- This topic has 42 replies, 26 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 5 months ago by
.
- Posts
At the Races is wrong. Cheltenham’s website gives a noon start for the races.
Admin, something odd going on – when I wanted to quote Seasider it gave me the post below his. I had to quote phil walker and then seasider’s post came up as the quote.
It seems to be working.
Cheltenham needs to take a leaf out of the French version of cross country racing, I have even compiled standard times for some courses how I achieved this is beyond me.
Obviously as being negative is not allowed on this forum I’ll add to the number of people who won’t bother to post anymore, no wonder this place is dying on its feet
I wouldn’t worry. It really is the nature of the beast. You will always get people on here more ready to disagree, particularly if you fall outside the clique. Sorry Ginger, it will always exist to some extent. And of course there are always people who get off on arguing black is white.
For what it’s worth I agree with you.
I think from a betting point of view these races are a no no!!
But from a watching point of view they are good and interesting to watch.Cheltenham needs to take a leaf out of the French version of cross country racing.
I sincerely hope not
Even the commentator was lost for words in that race.
P.S. I remember seeing that clip before, probably from last year.
Seriously Cross Crountry races are not my thing, some of the jockeys don’t seemed to know their way, but not as bad as BB shown. All Weather not to my liking either but it was to someone whom I used to work with, so can appreciate some might enjoy it.
You've got to accentuate the positive.
Eliminate the negative.
Latch on to the affirmative.
Don't mess with mister in between.I’m always incredulous at the level of oppobrium aimed in the direction of cross-country races – a type of race, let it not be forgotten, which is run just thrice annually in Britain during the course of a ~100,000 race calendar.
How inveterate does one have to be to think these make any sort of significant dent on the number of appealing betting mediums available?
It’s the equivalent of German racing forumites calling out the sport over there for daring to programme four lake races and a steeplechase run on dirt each year alongside the multitude of more conventional affairs.
I personally love the throwback element of Cheltenham’s cross-country affairs. Had Channel 4 Racing existed over a century ago, I’m sure a Scoop6 predicated on very, very similar-looking affairs (maybe with a bit of plough thrown in) live from Aylesbury or Melton Mowbray would have been the norm.
Long may these races flourish.
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.
Well…….these races wouldn’t bother me at all if they were stuck away at Hexham on a Wednesday afternoon
It’s alright saying there’s only 3 of them but they’re on the big day’s racing at Cheltenham
To me it’s like interrupting a day at the Cheltenham Festival while everything stops for an hour and a quarter for some showjumping
There’d be a riot !
Variety arguments hold no water as far as I’m concerned, for as long as we’re also happy for just five races a year to be held over a 2m-plus course on Merseyside stuffed full of oversized green fences and still unique (if modified) challenges.
Quality arguments similarly leave me cold, for as long as the cross-country races are able to attract horses no worse (and in many cases better) than other events on the same card. I notice that both this race and the Grade 3 handicap which precede it on Friday afternoon can boast a 160-rated animal among their respective five-day entries.
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.
Just three races a year, and yet still people bleat about them.
It would never do to have an occasional bit of variety in our race programmes, would it?
It could be that in the future a cross-country format might well prove the saviour of the Grand National, when, as is statistically almost certain, we get a running of the race and two or three horses lose their lives.
Betting, betting, betting…..
There are too many professional embittered gamblers on this forum and that is why it is failing (if indeed it is).
The cross country races are a rare test of jumping, attract specialist and are a spectacle.
Plenty of nice betting opportunities on the all weather at Wolverhampton, oh and there’s nothing wrong with show jumping either.Variety arguments hold no water as far as I’m concerned, for as long as we’re also happy for just five races a year to be held over a 2m-plus course on Merseyside stuffed full of oversized green fences and still unique (if modified) challenges.
