About time too!

[Ten Plus]

My concern was about the horses not having enough momentum to get over the fences … agree summer jump racing has it’s problems …

Racing Post today had a report about the Eider finishers – all the trainers reported them to be OK – eaten up, gone out for a stretch, tired but not exceptionally so and basically fine. So that’s good news! and good too that the RP took the time and trouble to find out.

[graysonscolumn]

Need to see the race again from more angles but pleased to read, at this remove at least, that it

appears

riders took the sensible option for the greater part and pulled up before disaster could ensue.

I presume that the stewards were entirely satisfied that Morgan Be had sufficiently got his breath back before being sent on to complete by Richie McGrath for a remote third. Certainly nothing in the comments in running anywhere infers he was forced on, Gutteridge-style.

The calls in some quarters for the race to be reduced to 3m6f from 4m1f are predictable, but they also smack of the sort of knee-jerk reaction which did for the aforementioned Lincolnshire National as a true marathon contest.

I doubt it was the distance that was the issue on Saturday, but that uphill finish on that ground – ground which wasn’t just heavy by Newcastle standards, but by anybody’s (3.4 must be one of the lowest GoingStick readings all season). There didn’t seem to be a surfeit of animals, win or lose, handling it especially well all afternoon (The Tracey Shuffle rates one notable exception).

Note also that Morgan Be may conceivably have mustered a closer finish (albeit still no better than third) had McGrath not initially eased down and pulled up on the incorrect assumption that the gelding had struck into himself; and that Minella Boys’ impetus for the uphill climb evaporated after finding a patch of false ground, but for which he still held live prospects of completing.

Four from 12 finishing without incident (albeit tired) reads better than two finishing without incident and one after stopping, and maybe there would have been less disquiet had the former total got round.

I urge the Newcastle executive to hold firm where maintaining the race distance is concerned; but would suggest, perhaps, that the issue of holding the Eider meeting on ground already hammered three times in the preceding six weeks needs looking at.

The jumps season at Gosforth Park has been squeezed inwards markedly at both ends in recent years (anyone else remember the May evening meeting it used to have at the end of last century, for example?), which may not be doing the surface the greatest of favours all in all. Get those meetings spaced out better, I beseech thee.

gc

Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.

[Ten Plus]

I have no problem with a long distance chase like The Eider – in fact I think these long distance ‘chasers are superb – their stamina and economical jumping whilst maybe lacking in the "adrenalin" rush of the fast and furious 2 milers is something special and should be admired. The going which almost caused the meeting to not go ahead was the problem on Saturday … and thankfully jockeys by and large waved the white flag and pulled up.

[anthonycutt]

I urge the Newcastle executive to hold firm where maintaining the race distance is concerned; but would suggest, perhaps, that the issue of holding the Eider meeting on ground already hammered three times in the preceding six weeks needs looking at.

gc

I would tune it even finer than that. I’m not saying it would have been a breeze with all the horses coming back full of running but if they hadn’t held another chase earlier in the meeting on the same ground, I think we would’ve seen the same test of stamina & fortitude in a race much easier on the eye.

[Author]

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