Tony Wells - Racegoers Club Column September 2026

I paid my first visit to Musselburgh on August 7. It coincided with the start of the Edinburgh Fringe, which made getting from Edinburgh to the  racecourse a challenge. I was surprised to find out there was  only one train from Edinburgh Waverley to Wallyford station in the hour leading up to the first race. Musselburgh cannot be responsible for the train timetable, but they could improve the shuttle bus service from Wallyford station. 

Taking 45 minutes to get to the course and only ten minutes to get back suggests their route planning is questionable. I was still on the shuttle bus as the first race was in progress. 

Fortunately, our filly Passing Thought wasn’t due to run until the fourth race, so there was plenty of time to meet up with my fellow owners and have lunch. The meal in the owners’ and trainers’ restaurant was very good and much needed after my long journey up from London.

The racecourse was packed, being one of their most popular days of the year – Ladies Day. Musselburgh is a very nice course. However, a couple of facilities were not up to scratch. The PA system was not loud enough during the races. It was not possible to hear the commentary from the O&T section in the grandstand, likely due to the large crowd. But I was at Glorious Goodwood the previous Friday with more people in attendance and the PA system there was excellent.

Another annoying thing was the poor mobile data/WiFi signal. I attempted to share some photos and a video of Kieran Shoemark’s pre-race thoughts with our fellow owners who were unable to attend, but sadly this proved to be impossible while on course. Attempts to access my Racing Post App to check the form and latest news also failed. 

It was a similar experience to one I had at Chester’s May meeting several years ago. And just like then, I had no mobile phone connection until I’d exited the course. I wasn’t the only one, as you could hear the pings from other passengers’ phones as well as mine as our phones reconnected while the shuttle bus drove away from the racecourse. I haven’t been back to Chester since and I would seriously consider not returning to Musselburgh.

I remember Ascot having a firewall issue at the royal meeting a few years ago, causing connectivity problems. Ascot took the feedback on board and rectified the issue; it has been fine ever since. I can vouch for that as I attend at least four or five meetings a year there.

Regarding connectivity at racecourses, I was at the Newmarket July meeting on the Friday and Saturday this summer. There were seven of us in the Premier enclosure on the Friday and most of us experienced intermittent problems connecting to the Newmarket WiFi at various times during the day.

On the Saturday we were in the Rose Terrace, which is a fabulous facility overlooking the winning line. We had a very enjoyable afternoon, made better by a perfect WiFi connection. Thinking back to the previous year, we did the Rose Terrace on the Friday, but it was the Saturday while we were in the Premier enclosure that I recall having WIFi connectivity issues. It’s not just accessing racing apps that is important – the ladies in our group were sharing photos with their family of the Rose Terrace and our spectacular views down the racecourse. Whatever is causing the connectivity issues, they need to be fixed, whether it’s a capacity problem or a misconfigured firewall, or something else. 

Racecourses have plenty to think about at present, with Ascot and the Jockey Club leaving the Racecourse Association, but above all they need to look after their customers and give them a great experience to ensure they keep coming back.