Yarmouth attracted their biggest East Anglian Derby crowd for several years for the 70th running of the race on Wednesday night writes Floyd Amphlett.
Yarmouth enjoyed its largest Derby night crowd for many years – witnessed by the scene shortly after the gates opened. Photo: Steve Nash
Promoter Simon Franklin said: “We printed 1,400 racecards and sold out. I think there must have been over 1,500 through the gates and the best tote turnover I can remember in a very long time. Quite why it was so good I have no idea, other than last year the horse racing was suspended after the first day and presumably a lot of people went home early.
“I suppose the biggest negative is that without a sponsor we were £15K down before we started though thankfully the local bookmakers generously offered to chip in. I am just waiting to hear now how many of them had a bad night.”
CLONDOTY ALEX – East Anglian Derby presentation by bookmaker Geoff Miller to Paul Carpenter and Kevin Dear. Photo: Steve Nash
With only two winning favourites on the night, even the notoriously miserable Yarmouth layers would have struggled to lose money. Only one of the night’s three open race finals went the way of a jolly when Scolari Sound (11-10f) got home by a short blue nose in the £1,000 John Smiths Sprint – just six spots outside the 277m track record. The other Derby final staple, the 659m Derby Purse went to 5-1 shot Parkers Poison who ended a 16 race losing sequence in a respectable 40.71.
PARKERS POISON winning the £1500 Derby Purse Grand Final. Photo: Steve Nash
