Interesting hike UP a long hill to get to a V shaped, left handed course (like ours) with a long UPHILL stretch to the finishing post. Unlike our courses, there is a long run out past the finishing post for the horses to pull up.
http://www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk/...p209p519p.aspx
After we went through a tunnel to get to the course, we met a fellow who was blowing out debris from the stands. I noted that the next meeting was April 28th, and wondered if they manicured the place (IN IMMACULATE SHAPE by the way) that long before a meeting date, but he informed us that they had "inherited a meeting" from another course and it will go at 2:10 April 13th.. We met John (who stopped vacuuming the grandstands and asked if he could help us - can you image any racing secretary on this side of the pond stooping that low?) who introduced himself as the clerk of racing and had a nice conversation about the 220 year plus history of the course. It is literally on the top crest of a long hill with the starting post so far away the one could not easily make out the horses from the stands. He also mentioned that when the fog is in, one can only see the stretch run and often in contests of novices (they are only allowed to use their heels and hands as John told us), audible popping of whips suddenly stops when once out of the fog. We had a nice chat, mostly about the overuse of drugs in North American racing, and he told me about his experience at Keeneland: "it's a lovely course but their just going round and round reminded me of a dog race!"
The walking ring is on the "clubhouse" turn side of the stands and is enormous with the winnner's circle right in front of it.
More to come from this fantasyland.
