HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY - SATURDAY 01ST APRIL 2017

HOW IT STARTED...

The Duchess of York cup on Saturday 25th March was a 'full house' at the Champ de Mars.  Ready to Attack with Swapneel Rama on its back won the cup.  The electric ambiance is certainly back.  The show has begun!

1ST OF APRIL - WHO WILL BE FOOLED ? 

None of Crown Lodge's guest, rest assured !  2nd meeting of the season and our second opportunity to make your day!  Have a good night's beauty sleep and prepare yourself for unforgettable time at the Champ de Mars tomorrow.

SOME OF THE NEW HORSES IN THE 2017 ADVENTURE 

Le Clos, Shreya's Star, Without a Doubt (top tip in Race 8), Awesome Adam, Rock Hard, Aspara (arrived in Mauritius with a good reputation),  Impressed, Studiolo, (top tip in Race 1), Newsman, Varational, Kimberley... Jacques will let you have the official programme with all the details as soon as you step in ...  and needless to say, tips and valuable recommendations for the day.  Your guide!

The ambiance... the Mauritan Saturday fever..

Above the typical ambiance under the trees in between the races, the Mauritian style...

Below : 

THE HAPPY FACES 

IN ALL PRIVACY IN THE COSY LODGE...

Guess who's that 'Star' ...

THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY AT THE CROWN LODGE

Souvenir pics of memorable time with our host Jacques

AND THE BEST SPOT TO HOLD YOUR DRINK AND 

ENJOY THE HOME MADE SNACKS

TAKE IT EASY, HAVE FUN, ENJOY YOUR DAY, JACQUES AND HIS TEAM CAN'T WAIT TO WELCOME YOU AT THE CROWN LODGE

DON'T MISS THE PARADE IN BETWEEN THE RACES

TIME TO LEAVE BUT NOT WITHOUT A SOUVENIR PICTURE AND A SPECIAL THOUGHT FOR THE BEAUTIFUL LADIES WHO VISITED

We thank you for your trust and look forward to welcome you at the Crown Lodge.  You will be overwhelmed, promise !  

Jacques and Team

J-1 THE VOCALCOM DUCHESS OF YORK CUP

FIRST CLASSIC OF THE SEASON

Here we go !  The first classic of the season marks the start of a fabulous, long awaited 2017 adventure.  It is said that, when The Duchess of York Cup is run in the first meeting, it favours the horse who has the plentiest of stamina, not the medals !  Let the show begin!

On Tuesday 21st, during training the following horses attracted attention : Ready to Attack, Belong to Me and Hard Day's Night. Belong To Me showed stamina and provided spectators of his amazing abilities without seemingly... little effort!  To follow ...

Robert Khati on the back of Lividus, a good-looking Grey, will make his debut tomorrow... 

Good Luck Robert !

The South African Brandon Lerena is back in Gilbert Rousset's Team. 

Welcome Back Brandon !

The Australian Steven Arnold, the new riding whip of the Gujadhur Trainer impressed...

Keep it up Steven !

A DAY AT THE CHAMP DE MARS, IN STYLE

The Crown Lodge : a set of Premium Services that has a unique perspective on the Champ de Mars. It is located on the VIP balcony and is next door to the box of the President of the Mauritius Turf Club. The strategic locacion allows a magnificient view on the finish line and the 'paddock'...  We take care of EVERYTHING !  Hotel transfers, open bar from start to finish, assistance by a professional team and needless to say, they are horseracing lovers, betting facilities, interaction  with local trainers, well you name it.    'Cerise sur le gateau', you are also covered by insurance !

A RELAXING SPOT WHICH GRADUALLY COMES TO LIFE UNTIL THE ATMOSPHERE BECOMES ELECTRIC !

You said electric atmosphere ?

TRIP ADVISOR : CROWN LODGE WON THE 2016 

EXCELLENCE CERTIFICATE

Jacques is very proud to display the Excellence Certifcate he obtained from Trip Advisor last year.  A certificate he and his team deserve.  118 guests rated his services as Excellent and 18 as Very Good. A few of the comments in the reviews : 

'We attended the Maiden Cup in Sep 2016 - Jacques and team were so hospitable and great fun, and the Mauritius track experience was electric! So much more fun than any UK meet...'

I am not a horse racing person at all but, as I have observed in the past, I love to attend the atmospheric and ancient race track in the heart of Mauritius. My pleasure has been considerably enhanced over the past couple of years with a place in the Crown Lodge Box , hosted by the inimitable Jacques Ritter. The hospitality was all enveloping and the company of the enthusiastic racegoers from around the globe was enervating. One dark cloud on my personal horizon was watching a horse in the Ladies race, stumble and break a leg. It was the first ( and I hope last ) time I have witnessed such a tragedy with the young jockey weeping as the horse was humanely put down. I was angry until a veterinary surgeon, also a guest in the box, explained the complexities of a horse with a broken leg to me. It helped me understand but I still admit that this 72 year old world worn journalist who was present at Hillsborough, Heysel and the Munich Olympics shed a quiet tear or two. But I would recommend the Crown Lounge if you are visiting Mauritius and attend the races, especially for the International Jockey' Weekend the first weekend in December - whether you like horse racing or not.