concert venue mostly to ourselves. But enjoy that over a longer timeframe, and those venues won’t be there anymore.

Invades isn't perfect, but they're addressing a fundamental problem: getting people to actually attend race meetings. For that alone, I think they deserve credit from anyone who cares about racing's future.