Longchamp’s raceday experience was vastly improved this time around and thoughts will be looking to the centenary
The results were not kind to the punters at Longchamp on Sunday, when Enable, in the Arc, and the world’s top-rated sprinter, Baattash, in the Prix de l’Abbaye, were among five beaten favourites on the card. The track itself, however, did its best to make up for it with a much warmer welcome than a crowd of around 40,000 spectators had “enjoyed” last year.
Longchamp was woefully under-prepared for the thirsts and appetites of the 15,000 or so travelling fans in particular when it re-opened last year after a €140m (£123m) redevelopment. There were reports of hour-long queues for food and drink and of supplies running out completely long before the main race. On the journey home, racegoers seemed to be spending more time on social media complaining about their miserable experience than spreading the word about a fantastic race between Enable and Sea Of Class.