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Its each to their own I suppose. I don’t think it has worked well at all.
BUY THE SUN
I don’t make a habit of twittering on about sponsors Steve. I don’t use viewing figures as a barometer of my enjoyment of a horse race either.
In my opinion its relatively poor in comparison with the old Newmarket card. I’m not alone.
If you disagree, ok.
It appears that a lot of people who like racing expect every Saturday to be fantastic and full of the best horses and get as excited as Ed Chamberlain who likes to tell viewers every Saturday is “one of the great days in racing”.
Just like every March when the Saturday after Cheltenham happens and it’s never good enough for people.
Not everyday can be great racing.
It’s very easy to knock Champions Day after this year. It was always going to draw its criticism, but they can’t do much about the weather. Everyone will have their own opinions, but Champions Day has undoubtedly been a success. Viewing figures were up, tickets were sold out in September and this year wasn’t even a vintage meeting. You only have to look at the horses that have turned up over the years, to see it’s been a great success. (i’m not going to go and name them all, because there’s too many).
I know for some, Newmarket is the unofficial home of horse racing, but for me, Ascot is the home. You have to have it there, it’s by far the best racecourse in Britain and its stooped in history. It has a global appeal that no other racecourse does.
Also, what do people expect, a champion wins every horse race? If that happened, Champions Day would be VERY boring. A 1/4 shot going in on every race. Champions Day is not about the best horse in the best division, it’s like the Champions League of football. You don’t have to win the Domestic league to be in the Champions League, but the collective best are usually always in it.
The best of the best for me is Royal Ascot. A proper flat meeting run in summer conditions. Champions Day is in the only slot it can be in pretty much. It’s always in danger of the ground affecting the day but it has to be, by definition at the end of the season.
If viewing figures or attendance aren’t a way to measure it, then look at the horses that turned up.
QEII
Eng 2000 Guineas Winner
Irish 2000 Guineas Winner
2 Queen Anne Winners
A Falmouth Winner
A triple Group 1 winning 126 RatedSprint
Commonwealth Cup Winner
2 x Haydock Sprint Cup Winners
Prix De La Foret Winner
Prix De L’Abbaye Winner
A Diamond Jubilee WinnerI won’t go through all of them, but if you do, you’ll see the depth of talent.
On top of that, Star Catcher won the F&M, which was her 4th Top level win of the season over distance in a row. How’s that not at Champion level?
Magical won her 4th Group 1, again that’s champion level.
Not every season is going to produce 4 or 5 130 rated winners on Champions Day. I find the criticism of the day frankly a bit ridiculous, sorry.
I’m not a big fan of 33/1 mudlarks going in on Champions Day, as I’m sure most others aren’t, but the weather is the weather. Only 2 of the last 9 since it moved to Ascot have been run on Heavy.
Going into the meeting i was very underwhelmed by the racing on offer. Not sure why, it’s probably not fair to direct that at this particular meeting but flat racing in general this year. It seemed like there was a general flatness this year in the build up.
Decent horses ran of course. I feel in general there are far too many races.
I thought Ascot was Skys, why was it on RacingTV?
Twitter: Jackh1092
Hindsight is 20/20 so make the most of it!Champions Day isn’t part of the SSR deal as QIPCO run the day hence RTV getting the rights also.
I would be interested to see the viewing figures if ITV had switched the coverage to one of their other channels, like they do with most of their coverage.
As a jumps fan I had zero interest in the event and luckily managed to avoid all of the racing despite it being rammed down our throats on three channels. What was this about races being held on the NH track? I hope they didn’t ruin it for the proper action starting in 2 weeks time
Some very harsh assessments of Champions Day on this thread so far.
Would agree from watching on TV, the place seemed a bit more subdued this year, but the weather really dominated the build up and wasn’t great on the day either.
Thought the Long Distance, Fillies/Mares, and Champion Stakes were compelling viewing.
True the quality was down a little this year, but that happens occasionally. Fairer to judge overall quality in the context of what’s turned up in the previous ten editions; Frankel, Cracksman, Cirrus, Muhaarar, Olympic Glory, Nathaniel, Roaring Lion, Crystal Ocean, Strad, Minding, etc. This is hardly a consolation days racing.
As for the ground, six of the eleven editions so far have been run on better than soft or heavy, so that’s not bad either, given the time of year.
In terms of overall card quality, crowds, facilities, build up and media interest, Champions Day at Ascot has been a great success imo.
Surely only a purists purist would revert back to the previous format at Newmarket.
I remember someone pointing out that racing, globally, lost something unique when they moved the Champion Stakes which was the only straight, ten furlong, all-aged Group One.
You are always hostage to the weather at the time of year it is held and to be fair the weather gods really by and large have looked favourably upon the meeting although you will require a horse that acts or can cope with cut in the ground (the first year aside).
Over the years we have been overly blessed with superstars turning up but the problem is this year you didn’t have a really standout superstar running (Stradivarius as great as he is lacks the wow factor in his actual performances and Magical does what it says on the tin, shows up to all the big dances and runs her race time and again).
I was never a big fan of the switch (especially considering Newmarket got royally screwed as a result) as I didn’t see why they simply couldn’t just put all these great ideas into improving Newmarket’s race day rather than moving the whole show (and nicking races) over to Ascot.
