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Walsh wasn’t referring to prestige, he was talking about ability. And as has been pointed out, he was way off the mark.
I thought he’d said that nobody ever set out to breed a champion staying hurdler, that the title was essentially a consolation prize for horses that didn’t take to chasing and weren’t quick enough to win hurdles over 2m ?
Even as he said it, I could imagine an exasperated Ruby on the phone to The Stewarts……."Take no notice of my old man.."
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I thought he’d said that nobody ever set out to breed a champion staying hurdler, that the title was essentially a consolation prize for horses that didn’t take to chasing and weren’t quick enough to win hurdles over 2m ?
That makes sense, imo.
Prize money is unquestionably geared toward the shorter races over hurdles and distance races over fences, and you’d think horses were bred with more than one eye on the more valuable races?
For every Big Bucks that makes it to the World Hurdle, there must be quite a few Fair Alongs and Celestial Halos that are kept to the shorter distance while-ever they are competitive.In the same vein, tho it kills me to say it, chasing is superoir to hurdling; if Istabraq, probably the best ever IMO, had been a chaser he would be evn more of a legend
Watched the C4 racing on sky+ at x30 speed having spent a few days away visiting relatives…therefore didn’t hear much of the conversation. However, it is fair to say the best chasers are 3 milers and the best hurdlers are 2 milers. But thats because of the prestige given to races over these trips. Its only in the last few years that the World Hurdle (or should I say Stayers hurdle) wasn’t just the build up to the Gold Cup.
That said, if I owned Baracouda or Inglis Drever or Big Bucks would this bother me? Not a jot.
I like listening to Ted Walsh and John Francome, they tend to talk about horses. Ok so they can talk crap, but better that than listen to Jimbo McGrath’s latest craze word…Ipsofacto…when talking about What A Friends Lexus win in relation to his defeat by Denman in the Hennessy! You need a spread of styles on C4 so that it can appeal to a wider audience. You need the Form Guru – Jimbo, the horse specialist – Francome, The obnoxious man in stupid clothes – Big Mac, the un-tv friendly female – Tanya, the tv proficient female – Plunkett, The professional uppercrust – Nick Luck, The housewife – Lesley Graham.
If you have all of one and none of the other the show would fail. Every viewer needs to be able to identify with one person on the show or it wont work.
Wasn’t there a horse out of Stayers Hurdle winner Rose Ravine? Wasn’t he bred to win the Stayers Hurdle?
For many years it was true that most of the best horses were either 2m hurdlers or staying chasers; but no longer. Baracouda, Iris’s Gift, Limestone Lad, Inglis Drever and Big Bucks were better than their 2m cousins. Moscow Flyer, Azertyuiop, Well Chief, were better than their staying cousins. Master Minded is better than all bar his two staying stable companions.
Value Is EverythingTed Walsh is a bit like a more laid back Big Mac. Says things to be controversial.
Value Is EverythingI appreciate that Moscow Flyer was more highly rated than his 3 mil counterparts, but if he had styed 3 miles he would have been running over 3 miles.
In terms of prestige; 3-mile chasers, 2-mile hurdlers, 2-mile chasers, then 3-mile hurdlers.If a horse is that good over two miles, why go any further than 2m4f?
I think the prestige gap is getting less with every year.
Value Is EverythingOk so they can talk crap, but better that than listen to Jimbo McGrath’s latest craze word…Ipsofacto…
Oh, that’s not a new phrase by any means!
You need a spread of styles on C4 so that it can appeal to a wider audience.
If you have all of one and none of the other the show would fail. Every viewer needs to be able to identify with one person on the show or it wont work.
You make the C4 producers sound like geniuses and the show a great success. I’ve never particularly gone down the path that racing coverage needs to appeal to a wider audience, I don’t believe anyone will watch racing who isn’t already interested in it apart from occasionally, on the likes of National day.
I don’t know one person who didn’t previously watch the sport has been converted by the quality of coverage on the BBC or C4 over the last few years.
