My wife and I actually leave for London tomorrow evening, and land at 8am on Boxing Day at Gatwick. We get the rental and head right to Kempton. I got the runners and form off the Racing Post website, but at the track will there be a hard copy I can get my hands on?

Also, any info you can post here or PM me would be greatly appreciated. I am not really all that aware of the betting options and what not. I have been told it is different, but I was hoping to pick it up when I got to the track. Any info you all can give before I leave would be much appreciated.

Thanks all, and I will post some pictures of the event when I get back for you all to see.

I hope all the flights are sorted by then. Not to worry you but they have had dense fog in London over the past 48hrs, and although it has cleared now, almost all flights arriving into and leaving both Heathrow and Gatwick have been delayed as there is a back log.

I'm sure it will be back to normal of boxing day, though.

Yes, there will be plenty of copies at the track for you to purchase (£1.60, I think)

There are two betting opportunities over here. You can bet into the pools (The Tote) which is rather like how you bet in America. Go up to the windows and select your bets and the number of the horse(s) you wish to be placing money on. win, place and each way as well as exactas, trifectas etc etc There could also be what is known as a 'scoop six' which involves picking the six winners from six specified races from around the country (usually the most difficult races are used!)

Then there are the rails 'bookies', which can be found between the main grandstands and the track itself. There will be dozens of them there. They will be accepting any win only or each way bets. These bets are fixed odds, so whatever time you place you bet you will be given the odds that are written on the board at that given time. That means you could get a very good price, or a very bad one, so it's good to 'shop around' and get the best available. The majority of these bookies will accept a minimum of a £2 bet, but some are £5 or £10 minimum.

Hope this helps.

That helps a lot! Thank you!

I hope the flights go as planned as well. We land early enough that even with a slight delay we should be able to get to Kempton in plenty of time.

Also, perhaps someone can let me know if we were able to get decent seats;

We have 2 Premier badges, 2 reserved seats and 1 car park label for the Main Car Park. We were told this was the best we could buy, when we put in a reservation in early fall.

I am sure we will have a great time, and we are very much looking forward to it. Thanks again.

Racing here is quite different. Most racegoers don't usually bother with seats, but the seats we do have up to be reserved are often worth the reservation. I can't say I've ever sat in the seating area, but I would imagine they would be pretty good.

The premier enclosure is the best enclosure there is, so you will be in good company.

The main car park is close to the main entrance and is now much better than it used to be.

The weather should be much milder than usual. We're expecting around 10-11 degrees C, with showers.

You say you'll be at Chepstow the following day. I've never been there, but what I can say is that it usually rains there, I'm sorry to say.

Have a great time and Merry Christmas to you. :)

I was expecting rain, so I will not let that bother my trip. Thanks for all your input, it is very much appreciated!

No problem. I hope you enjoy your visit.

Have a great time.

Thank you very much, or as they say in Wales, Diolch yn fawr iawn!

You have a Merry Christmas as well!

As a racecourse, you will probably enjoy Chepstow more than Kempton, as it in the country and more scenic. The enclosure and paddock are very nice; and the racing should be very good.

Since you will be in Wales for 8 days, you may want to try and check out the other Welsh racecourse, Bangor. They race on Saturday, 12/29. The level of racing will not be as high, but Bangor would still be an enjoyable day out. The one draw back about Bangor is they do not have an enclosure. There is a rather large hill that overlooks the racecourse that serves as a natrual grandstand.

I am heading to Bangor, as I have family there (as well as where my grandparents were born). Not sure we had planned it for the 29th, but now plans may have to change. ;)

Sounds like your going to have a great trip. Will this be your first experience with National Hunt (jump) racing?

Only been to steeplechase racing here in the States (mostly at Saratoga).

Based on your location, I figured you would have seen the hurdle races at Saratoga. I think you will find racing over fences very exciting. If possible, try to get as close as you can to one of the fences or hurdles and watch the racing/jumping up close.

All the best for a safe and enjoyable trip.

seeing Harchibald looming up to win the Christmas hurdle will be one of the most exciting things you'll see on a racecourse. It just looks so so good..

Thanks! I am very much looking forward to leaving tomorrow!!

Instead of actually working at work today, I am on youtube watching all of Kauto Star and others races.

I hope you're not speaking too soon. I fully expect him to win on Weds, but there is a BIG noise for Punjabi over here.

I like Punjabi, he's a smashing little horse, but if Harchibald was able to mow Rooster down, he'll take care of Punjabi and the rest... some nice little races all over the country and ireland on the 26th.. just going through them now

I agree, I'd be very surprised and somewhat disappointed if Harch couldn't deal with Punjabi, but that is the only name I've been hearing in the last few days.

The Henderson camp are very sweet on him.

Just seen that Perce Rock takes on Sky's The Limit in the novice chase at Leopardstown.

That is a nice little contest between those two, and I must say two novices that I was really looking forward to this year, so choosing one of them would be impossible for me. Perce Rock would probably prefer softer conditions, though.

Oh Dear Harchibald.

The horse just doesn't want it. What do you think, Brock? A very nice horse, but when it comes down to it, there are other horses who want it more than he does.