I know Newmarket can be a bit of a desolate place at times and Ascot has the better facilities and is easier to get to but at least with Newmarket in October you are more likely to get a better racing surface that will be fairer to most horses. The one big thing Champions Day is missing is a championship 2 yr old race, which they can’t now do with the meeting being sandwich between the Dewhurst & Futurity.
The law of averages said we were due a day that was going to be a bit underwhelming performance wise although the field sizes were strong and I didn’t think the move to the hurdles course adversely affected those races – sounds like if that option wasn’t available the meeting ran the real risk of being abandoned.
At the end of the day if viewing figures are up and we had exciting finishes then those are the boxes that the powers that be require to be ticked so it was a success but personally while I watched all the races, the day didn’t grab me as much as previous years.
Ginger and frenchy and others are spot on here. The nostalgia for the dreary day at Newmarket (and Ive been to both) is bizarre
It’s been a weirdly wet early autumn in the south (it’s always crap up north) which as a cyclist I know too well.
Like it or loath it ascot is the number one venue for a big flat racing meeting by far
Champions day is a brilliant concept and perfect culmination of flat season. Though I agree it was a bit disappointing this year due to testing ground but hey no one can control weather. Also, retirement of class horses like Crystal Ocean, TDH, Calyx,Masar etc made the event bit handicapped with lack of superstar horses. And this is always a drawback with flat racing where horses don’t have a long career unlike jumps.
But overall, Champions Day is a brilliant concept and qipco is doing a good job.
Are there scope of improvement? Sure, there is. I would do the following to make it more interesting:
1) Include 2 additional races – 1 for 2yo fillies only and another for 2 yo colts & fillies. Why Newmarket gets so many juvenile races in autumn? Move Royal Lodge and Fillies mile on champions day.
2) Encourage more international participation. Run a champions day challenge series aka breeders cup including races in States, Britain, Europe, Aust, Japan, HK, South America etc where winners get automatic entry.
3) Include a long distance (2Miles 5furlong) handicap.
4) Organize in different venues every year (where G1 races can be organized)
I think if we do above…the reputation of champions day will increase a lot.
Then again, I am new to racing…so the above points are the only ones I could think off
Royal Lodge and the Fillies Mile were both staged at ascot in days gone by, I remember the fillies mile as ‘Hoover Fillies Mile’.
Had a look through my old Timeform racehorses and for once my memory didn’t fail me Oh So Sharp won it under that guiseThere’s a lot of things they could do to improve it. The 2 year old Trophy stakes at Doncaster is almost forgotten where it is in the calendar. Should be on champions day at Ascot.
There is still no Group 1 7F race in the UK, they could make it on champions day and lose one of the Several Group 2 7F there are during the year.
There’s 2 I’d like to see
Totally agree with the 7f group one idea and the day should be seven races IMO
Moving it around? Surely only other course would be York but dread to think what the going is up there now. And imagine Haydock..
I didn’t know it sold out in Sept. That being the case when there was no obvious superstar confirms mails the argument
I was at Newmarket yesterday for the mid week two year old meeting and the ground although soft was perfect for racing and there were just 2 or 3 non runners. Just a thought that if this years Champions Day card had been run at Newmarket I think we would have seen some very different results. The Balmoral Handicap was 82 yards shorter than it should have been and that could have made a considerable difference to who won it.
Now at Newmarket we just have Future Champions Day and The Dewhurst did not disappoint with the brilliant Pinatubo setting out his stall for next years 2000 Guineas and on the Friday Frankel’s daughter Quadrilateral winning the Fillies Mile is now favourite for the 1000 Guineas.
Champions Day for me has not been the same since switched to Ascot remembering the euphoria of the very last Champion Stakes winner to be crowned there Twice Over on the same day as Frankel won the Dewhurst will live in my memory always.
Newmarket is the true and historic home of horseracing having celebrated the 350th running of the Town Plate first run in 1666 but even before that races were being run up and down Newmarket Hight Street with bets and wagers being struck by the nobility…how I would have loved to have been there. It was King Charles 11 that brought order to the town and started with the running of the Town Plate over 3 miles 6 furlongs on the round course and he decreed that this race should be run forever. That was the start of horseracing..and although Ascot has a fascinating history under the rule of Queen Anne racing on the Heath did not take place until 1711.
Newmarket is where champions are born and bred and where every year you can guarantee that if you go racing there on a regular basis you will have seen almost every single champion racehorse take his/her first steps on their journey to Group 1 success…now isn’t this where Champions Day really belongs?
Jac
Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...only other course would be York but dread to think what the going is up there now
After this coming weekend it could well be Bottomless with lakes in places
Immediately after the final meeting a couple of weeks ago the entire 6f straight was scalped and sanded, and is currently being reseeded; which strikes me as late in the year for grass sowing but I assume they know what they’re doing
I don’t recall such major work being done since the track was made into a circuit prior to ‘Royal Ascot at York’ in 2005
Lush and lovely turf by Dante Meeting time one hopes
To counter your point Trip, Enable has never run at Newmarket. Nor has Japan. Ascot is a brilliant racecourse that rarely has any bias, which Newmarket can show on many an occasion.
Don’t get me wrong i really appreciate Newmarket also, but i can’t have it that Newmarket is massively superior.
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