Published: Wednesday, 19th April, 2006 09:52
Finishing post in sight for Gala Rig
By Border Telegraph Newsroom
Print Article
SCOTLAND’S oldest race meeting has come under pressure – and may have entered its final furlong.
The customary Gala Rig horseracing on the afternoon of Selkirk Common Riding dates back almost 300 years.
But a recent downturn in support has seen organizers slash the number of professional races to one.
And if there are les than four horses entered, even it won’t come under starter’s orders.
Jake Douglas from the Gala Rig committee told the Border Telegraph: “The number of runners has decreased year after year. The future of the Rig is really bleak.
“We have arrived at the point where it is a case of use it or lose it. It’s a shame it has come to this, but it can’t continue without support.”
Racing on the ancient course, two miles from Selkirk, dates back to the 17th Century.
And the Common Riding meeting was introduced to the course’s calendar by the town’s merchants in 1715.
At its peak, crowds of up to 3,000 would line the rural track to watch up to a dozen competitive races.
But last year there were only three professional flapping handicaps attracting a total of seven runners.
Alan Douglas, clerk to the Common Riding Trust, is also worried about the future of the Rig. He told us: “There just isn’t the number of flapping horses around that there used to be, and I can’t se that changing. Pubs being open all day doesn’t help either.
“Apart from the Ball, no other part of the Common Riding makes money and it is difficult to go on like that. The Rig is an obvious worry, but I’m confident it will continue in some capacity.”
Several balloted races, such as the Ladies Race and Standard Bearer’s Cup, will continue to be staged in support of the solitary flapping contest.
And organizers are introducing a couple of pony races in a final attempt to turn round the meeting’s fortunes.
But the odds of a revival are drifting rapidly.
One insider said: “It looks more and more likely that there won’t be any flapping at the Rig from now on. If you don’t have flapping, you won’t get the crowds.
“The companies that organise the foyers should take a look at themselves. The foyers used to all finish at 1.30pm and everyone trooped up to the Rig, but they now go on and on, and nobody is going to the racing.
“If the Rig is lost it will never be reintroduced.”
Gala Rig was one of Scotland’s premier racecourses through the 18th and 19th centuries, but a fallout with the Duke of Roxburghe saw him take his patronage to the Kelso course.
And racing on Selkirk’s south common eventually declined to only one meeting each year.
Local historian Walter Elliot said: “The racing was tied in with the Common Riding because all of the horses were in the town that day.
“The Rig was a highly respected race meeting for a long time. Even in my youth the whole town went up to the Rig.”
Another casualty of the changing times is the highland dancing which has been axed from Saturday’s Selkirk Games schedule.
Del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Reddit
Stumbleupon
Further Details
E.coli outbreak 'under control'