Popular Twitter user Mike Parcej is what you can describe as a horseracing “super fan”, travelling the length and breadth of the United Kingdom (and sometimes beyond) in the pursuit of simply watching horses race.
I caught up with Mike to ask him a few questions about his favourite sport.
Mike, you've been attending horse racing fixtures for some time now. What's your earliest recollection of being at the races and do you have any specific memories from that initial visit?
MP: My earliest recollection of going racing was the Amman Valley Trotting Club's fixture at Tairgwaith on June 10th 1982, long before the days of being able to place horse race bets online.
It was an appalling evening and didn't stop raining, but it was a school outing and I loved the feel of the place.
I'd already been a racing fan since Light Cavalry's St. Leger, but that was my first time racing. The star trotter then was Thunder Time, and I recall him very well, a superb pacer.
What is the greatest horse race you have ever witnessed in person and at which racecourse was it?
MP: You'd think I'd say Dessie's Gold Cup - but that was second best! London National, Sandown December 2005. Brave Spirit versus Willie John Daly. National Hunt Racing summed up in eight minutes.
It was nearly dark, the horses eyeballed each other over the Railway fences, there was a short head between them at the line, and when they both came to a standstill, the crowd erupted into a huge round of applause.
An absolute joy to watch and it still sends goose bumps up me just thinking about it. It’s the undisputed race of the century so far for me.
I believe you have compiled a personal ranking system for the UK's racecourses. Which course is your current number one and what's your reasoning behind the choice?
MP: By at least 10 lengths, Hexham. The most spectacularly beautiful racing venue I have ever been to.
Hexham for 7 races on @SkySportsRacing - kick off at 12.30pm. Momentarily forgot how incredible the view is up here. If you’ve never been to @HexhamRaces - I can promise you it’s worth the drive! #ViewsForDays @AtTheRaces pic.twitter.com/HtZlrGKdBu
— VANESSA BINNIE RYLE (@V_Binnie_Ryle) November 5, 2021
A hugely welcoming and friendly management team, very competitive prices and enjoyable racing every time. A place you never want to leave in a wonderful part of the UK. And no dress code!
You must have seen some changes in the UK racecourse landscape down the years. Can you identify any glowing positives and on the flip side, any negatives?
MP: Glowing positive. So many racecourses getting rid of the Members/Tatts/Silver Ring model, and making fixtures all one enclosure.
I despise segregation from the bottom of my heart, and we cannot say that everyone is welcome with blatant class division on course, and of course the dreaded dress codes.
This is now becoming past tense, and full marks to most courses for doing this. Negatives. The closures of Stockton, Phoenix Park, Tralee, Folkestone and Towcester since I became a fan.
All could very easily have been kept going with the right marketing.
Where do you see UK horse racing in say 25 years time? What could the industry do now (in 2022) to make sure that we still have a healthy product years down the line?
MP: Racing will hopefully still thrive in 25 years time, with all in one admission prices and no dress codes!
For me, all the big races must take place outside the Monday to Friday working hours (that is how football established itself as Britain's national sport) - for me, now the first thing is for the Cheltenham Gold Cup (The latest Cheltenham races betting odds are here) to switch to Saturday.
Our premier race MUST be accessible to everyone, which would attract millions more to racing in one move.
The industry must get rid of all dress codes, stop selling its soul to music fans, and market the sport with its core attraction at the forefront of its campaigns - the horse.
This will ensure a healthy product and if you make the public feel welcome, they will turn up again and again.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
FIRST PUBLISHED: 24th August 2022
