If anyone had told me a few months ago that Bath Racecourse would be full of cowboy hats, line dancing and people throwing themselves around on rodeo rides, I might have raised an eyebrow!
But our Absolute Country Raceday was every bit as good as we had hoped – and then some.
The response on Saturday, September 12, was fantastic. The music created a brilliant atmosphere, we had mass line dancing led by an instructor on stage, and there were cowboy hats everywhere.
What really made the day, though, was the way people embraced it. Our racegoers really went for it, dressing up, getting involved and even taking on the rodeo rides.
It was the first time we had tried a Country-themed raceday at Bath, but I think we have definitely found something that deserves a return.
Then, just 24 hours later, we were doing it all again with our Countryside Family Raceday.
This time the focus was very much on families, with Super Pirates inflatables, face painting, giant bubbles, a treasure hunt and street food alongside the racing.
There was just one small problem – the weather!
That Sunday was wet and misty, and at times the fog made following the racing something of a challenge. When the horses disappeared into the mist, our commentators had to rely on a combination of experience, instinct and, perhaps, a little guesswork!
They did a fantastic job and their inspired commentary kept us entertained even when we couldn't see quite as much of the action as we would have liked.
That is racing for you. Sometimes, when the weather turns against you, you just have to grin and bear it and find the funny side.
Overall, though, it was a really successful weekend and I love what a double-header brings to Bath.
There is almost a mini-festival feel to having two consecutive days of racing, with different themes and different audiences enjoying what the racecourse has to offer.
Our next meeting is on Tuesday, September 29, before we enter the final stretch of our racing season with meetings on October 8, 19 and 29.
The October 8 meeting is our Property and Construction Raceday, which is shaping up to be a particularly busy one. It brings together people working across property, architecture, surveying, building and construction for an afternoon combining live Flat racing with industry networking.
Once the racing season comes to an end, there is certainly no time to put our feet up. We move straight into our non-racing calendar, with our Fireworks Night on Friday, November 6, followed by our Christmas parties – and five of those have already sold out.
And we are already looking towards next summer, with bookings for our 2027 Ladies Day opening from September 30. Put Saturday, June 12 in your diary!
Finally, we recently said goodbye to Laura Tyler, our Business Co-ordinator, who is moving on to pastures new.
We celebrated Laura's time with us with a presentation and wish her every success in her new role. She has been a much-valued part of the team and will certainly be missed.
So, from cowboy hats to fog, it has been quite a couple of weeks at Bath!