If broadcasters are so good at doing it why are the BBC not showing any further coverage of the sport till Aintree and C4 need to receive substantial payments to broadcast it.Racing coverage should be aimed at people who actually want to watch it not this mythical "wider audience".
Doug/Eddie, what Channel Four needs is a Night of the Long Knives similar to the one Matt Bannister executed at Radio One back in the early nineties.
Overnight, with a rare ruthlessness, Bannister erased the concepts of Dave Lee Travis and Simon Bates completely from the cultural consciousness.
They were scarily complacent those two and it occured to me that watching Francome and McGrath yesterday morning was exactly the same experience. I half expected to hear the sound of potting snooker balls and the opening strains of Our Tune.
While watching the familiar media gang is as comfortable as watching "Cranford" from the comfort of a deep armchair in winter, with a roaring fire toasting the soles of our slippers and a glass of port nestling on an occasional table, racing isnt going to move forward an inch while we do so. By catering to the existing hardcore (as you suggest, Eddie), racing will eventually die a comfortable death through unsustainability, admittedly with a rosy glow and warm feet.
All of the Morning Liners need to go. Harsh I know, but we need to move with the times.
There ARE young people who like horse racing and we ain’t using their talents. There are a lot of young guys at the Post who can rap with the best of them. You’ve got the Betfair radio gang including our own young devil, GC. The Sleepy Hollow gang. Some warmish fillies coming through who warm the cockles and know their way around a form book. There is Stephen Miller. Then there is the Greek fella whose potential is frightening. We should be breaking racing’s piggy bank to give him a presenting job.
Like it or not (and believe me, I’m getting on a bit), you’ve got to use the young to attract the young.
The Citizens of the New Markets take one look at the old boys and they don’t want to know. Why would they? What were YOU like when you were young? The Morning Line gang need to Silver Surf quietly into the still night. So do most of ATR and RUK who’ve had their turn. Let the young uns have a try! I’m not happy about all that I’ve written but Mr Chips faded away years ago and I wasn’t responsible for his demise. It happens – Its a new world and we’ve got to bite the bullet for racing’s sake.
Happy New Year everyone.
PS As for the annual voting on Greg Wood? You lot are bloody insane! El plotto losto. Since when is adopting a consistently miserable approach something to venerate??? If there was an option to vote for sacking the to sser I’d have taken out more cloned identities than frankiedangleberry to get the job done.
You make the C4 producers sound like geniuses and the show a great success. I’ve never particularly gone down the path that racing coverage needs to appeal to a wider audience, I don’t believe anyone will watch racing who isn’t already interested in it apart from occasionally, on the likes of National day.
I don’t know one person who didn’t previously watch the sport has been converted by the quality of coverage on the BBC or C4 over the last few years.
If broadcasters are so good at doing it why are the BBC not showing any further coverage of the sport till Aintree and C4 need to receive substantial payments to broadcast it.Racing coverage should be aimed at people who actually want to watch it not this mythical "wider audience".
I’m sorry but that’s total rubbish. Racing coverage should try it’s upmost to attract a wider audience.
I’ve only watched racing keenly since 2008 but I watched Channel 4 racing many times before then. If it had been presented by charisma free industry guys only aiming for the converted, I may never have tuned in again.Just a thought too, but if Channel 4 did manage to get racing appealing to a wider audience, perhaps they could attract better advertisers, then the subsidy wouldn’t need to be so great would it?
Surely there are only two race meetings that attract the ‘wider audience’..Royal Ascot, because of the fashion and the Grand National because it’s a national institution.
Surely there are only two race meetings that attract the ‘wider audience’..Royal Ascot, because of the fashion and the Grand National because it’s a national institution.
I wouldn’t say Royal Ascot attracts an audience that would actually watch the racing, it’s just a few photos of pretty ladies on page 14 of The Sun & then it’s onto the next celeb scandal.
That’s an idea, get John Francombe to go on a three day drugs & booze bender with Amy Winehouse. Something to get in the papers!
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