Quality arguments similarly leave me cold, for as long as the cross-country races are able to attract horses no worse (and in many cases better) than other events on the same card. I notice that both this race and the Grade 3 handicap which precede it on Friday afternoon can boast a 160-rated animal among their respective five-day entries.
gc
I would hope that quality and betting turnover are far higher up the Festival priority list than trying to satisfy what has always been a niche market.
The entries for the Cross Country race may well include the odd one with a lofty rating. Will they run to it? No chance. How many improvers are there likely to be in the race? None. How many old age pensioners are there? Plenty. The horses are running here because they can’t win elsewhere. We already have relatively competitive veterans races throughout the season so why should anyone want what is effectively a poor veterans race cluttering up what should be the pinnacle of the sport?
The Cross Country race should be tagged on to the Hunter Chase meeting in April. That’s where it should have been in the first place.
The entries for the Cross Country race may well include the odd one with a lofty rating. Will they run to it? No chance. How many improvers are there likely to be in the race? None. How many old age pensioners are there? Plenty. The horses are running here because they can’t win elsewhere. We already have relatively competitive veterans races throughout the season so why should anyone want what is effectively a poor veterans race cluttering up what should be the pinnacle of the sport?
Despite rising 13, I notice that Any Currency has to race off a 20lb higher rating over cross-country courses than he does park fences and produced a career-high RPR of 155 (off a career-high official rating of 152) when running second in the Open Meeting’s cross-country event behind the still upwardly mobile 7yo Josies Orders (career-high RPR of 135). Third placed Bless The Wings has since won a regular 3m5f handicap at Fairyhouse.
The Cross Country race should be tagged on to the Hunter Chase meeting in April. That’s where it should have been in the first place.
Half agree. In so far as hunter chasers and Pointers are the sort likeliest to have encountered such a variety of obstacles when qualifying for hunt races, it makes no sense not to allow them a crack at the cross-country course (the husbandry/cost arguments against it frequently bandied around cut no ice with me) in addition to their professional contemporaries.
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.
I don’t want to sound negative either but Garde Champetre and Spotthedifference would have to be declared with their pension books, being 16 and 22 respectively! The French x-country is really challenging, Cheltenham is a bit of a joke in comparison.
I have to be honest, I thought this was a post that would have petered out
after the OP opinioned that he didn’t like like cross country , and a few,
myself included said they did.I know Phil felt a bit aggrieved, to the extent he was thinking of leaving
as he felt “that being negative wasn’t allowed”. I didn’t really see it like
that, I thought the posts, at that time, simply disagreed with his take on
the worthiness of cross country, although there was one comment that suggests
there may be history that I’m unaware of. That comment aside, I don’t think that
views in general were saying he shouldn’t comment, negatively or otherwise.
I hope Phil has decided to stay and comment whatever he believes. Whether I or
others agree or disagree with him is neither here nor there.I’m being honest, I really enjoy watching the Cross Country at the festival, I
think that it’s a bit different and adds to the whole festival. Whatever you think
of the horses that participate, it is competitive. I don’t know if the betting
stats show there is a drop in betting for the event, to be honest I don’t really
care, I always have a bet and have done ok.It’s a part of the festival that’s clearly here to stay, I think there is enough
interest in the race to warrant it’s inclusion. I, like everyone in here, love
the Festival, if I had to gripe about anything, it would be that it was extended
to 5 days, but it’s only a small gripe.“I, like everyone in here, love
the Festival, if I had to gripe about anything, it would be that it was extended
to 5 days, but it’s only a small gripe.”Great call – more races (Grade 1 of course) is what’s required. I would specifically hope for more Novice hurdle / Mares races. That way we can keep all the best horses apart while they all win a “Glorious” festival triumph!
BUY THE SUN
..if I had to gripe about anything, it would be that it was extended
to 5 days, but it’s only a small gripe.5 days? When did that happen?
4 days is about right (should be only 6 races each day in my view). Any more and the quality will be affected.
....and you've got to look a long way back for anything else.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.