Page 9 - Go 2017 St Leger Festival Guide

Thursday,August24,2017 www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk
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Darren Burke, 44, has been a journalist for the Doncaster Free Press since 1992.
As the biggest sporting spectacle of the year comes to Doncaster, he tells us his favourite things about the St Leger.
The colour and the buzz
Rather surprisingly, although I’ve lived in Doncaster all
my life, I’ve only actually at- tended the Leger on a handful of occasions on a social basis. Several years have been spent covering the event for work which hasn’t always given
me time to enjoy the event
as much as I should. What always strikes me about the Leger and Leger Day itself is the colour, the buzz and won- derful atmosphere. The rising roar as the horses thunder to- wards the nish line and bets are won and lost still sends a shiver down the spine. Doncaster in the spotlight The Leger helps to put Don-
caster in the national - and international - spotlight, with the great and good and the racing set, the TV cameras, the national newspapers all taking an interest in what’s going on at the Town Moor turf for four days. Apart from Doncaster Rovers’ result be- ing read out on the round-up each Saturday a ernoon, it’s a chance to see the town rec- ognised nationally for all the right reasons.
People watching
One of the true highlights of a trip to Doncaster Racecourse for me is a chance to people watch - something that I’ve always loved to do. The Leger meeting seems to a ract people from all walks of life
- swanky racehorse owners and jockeys who swoop in by helicopter and qua cham- pagne, young lads in in ill- ing suits trying to pretend they understand be ing
and girls of all ages, shapes and sizes to ering around unsteadily in high heels and
with hats at a jaunty angle a er one two many glasses of zz. Find yourself a good spot from which to watch the sights from and you’ll never get bored. Sometimes,
the people watch- ing is even more entertaining than what’s
going on on
the track!
The Clock
Tower stand
The poor
relation but
most histor-
ic part of the
Racecourse is the
Clock Tower stand -
and its bare terraces and no frills surroundings are the ideal place to transport you back to the Leger of bygone days. Stand there and it’s easy to imagine thousands upon thousands of racegoers (presumably mostly men in those days) sporting sharp suits and even sharper hats, tearing up be ing slips or
heading back into Doncas- ter by tram to celebrate their winnings in a local hostelry. It is also a place to escape to and nd a bit of space if you
are looking for a slightly quieter spot to es-
cape the invevi- table hustle and bustle
of crowds of Leger Day. The town comes alive
It isn’t just Town Moor that gets the
buzz of the Leger - the whole town
centre seems to come alive for the week that the racing fraternity is in town. Although factory shutdowns and week long holidays of Leger Week are a thing of the past, in recent years, all the spectacle o the track has made a welcome resurgence. It is wonderful to see ags and bunting adding a touch of colour to the town centre
and to see streets, pubs, bars and restaurants all packed to the ra ers with happy race- goers. I always love to watch the immaculately turned out ladies enjoying their rst drink of the day - and then seeing them again later when they’ve had slightly too many!
The Old Weighing Room
As its name suggests, this restaurant had a previous past as the place where jock- eys were weighed in a er a race. Again, its a place that conjures up the history and tradition of the Leger and
of course, all the winners
of the world’s oldest classic horse race have set foot on its famed black and white tiled oor. Of course, it is now a place to dine - and its sump- tuous surroundings and fabulous food will help trans- port you back to the Leger of years passed.
Celebrity spo ng
Another favoured pastime for me is looking out for star
names. You can play the “is that so and so” with your friends for hours - although over the years, I can only tick the late comedian Mel Smith, one of the Chuckle Brothers and of course, legendary rac- ing pundit John McCririck o my list!
Footballers, TV stars and soap favourites are among the best to look out for. Hope- fully you will have more look than me.
Autumn/winter coming in on the tail of the last horse So goes the old adage which gets tro ed out around this time each year and signals that chillier times are around the corner.
Some people insist that the last horse home brings in au- tumn, others opt for winter. Whatever and whoever is right, I love to hear it said and hear the arguments rage each year over which season we’re welcoming. Let’s hope that a er the wet summer, neither is true.
Favourite Things