What I did in the holidays: I went to a French country race meeting and lost quite a few euros
For the last meeting of its short summer season (June to August), Le Dorat's racecourse - known as the 'Hippodrome de la Sagne' - had a full card of seven flat, trotting and cross country races and a good-sized crowd enjoying a sunny August Saturday.
Racing in the Basse-Marche area of Haute Vienne in this north-west corner of the Limousin region, is an informal affair. It looks much like a village fete - with lunches served, picnics encouraged and a whopping bouncy castle as well as miniature ponies to keep the children happy.
Stylish hat...It is not racing in the style of Deauville or Longchamp, but the competition is in deadly earnest.
However there one or two race-goers out to cut a stylish dash.
The first trotting race - known elsewhere as 'harness racing' with horse, driver and a two-wheeled 'sulky' - ended with a voluble complaint that the first horse over the line had broken into a gallop.
Gallop? Moi?Discussion of the complaint was continued behind closed doors and the horse and driver were disqualified - much to the disappointment of those who had backed them. Later the driver concerned was seen in animated discussion with officials - to no avail.
The course has two buildings for pool betting - that's a similar way of betting to our tote system. Not all the machines - which looked about 1970 vintage - worked all the time, which gave rise to some worried queues as start-times got nearer.
The minimum stake was two euros and only the oldest and most seasoned experts seemed to be taking away rolls of notes. They had got to grips with the complexities of the 'trio' and 'le pari couplé' as well as the beginners' 'le pari simple'.
Puzzling out the form
Queueing to lay a betThe Haute-Vienne has had a very hot, very dry summer. There is a hosepipe ban in force. The grain harvest was over by the end of July and the maize crop is well below its normal growth and there are worries abroad about feed for the cattle when winter comes.
However, a recent over-night storm and a day of dawn-to-dusk downpours had freshened the grass and eased the ground. So the cross-country races over steeplechase fences could go ahead.
Entry to the course for adults was six euros with a free race card - and the chance to spend one euro more on a form guide. And there was a free leaflet explaining the card, form and technical terms. It was, of course, in French - and even the 'le langage des courses' feature on technical terms challenged our French.
The starter
The climbThe last race - the Prix Armand de Vasselot at 6.30 pm - was the longest cross country event on the card: all of 4,500 metres with a great variety of obstacles including a tricky bank between two fences that looked more like a 'sleeping gendarme'.
Two miles with the hill up toward the water tower taken twice was quite a task for the field of seven geldings and one mare - all five years-old and above.
The starter carried his step-ladder out to the starting line - which was right in front of the crowds. Having taken their mounts to inspect several of the fences, the jockeys rode up towards the start.
Then three of the field took off without a by-your-leave - luckily the starter was just far enough away from the crowds so we could not hear his language as he called them back. In fact they were stopped quite efficiently by a steward with the appropriate white flag just a hundred metres along the track.
It was a tough race and the relative outsider, eight year-old Tamara du Granit under Marc-Antoine Billard just held on to win. The American-bred gelding looked pretty fresh as he arrived back to the ring to be checked by the vet.
The winner's on the right
Weighing in As at the best racecourses, jockey Marc-Antoine Billard gave a quick post-race interview before weighing-in. As the crowd dispersed calmly to towards the car park, there were not many people staying around to collect their winnings.
The biggest gamble of the day had been in the other cross-country race - the Prix de Bellefon. Facing the 4,000 metre course was the previously un-raced Alloue de Kerser ridden by Céline Picard.
In the parade ring this French-bred mare looked like an easy winner. A fine horse in good trim and seemingly ready for the off. It was not to be.
She came in last by a good few lengths - gently jeered at by a crowd of disappointed punters among them some visitors from Britain!
Le Dorat's grandstand