And they're off at Ludlow!: Fun of a day at the races

The independently owned course – which ploughs all its profits back into facilities and prize money – is regularly upstaging its more well-heeled rivals.

With a pre Christmas meeting offering £100,000 in prize money attracting more than 3,000 racegoers, the course hit the headlines nationally.

But what's the secret to its success and how can it continue to grow?

Racing secretary Bob Davies has been involved with the track since 1983, mainly as clerk of the course, before moving upstairs two years ago.

Mr Davies, 69, who won the Grand National aboard Lucius in 1978, was also a three time champion jockey over the jumps.

He said: "We try and do things the right way here at Ludlow.

"I am from Shropshire and Ludlow has always been my local track so I have always been very fond of it.

"When I retired in about 1983 I came straight in here as an understudy clerk of the course and I've never left.

"The people at Ludlow are in it for one thing – the good of the sport.

"Nobody is here to make money. The directors don't take a cut, all profits are reinvested, be that in work on the facilities or into prize money.

"We operate as a small team. At one point we ran both Hereford and Ludlow on a team of four staff.

"Then Northern Racing, one of the racecourse ownership giants came in and bought Hereford and they employed seven staff just for that track.

"Here we keep it small and well run and we try and look after racegoers, owners, trainers and jockeys."

The track has seen the quality of horses on show improve in recent years – something Mr Davies is keen to continue.

"When we first came in here it was one of the bottom tracks in terms of quality of racing and prize money," he said.

"Now we are in the top 15. We have good field sizes which in turn provides more betting opportunities and brings more racegoers through the door.

"We also have some good horses coming down here now. Last month we had Garde le Victoire, one of the leading fancies for the Arkle Chase at Cheltenham next month come and run.

"Although sometimes these horses go off at prohibitive odds, you can also have really competitive four runner races which people will really bet on."

Given its rise through the ranks, talk has been heard that the track could stage a Saturday meeting – and even attract Channel4 Racing coverage.

But Mr Davies said unfortunately it isn't possible.

"It's in the terms of our very long lease that we can't race on a Saturday as we have the golf course in the middle of the track and that is used every weekend," he said.

"Saturday would be a great chance to showcase to a bigger audience what we can do, but it won't happen because those terms are set.

"We do have one Sunday meeting and that's it for weekends.

"But in truth our crowd will come on weekdays. The part of the world we are in is very much the hunting and national hunt racing fraternity.

"We attract people from deepest Shropshire and across the Mid Wales borders. These are all real jumping people who will come down in the week and make time for us.

"It's superb to be making waves and we hope to continue doing what we are doing and develop."

Mr Davies said the club has around 600 annual members and regularly sells out its hospitality units.

Full of praise for the course was two time Welsh Grand National winning trainer Richard Lee. Lee handed over the reins at his nearby Bell House stables at Byton to his daughter Kerry last summer. But at this week's meeting he had driven Kerry's two runners to the track in the lorry.

He said: "I am passionate about Ludlow and we absolutely love it.

"We have been successful here and Kerry has continued that already with three course winners from 15 runners this season.

"But Ludlow is doing absolutely everything right, I would go as far as saying it is the best run track in the country.

"So many tracks can overlook the most important people in the sport – the owners – but Ludlow treats them magnificently.

"These are the people who keep the sport going and Ludlow lets them know how much they appreciate their sport and it can mean the world to an owner to be well looked after.

"The course also offers tremendous prize money which keeps us coming back for a slice of it and it is a proper jumps track.

"The crowd is so friendly, the people are wonderful and you can feel a real love of the game here.

"This is the kind of course which keeps the sport going.

"The setting is also special, the scenery is marvellous."

Another with high praise for the course is Jonjo O'Neill, who famously rode Dawn Run to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup. The trainer, who has had winners of the Grand National and Gold Cup, has sent out more than 60 runners at the track in the last five years.

"It's a proper track that does things the right way," he said.

"The people who run it are superb and the crowd is always friendly and knowledgeable and put the horses first. We like sending horses here because it's good money and a fair track. I just wish I could send out more winners here.

"I certainly seemed to do better here as a jockey than I am now. I like to come along when we have runners because it is a proper jumps course." And punters were in full agreement.

Roger Roberts, 55, from Laburnum Drive, Oswestry, said he is a regular at the course and attends about six times a year.

The IT technician said: "The entrance is good value for money, you can get close to the action and the facilities are good and not overpriced.

"The track manages to get some decent racing and horses down and it is making great progress.

"It would be nice if they could get some more fixtures over the course of the year."

Craven Arms resident Paul Fanning, 62, said: "I come to every fixture because I love the sport.

"It is a track for real racing fans. They are not all here to get drunk like at some of the bigger tracks where they are falling over each other and fighting.

"People who like horses come to Ludlow and they look after us well. I always have two bets a race, one on a favourite and another on an outsider with a chance.

"I always have a small accumulator on as well – you never know, one day I may get lucky and can buy a horse myself."

Mr Fanning, a retired builder, added: "I did once win £1,200 on a bet for getting six horses placed – but that feels a long time ago now."

First time racegoer Emily Wallace, 26, from Leominster, said she would be coming back.

"It seems really friendly here at Ludlow," she said. "I have heard people say it is a good track and it seems to be. I have been to Hereford and Cheltenham in the past, but will make sure I return here."