Review: Cider Racenight at Bath Racecourse featuring The Wurzels

For the tenth consecutive year, the ever-popular Cider Racenight at Bath Racecourse had musical accompaniment by legends of the West Country – and no strangers to cider themselves – The Wurzels.

I feel like I should preface this review by saying that this was a pretty special evening for me and my wife – we were both experiencing horse racing for the very first time! We were excited to be heading to Bath Racecourse and seeing the crowds of people dressed to the nines did nothing but stoke our excitement. It was brilliant to see so many people make such an effort with their attire, it gave the evening a feeling of real distinction.

There were people from all walks of life in attendance at the races; from families with their children, to stag and hen parties, to hardcore racing fans with a copy of The Racing Post tucked under their arm, talking about the runners’ form. It was good for us to see that we weren’t the only novices there, with friendly staff on hand to answer the silliest of questions.

We had Grandstand Tickets for the evening, which meant we were in the heart of the action. Once we had a good look round all the cider offerings we decided to join the buzz in the Final Furlong Bar for a pint of Kingstone Press. Swiftly seen away, we bought another (only polite) and took them to the side of the track. We had a fantastic view just down from the Winning Post (finish line) so we decided to stop there and peruse the form guide and plan our bets.

Originally the sea of bookmakers set up in front of the crowd seemed confusing, but once we had our heart set on a winner we decided to pluck up the courage to part with our stake - £1 on Helvetian to win at 7/1, which would see us bag a hefty return of £8!

The race began and there was a ripple of excitement that came down the crowd, in line with the galloping horses. As the runner got nearer, so did the roar of the spectators, like a Mexican Wave of cheers, whooping, and those wanting their pick to get a move on! As the race went by us, the noise followed until the winner took the race at the post. The whole stand cheered as the clear winner was announced.

It was Helvetian! We’d only gone and won! It was an amazing feeling, leaving us wishing we’d been a little braver with our stake, but once our winnings were collected, we were back to the ciders and re-energised for the next race.

The evening whizzed by as we tried to pick our horse for the subsequent races – whether it be which jockey had the snazziest jacket or which horse had the funniest name – but alas, it wasn’t to be. The £8 we’d won in Race 1 was out only win but it didn’t stop us from have a really good night, chatting to other spectators and enjoying the food (and a touch more cider)

As the racing ended, we were in a great position to march ourselves down to the front of the stage ready for the entertainment. In an evening of firsts, we’d not seen The Wurzels live before either. Little did we know just what they had in store!

As the living-legends made their way on to the stage one this was clear: all the people, from the young to the old ALL loved them! Not to sound too serious about it all but The Wurzels truly have something for everyone, from the charming West Country drawl to the glint in their eye when the banter gets a bit raunchy (there was even a bra thrown on to the stage!)

.@TheWurzels have been on stage about 2 minutes and this is already the best night of my life! pic.twitter.com/1IaJVfFdOW

— Total Bath (@TotalBath) August 4, 2017

We sang and danced the rest of the evening sun away as the entertainment came to an end, kicking ourselves for not having seen The Wurzels or gone to Bath Racecourse before. It was an incredibly fun day!

I’d like to say a huge thank you to Bath Racecourse for having us, and we’re sure we’ll be back again soon!