The importance of Royal Ascot can never be overstated. It was beautifully summed up by His Excellency Mansoor Abulhoul, the UAE ambassador to the UK, last week: ‘There is no finer expression of what the British do best; a celebration of horse, history and craft that has run, almost without interruption, since 1711.’
But if it is longevity that appeals to the ambassador, he must venture out to the Salisbury plains to savour Salisbury racecourse, where there has been racing since 1584. I now love this racecourse, although I’m ashamed to say I’d never been to it before a couple of weeks ago. Ashamed, because you can’t call yourself a racing fan if Salisbury doesn’t feature in your diary.
The first thing that strikes you as you enter the second-oldest racecourse in England is it is a loved, happy place
It’s in the middle of nowhere, with a glorious view of the cathedral across the valley. And one just gets the feeling that this is a haven for people who want to get up really close to the horses: many of the racegoers have been at the cattle market down in the town before they come up for a bit of lunch. In the 1800s the action on the racecourse was augmented by fortune tellers, freak shows, black-faced minstrels and prostitutes. These days they rely on children’s face painting. The first thing that strikes you as you enter the second-oldest racecourse in England is that it is a very loved, happy place. All the staff here radiate that.
