- This topic has 81 replies, 29 voices, and was last updated 18 years, 7 months ago by
.
- Posts
I’ve watched an awful lot of Irish racing over the past year with a view to it being a profitable laying medium on the exchanges given the oncourse over rounds here.
In my opinion its by and large farcical. Granted the dog track layout of many of the tracks mean if your not front rank you dont have a chance but 80-85% of the runners are never put in the race. 20 runner handicaps are contested by the 3 front runners, I cant remember the last handicap hurdle I watched where there were 3-4 runners within a few lengths of each other coming to the last. If you look carefully you’ll often see jockeys taking a pull as they come forward for a tape ”start” giving 20 lengths away before they’ve even under way.
Thing is it seems to be accepted practise. Its so much more blatant than the UK, the "tribe" obviously know they’ll never have to answer for thier crookedness.
Does it also put the argument that good prizemoney means straight racing firmly into the bin?
Im Irish and very proud of where I come from but outside of the obvious big meetings my strong feeling is our racing is an embarrasing joke.
So Ruby Walsh the master of the patient ride nevers wins by coming from behind?!?! Have a word….
Its a general point I’m making Aragorn and anyway have you seen some of Walsh’s "patient" rides on fancied horses in Ireland recently?
Sometimes he gets it wrong but when every race is full to capacity the likelihood of waiting tactics failing is exacerbated.
In my book Ruby is a complete legend anyway. Best jockey in either code riding at the moment.
Walsh rode 55 horses that were first 3 in the betting in Ireland in August. He had 10 winners and 8 of those were ridden at or towards the front of the race.(i dont have comments for the other 2)
I’m not picking on him in particular he is a great jockey no argument there. Wish I could say the same for the racing here.
Ok guys, I shoot straight from the hip and I will tell you that the effort Hefferman put in there was appalling – but not as appalling as the stewards not taking a look at it. How the hell are you going to instill confidence in the punters when things like that happen and the stewards take no action.
For me it was probably the worst incident of the whole season, on a par with one that happened very early in the season with two John Gosden horses in a maiden.
Hefferman never used his whip once – why? Fallon was giving his mount that absolute full works and Hefferman just sat still until about 50 yards out, when he ‘nudged’ his horse slightly, but never once showed his horse the whip.
Im sat watching ATR, and Compo admits that it looks terrible, Luke Harvey admits it looks terribe – and I can’t wait for the Get On show, where I am sure it will be talked about again.
Mike
- Total Posts 17716
It did look terrible, and the horse should have won, but wasn’t it just a case of the jockey being over-confident?
SH looked as though he was going to win on the bridle, and by the time he found out he wasn’t it was too late to do anything about it. Definitely a terrible ride, but I doubt it was any more sinister than that.
What on earth would they gain by so obviously losing the race on purpose?
It was only a 7k maiden, which does nothing for either horse’s value, they are both in the same ownership, and the Magnier’s are hardly short enough of money to have the mortgage on a 2/7 shot?
I totally agree that it is unacceptable that no questions were raised or answered, but that happpens equally as often this side of the Irish Sea.It goes without saying that Magnier dosent need the money. A gift to the stable perhaps? Whatever its still a total farce.
It did look terrible, and the horse should have won, but wasn’t it just a case of the jockey being over-confident?
SH looked as though he was going to win on the bridle, and by the time he found out he wasn’t it was too late to do anything about it. Definitely a terrible ride, but I doubt it was any more sinister than that.
What on earth would they gain by so obviously losing the race on purpose?
It was only a 7k maiden, which does nothing for either horse’s value, they are both in the same ownership, and the Magnier’s are hardly short enough of money to have the mortgage on a 2/7 shot?
I totally agree that it is unacceptable that no questions were raised or answered, but that happpens equally as often this side of the Irish Sea.I would love to hear your reaction Reet, if it was the 2/7 shot that got beat from tender handling. Tabor loves to get stuck into short price hotpots from O Briens, and I am sure one of his internet accounts got a boost as the horse was freely available at 1/2 early doors, that he ended up 2/7 defeat was out of the question.
It was so blatant, and for people like you to defend the indefensible, doesn’t augur too well, when us punters are forever looking for a fair crack of the whip [forgive the pun]Speaking to the race course manager today, there was an enquiry after all. Heffernan referred to the horse doing something similar in Naas the last day and they looked back at the video and they accepted it.
Speaking to the race course manager today, there was an enquiry after all. Heffernan referred to the horse doing something similar in Naas the last day and they looked back at the video and they accepted it.
It wasn’t an enquiry Aidan they just asked for an explanation, excepted of course we can’t be sen to upset racings biggest cartel.
As for the race in question, for gods sake it was only the horses second run, and wasn’t beaten far, and has looked to come on again, on the evidence of last nights race where he was denied victory by no fault of his own.
I’m happy to stand corrected (I am married, after all) and I have no experience as a jockey but I was under the impression that the little fellas usually carry a small stick-like thing which they sometimes wave in the horse’s general direction in order to encourage extra effort. My question is this: are they battery powered and if so, shouldn’t Mr Heffernan have put a new AA in it before the off?
The fact that the stewards accepted the explanation is sad in and of itself.
There was at no time any intention to go for the horse and as has been suggested "the bit of knitting", like that term by the way, should be compared to Heffernan’s vigorous ride on the David Wachman trained Divine Night in the previous race. Horse had absolutely no chance turning into the straight but he was still giving the horse the business.
Why anybody would even attempt to defend this type of shite is beyond me.
Must admit, i do struggle to understand what the motivation for any chicanery would be, certainly from within Ballydoyle anyway. Despite the past alledged gambling records of some, it doesnt make sense for the relatively insiginificant sums to be gained
I have no idea either Clivex. Then again who knows what goes on in anyone’s head besides their own. I even struggle with the concept when it pertains to me.
Picture this scenario. Famous jockey while on suspension from riding in Britain and under the microscope within his profession goes ahead and gets himself a worldwide suspension for the use of an illegal substance. I’m sure there are apologists and spinmeisters out there who will attempt to rationalize this type of behavior. I can’t and don’t waste my time attempting it.
Maybe this has something to do with promoting potential stallions. The winner has a nice pedigree and would definately be of interest to the stallion men at Coolmore Australia being out of a celebrated Aussie mare; Prawn Cocktail.
Maybe this has something to do with promoting potential stallions. The winner has a nice pedigree and would definately be of interest to the stallion men at Coolmore Australia being out of a celebrated Aussie mare; Prawn Cocktail.
It just wasn’t a big enough race for anyone to take a great deal of note though. I am struggling to find a reason for this ride but I think anyone suggesting Heffernan was just trying to preserve the horses stamina is clutching at straws, the horse never had chance to go by its stablemate, the other horse was obviously sticking to its task well and Magna Cum Laude would have to have found some serious acceleration from the point where Heffernan "asked" him to go were he to win.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.