My Race Days

Nov
12
2010

Sandown Gentlemen's Day

Gentlemen’s day must be one of the best events of the year….for men and women! Our day out involved playing black jack in between races, demolishing the salt beef sandwiches and the bar and still having enough time to have a look at the best dressed male’s in the crowd.

There is something very unique about Sandown on gentlemen’s day. What would usually be a fun day out anyway, was suddenly converted into a play area for adults. With so much to do and such little time, it’s no wonder that between myself and my three friends, we missed betting on a few races just through sheer enjoyment of everything else that was on offer.

This, as always was a good thing especially for when you consider my track record with betting.

All of us bet on different horses and I was the only person to come away with even getting something out of a race! And that was £2.60 on my horse coming in second place.

The only problem with this was, my brother, Nick missed a race and he was betting more money than me. According to him, through not betting on that race he actually saved more money than I won…making him somehow the biggest winner.

Of course, this is because as every brother knows: Winning the sibling rivalry is twice as important than actually enjoying a day out and losing to your brother.

Here’s a very hot tip for gentlemen’s day. When they say best dressed they’re not talking about putting on your smartest jacket. The best dressed are for the ones who are willing to get the extra mile and go for the old school tweed, pocket watches and wellies.

I wish I had known this before as I can’t think of anything better than dressing up in something I couldn’t be seen in anywhere apart from miles away in the countryside…something I don’t get much of in London.

One other thing you should remember about Sandown. Bring a bit of extra money with you and don’t have breakfast. I found it far too hard to choose what I wanted to eat and was disappointed to only be able to manage one meal.

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About Tom Crosthwaite

Hi! I'm Tom. I'm a young chap from Putney, I'm a journalist/reporter and have been a presenter for three years doing many shows on tv, internet ('shows on the internet'- steady) and even out in China.

On top of this I am a qualified chef and a fire breather! It isn't useful, but is great for a bit of hair singeing fun.

I'm London born and bred and have a very sporty background from competing in the London Youth Games in Gymnastics, winning the ISFA cup for football and playing county squash for all age groups.

Unfortunately this means nothing when it comes to horses. Although I have a great love for them, and for having a flutter, I know so little about them that I generally gamble on the horse that has just gone to the loo, which has so far failed miserably!

That is why I will be focussing on the good times to be had around the race course, while asking punters and trainers to give the tips on how to pick the right horse!

I'll also be bringing my mates along and we'll see what sort of mischief we get up to on our days out.