- This topic has 160 replies, 71 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 6 months ago by
.
- Posts
I personally did not appreciate the US table of winners’ nationalities, listing “England” alongside the British flag.
Makes a change from being constantly referred to as ‘European’, both by the Yanks and by our own commentators.
British horses win 4 races on the big day, yet everyone constantly goes on about it being ‘a great day for the Europeans’!!! Reminder to all – WE ARE NOT ONE COUNTRY – EUROPE IS STILL CLASSED AS A CONTINENT!!!
Other irritations:
-Dettori milking it for all its worth (as usual). So he rode a tactically competent race, thats all. He simply followed the main danger (not difficult as he was drawn right next to it) and passed it coming into the straight. THATS IT. Not exactly rocket science.
– The ridiculous south african commentator. Method – shout and scream about one horse who is going fairly well coming round the home turn, and who is quite obviously CERTAIN to win, then describe the scene as another horse flies past this DEAD CERT as though it has sprouted wings.
– The ATR commentary team – after Ravens Pass had MADE HISTORY by becoming the first British/English (ANYTHING but European) trained winner of America’s championship race. For god sake, you’d think theyd just been watching a Wolverhampton seller! Absolutely ZERO excitement in their voices whatsoever. (so bad, it actually made me yearn for a bit of Chapmanesque whooping).
Apart from that, thoroughly enjoyed the action
PS – long live Pro-Ride
I personally did not appreciate the US table of winners’ nationalities, listing “England” alongside the British flag.
Makes a change from being constantly referred to as ‘European’, both by the Yanks and by our own commentators.
British horses win 4 races on the big day, yet everyone constantly goes on about it being ‘a great day for the Europeans’!!! Reminder to all – WE ARE NOT ONE COUNTRY – EUROPE IS STILL CLASSED AS A CONTINENT!!!
Other irritations:
-Dettori milking it for all its worth (as usual). So he rode a tactically competent race, thats all. He simply followed the main danger (not difficult as he was drawn right next to it) and passed it coming into the straight. THATS IT. Not exactly rocket science.
– The ridiculous south african commentator. Method – shout and scream about one horse who is going fairly well coming round the home turn, and who is quite obviously CERTAIN to win, then describe the scene as another horse flies past this DEAD CERT as though it has sprouted wings.
– The ATR commentary team – after Ravens Pass had MADE HISTORY by becoming the first British/English (ANYTHING but European) trained winner of America’s championship race. For god sake, you’d think theyd just been watching a Wolverhampton seller! Absolutely ZERO excitement in their voices whatsoever. (so bad, it actually made me yearn for a bit of Chapmanesque whooping).
Apart from that, thoroughly enjoyed the action
PS – long live Pro-Ride
Yes it was British success but there is very much a Europe vs America theme in the build up to these races….bit rich getting on the high horse about it AFTER it is the Brits that did the best.
Quote: bit rich getting on the high horse about it AFTER it is the Brits that did the best.
Errr, how is that being rich?! I support the British raiders, just as I imagine the Irish support theirs, the French support theirs, etc etc… If the Irish had 4 winners, I would be congratulating them, but feeling a bit jealous at the same time.
Your comment doesnt make any sense.
Conduit winning the Turf. Maybe at last we can have no more devaluing the St. Leger and that stayers are slow horses. This is a proper horse that has won over an extended mile and three quarters on a great galloping track like Doncaster and on a really sharp American turf track which makes Fakenham look galloping.
..to say nothing of the very different ground conditions each time – soft at Doncaster, firm at Santa Anita. Verily a versatile, utterly likeable animal, and yes, I agree with you, a terrific shot in the arm for the oldest Classic.
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.
In previous years when only the Irish or French have won anything in America I’ve always been pleased to have the wins referred to as European so it would be two faced of me to suddenly want them to be English.
…which is fine if you support the European horses as a whole. As far as I’m concerned a French or Irish winner means no more to me than a South African or Hong Kong winner would.
- Total Posts 17716
Everbody’s insular – except us!
“The ATR commentary team – after Ravens Pass had MADE HISTORY by becoming the first British/English (ANYTHING but European) trained winner of America’s championship race. For god sake, you’d think theyd just been watching a Wolverhampton seller! Absolutely ZERO excitement in their voices whatsoever. (so bad, it actually made me yearn for a bit of Chapmanesque whooping).”
Indeed – I’d suggest that they somehow get a feed from the track of the background crowd noise and talk over that. After they cut from the track commentary to the studio it does go very flat and the commentators do sound as though it was just another race.
On jingoism – the BC is in danger of turning into the Ryder Cup with all the score-keeping, etc. Understandable but meaningless. Bit like the way Cheltenham always turns in to GB Vs Ireland. Again, meaningless nonsense dreamt up by lazy media types.
Corm, the Ryder cup is designed to be a competition between the two continents in which they are competing teams.. I agree with your sentiments but you can’t really use that as a comparison, especially given how popular that format has become.
Aragorn – that’s precisely what I mean. The Ryder Cup is supposed to be such a competition, the Breeders Cup isn’t yet is being increasingly marketed and built up by the media as such.
The more the marketing people take hold of racing the less interest I take in it. Watched one race from the BC and switched off after hearing a comment about the World Championship of Racing.
International racing is not racing as we know it in the UK. There is only one festival and that takes place in March.
Aragorn – that’s precisely what I mean. The Ryder Cup is supposed to be such a competition, the Breeders Cup isn’t yet is being increasingly marketed and built up by the media as such.
Ok fair enough, I thought you were deriding the Ryder Cup!
The more the marketing people take hold of racing the less interest I take in it. Watched one race from the BC and switched off after hearing a comment about the World Championship of Racing.
International racing is not racing as we know it in the UK. There is only one festival and that takes place in March.
Yeah the Americans are insular!!!! I did not realise Wallace could talk for the whole of the UK either…impressive.
- Total Posts 17716
Just can’t believe how narrow minded blind patriotic fools turn over because he said it’s world racing, the commentator meant that top horse’s from all over the world, South America, North America, Europe, Japan come to compete for the biggest prize’s in Racing.
The more the marketing people take hold of racing the less interest I take in it. Watched one race from the BC and switched off after hearing a comment about the World Championship of Racing.
International racing is not racing as we know it in the UK. There is only one festival and that takes place in March.
Ah yes, the Dubal World Cup meeting.
I agree that the term ‘World Championships’ is slightly inaccurate.
However, I consider it more of a marketing term than anything. American’s are the masters of hype and I don’t think it does the event any harm.
Can you imagine Goodwood attracting the same quality of competition?
Could Australia or Japan attract a greater number of International challengers?
American tracks maybe boring, but they are fair. The expansion to the two-day format has increased the possibilities for overseas contenders and the versatility of American tracks, turf and dirt / AW, is something we and many other countries can’t offer.
Taking the event to different countries may give the term ‘World Championships’ more meaning, but it would deteriorate the quality of competition and possibly result in a decline of international representatives.
Would that give the term ‘World Champiomships’ greater significance?
Until a country can offer the same quality, quantity and diversity of competition, the Breeders Cup is the closest thing we have to a World Championships. Like the Superbowl, the BC is not just another sporting event, it’s a show and no one puts on a show quite like our American friends.
Leave it alone.
The more the marketing people take hold of racing the less interest I take in it. Watched one race from the BC and switched off after hearing a comment about the World Championship of Racing.
International racing is not racing as we know it in the UK. There is only one festival and that takes place in March.
Ah yes, the Dubal World Cup meeting.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.