Finger Off The Mute Button

Just because it was a brilliant afternoon on New Year's day (not because of the quality or size of the fields) I decided to stroll across to Randwick in shorts and sandals and watch a few races. A question for the powers-that-be: do you think all members of the public interested in inter-track have to be in the betting auditorium? Why can't those of us who are happier to use the grandstand facilities not be provided with audio coverage of meetings like (yesterday) Mornington and Ellerslie, rather than just the mute and often fuzzy Sky Channel coverage? For example, there's that nice little theaterette on the first floor with the big screen but, alas, no sound for anything other than the city meetings. If you think other races aren't worth listening to, don't show them and don't offer betting options. It's probably an old-fashioned idea but a lot of people still go to the races for the races and prefer to sit down occasionally rather than be herded, standing up, into the auditorium to follow their sport. Don't tell me race commentaries are intrusive on a racecourse. I've always thought it should be compulsory for racing club executives and committees for that matter to be frog-marched to a place like Del Mar in Southern California (meeting July/August each year - been there twice) to observe good customer service in action. They'd never want to leave.