A free day last Thursday saw me revisit an old stomping ground for the first time in a good few years and for a rather different reason to those previous visits.

I’m talking about Towcester Racecourse, located in my home county of Northamptonshire and about eight miles south-west of Northampton.

Those of you who know me reasonably well might know that I spent more than a decade carving out a living as a professional gambler. It was during my degree where racing started to make an appeal to me. I was fascinated by all these factors that could come together to influence a horse race. If you could analyse them to a degree that the public was not able, there was, as I saw it, the potential to make money. I minored in Information Systems (computers, in simple terms), and one of the course requirements was to produce a program that handled data. Mine read racing results, produced a master rating for each horse and then took into consideration the race conditions for the next race, calculating a secondary rating which could then effectively be used to predict a finishing order. It was profitable, and I used to love nothing more than heading off to my local tracks and beyond putting the ratings to use.

My circumstances changed a lot in the ensuing years, meaning I would almost exclusively ‘work’ from home rather than actually getting to go racing. I reckon, therefore, that it was almost a decade since my last visit to Towcester prior to last week.

One of the great things about Towcester Racecourse is that course entry is free, compared to £15+ at pretty much any other course that you could name. Clearly this lost revenue is not hurting the owners as, much to my surprise, a brand new greyhound track is nearing completion on the inside of the track, directly in front of the main grandstand. Subject to the Greyhound Board of Great Britain signing off the surface as safe, the opening fixture will take place on Saturday, 6 December. Again, admission will be free.

I digress, Towcester is well known among racing aficionados for its stiff, uphill finish which can often see those horses leading turning into the final straight slowed to a walk and passed by those races less prominently. That sort of a turnaround is more common when the ground is softer, however, and for early November, the ‘good’ going on offer on the day was far less likely to provide as much drama at the ends of races. Oh yes, unlike my previous ventures to Towcester, this time I was there to try my hand at some equine photography.

Scanning through the racecard, it became apparent that if I was to maximise photographic opportunities (the course is about one mile five furlongs – there are eight furlongs in a mile – round), I would need to make the trek down the hill and around the corner to a position almost exactly opposite the grandstand.

I had a fairly good idea of what I wanted to achieve, but the forecast was for the afternoon to grey up rather, and that’s precisely what happened, so it became as much about trying ideas out and seeing what worked rather than taking any earth-shattering pictures.

Three hurdle races would start in and around my position, meaning I would get the opportunity to photograph the jockeys bringing their mounts for a look at the hurdle just after the start line (they’re not allowed to jump it before the race is ‘off’), and they’d then pass me twice under race conditions.

One steeplechase race would also pass me twice, while the remaining hurdle race and steeplechase would only pass me once on account of their shorter race distances. There would also be a ‘bumper’ – a National Hunt Flat race – that would essentially start from the winning line and bring the racecard to a close, and I would relocate for this.

I was quite cautious with how I photographed the first race (a hurdle), and the images didn’t really work how I’d intended. I put on a longer lens for race two (another hurdle) and was far happier with the results.

The third race was a chase, and the horses would only pass me on one occasion. Chase fences are much taller than hurdles and, at Towcester, the chase course is on the outside of the hurdles course. As I was on the outside of the track, that put them quite close to me. Again, I went for a long lens but mistimed my shot somewhat….

The fifth race was another hurdle and saw the red-hot favourite Hurricane’s Girl make a dreadful jumping mistake in the pack when right in front of me, giving jockey Richie McLernon absolutely no chance of staying on board. Thankfully, neither horse nor rider were any the worse for their tumble, and it was only when I saw ex-England cricketer Phil Tufnell after the final race that I realised he was the horse’s owner.

Race six was my second and final attempt at getting something worthwhile from a chase race, and with them passing me twice, I decided I’d brave a shot with a shorter lens and stood much closer to the fence on their first circuit. The trouble is, while you can hear the horses coming, it’s not great for seeing them, let alone picking one to track with the camera!

The failing light levels also didn’t help, and I decided I’d revert to my original chase plan for their second circuit – a long lens from further away from the fence. This was much more effective on this occasion and I got a quite nice shot of three horses disputing the lead.

Drama was to unfold behind, however, with Harriet Bethell’s mount Nalim coming down and the stricken horse impeding Tenby Jewell and prompting Tom Cannon to be unseated, too. Again, all parties were able to walk away from the incident, but it was a stark reminder of the dangers that go hand-in-hand with the territory and which all participants are all-too-well aware.

That was my cue to move, and given how cold it had become, I was glad for the opportunity to get the blood flowing and warm up a tad.

The grandstand which had seemingly been bulging to the rafters earlier in the afternoon had thinned considerably by the time I’d made my way back for the closing ‘bumper’. National Hunt Flat races are not great betting mediums, unless you happen to be well connected, and are often run at little more than a crawl before becoming sprints in the closing stages. As such, it was no surprise that some people had called it a day.

19-times champion jockey Tony (AP) McCoy had been booked to ride Biretta for Marcus Tregoning but was unable to take the ride after aggravating an injury in a fall on Tuesday. I’m sure had he been there that more people would have hung around.

As it was, those that did stay were treated to one of the best finishes of the day with Jamie Moore on Colour Of The Wind just edging out Wayne Hutchinson and Lady Persephone in a real drive to the line.

It had been an enjoyable, educational afternoon back on course and I look forward to having another bash at it soon!

For anybody in the Northampton area looking for a good day out, Towcester race again on Sunday, 23 November. First race is at 1245 and admission is free.