- This topic has 7 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 19 years, 4 months ago by
.
- Posts
In a bid to boost their jumps programme Ascot are putting on a 3-mile £100,000 handicap chase on the same day as the 3-mile 1-furlong Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby. I know that Ascot’s National Hunt programme has needed a boost for some time but is a 3-miler designed to attract Gold Cup horses the way forward on this day, one of the few days when the many loyal Yorkshire racegoers can watch top 3-mile chasers?
It’s potentially quite unpleasant for Wetherby, who have already given up the Castleford Chase to Kempton Park this year.
On a separate point, have Wetherby annual members noticed that all Yorkshire racecourse reciprocals (with the exception of Thirsk) have disappeared for this coming season? :angry:
whilst its pleasing to see ascot boost its jumping races i think they are doing it with the wrong races. <br>in november they are staging a £175,000 2 mile handicap chase on the same day as the betfair chase at haydock and the peterbrough chase at huntingdon. what chance has the new ascot race getting a class horse carring top weight with the tingle creek just two weeks later?<br>why not switch the haldon gold cup from exeter to ascots 1st meeting(its crazy to still stage a race like that at a small racecourse on a tuesday) and move the peterbrough chase from huntingdon to ascot in november.<br>hard luck on the two tracks but at least bigger crowds will get to see the races
Will a Handicap Chase at Ascot really attract genuine Gold Cup contenders, or take them away from the Charlie Hall?
Quote: from runandskip on 6:55 pm on Oct. 8, 2006[br]whilst its pleasing to see ascot boost its jumping races i think they are doing it with the wrong races. <br>in november they are staging a £175,000 2 mile handicap chase on the same day as the betfair chase at haydock and the peterbrough chase at huntingdon. what chance has the new ascot race getting a class horse carring top weight with the tingle creek just two weeks later?<br>why not switch the haldon gold cup from exeter to ascots 1st meeting(its crazy to still stage a race like that at a small racecourse on a tuesday) and move the peterbrough chase from huntingdon to ascot in november.<br>hard luck on the two tracks but at least bigger crowds will get to see the races<br>
How the hell would the removal of established races like the Haldon Gold Cup and the Peterborough Chase from the tracks which nurtured them be of benefit to anyone?
The value of the races in question is, of course, immaterial. Two races don’t clash because they are over a similar trip and of similar value ~ the question is whether they are taking competitors from the same pool.
Quote: from runandskip on 6:55 pm on Oct. 8, 2006[br]<br>why not switch the haldon gold cup from exeter to ascots 1st meeting(its crazy to still stage a race like that at a small racecourse on a tuesday) and move the peterbrough chase from huntingdon to ascot in november.<br>hard luck on the two tracks but at least bigger crowds will get to see the races<br>
Hmmmmmm…. it’s hardly three men and a dog at either of the smaller courses on those days.
The new edition of Chasers And Hurdlers sees the Timeform mandarins serving it up to all concerned to have the denouement of the jumps season coming at the end of May, and to get a course – preferably Ascot, reading between the lines – to establish a big, proper, end-of-term meeting then, meaning that neither the Swinton Hurdle nor the Punchestown Festival continue to be disembodied highlights of the new season followed by months of lesser fare.
THAT, I reckon, is where Ascot’s (or whosoever’s) greatest potential to expand its jumping portfolio lies, rather than choking the arteries of the November and December period. Remember (as Timeform does) – it’s easier to produce safe ground in May after a wet Spring than in October.
Jeremy<br>(graysonscolumn)<br>
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.
It does seem a rather bizarre move to me – appears to smack of bullying tactics; a case of "we’re Ascot, we’ll poach the runners from the established big races – because we can". Not the best really….
Time will tell as to exactly what impact there will be, if any, on the field sizes of the two races. To me, it doesn’t seem right that there should be two big races over almost the same distance and obstacles on the same day. Surely a valuable 2m- 2m4f handicap hurdle would have been a better option that weekend?
I would guess that Exeter are happy with a Tuesday for the Haldon Gold Cup as it guarantees them the spotlight on that day; note how the Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon now shares big cards at Ascot and Haydock.
There are hints that Grade 1 courses are getting the thick end of the wedge as far as weekend fixtures are concerned. Notice how Cheltenham have moved a midweek fixture in October to Friday / Saturday next year.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.