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Channel 4 will show the All Weather Championships final on 3 April 2015.
http://www.arenaracingcompany.co.uk/news/story/180
St Leger viewing figures are up this on 2013 and the Leger audiences at Doncaster were up to 62,000 a record attendance for the track and Channel 4 racing increased it’s share on the previous year for a 16th week this year.
Absolutely brilliant news, well done C4.
2014’s card served up the emergence of Cam Hardie and appearances from the following subsequent Graded race performers:
Living The Life
(G2 Presque Downs Masters Stakes)
Stepper Point
(G3 Derrinstown Stud Flying Five Stakes, 2nd in TWO G1s)
Captain Cat
(G3 Sovereign Stakes, G3 Superior Mile)
Grandeur
(2nd in G2 Bowling Green Handicap, 3rd in G1 Man O’ War Stakes)
It’s hard to deny that this is a high class meeting, with very good horses, guaranteed to pull a very big crowd. It certainly deserves its place on terrestrial TV, imo.
If Musselburgh run their lucrative Good Friday meetIng next year he hopefull C4 will make it a double header.
Must have run out of old films to show.
Can’t put my finger on it, but watching AW racing does not seem the same, there is something about the way the races are run, it just isn’t interesting.
I will be watching (or recording) RUK.
....and you've got to look a long way back for anything else.
Must have run out of old films to show.
Can’t put my finger on it, but watching AW racing does not seem the same, there is something about the way the races are run, it just isn’t interesting.
I will be watching (or recording) RUK.
Lingfield is on ATR not Racing UK, wonder how many mistakes they will make with their coverage
I am well aware Lingfield is on ATR, that’s why I will be watching RUK!!!
....and you've got to look a long way back for anything else.
I have no interest whatsoever in all weather racing. I’ve never watched it and I never will.
I’m still baffled – what’s the big grudge against AW racing? It seems so deeply entrenched in most posters here.
Like Esp said, it seems like there’s no logic in these attitudes. Like any racing, it’s profitable if you put the study in, there are plenty of high class events stuffed with worldwide Group race performers and it’s just as entertaining as turf racing. How could it not be? Horse racing would be great on a surface made of trifle, right? It’s horse racing!
So what’s the issue exactly? Is it just because it’s different to how things used to be? I’m really curious as to why a superior, durable, consistent racing surface makes people so angry, or at least disinterested. It seems to be a recurring negative theme on this forum.
The problem is that there’s too much AW racing. The greatest thing about British racing is it’s variety with courses from Chester to Newmarket on the flat and Cartmel to cheltenham over jumps. The sand plays a part in that variety but not to the extent that it is now dominating the Calendar and with Newcastle, Catterick and Chelmsford all trying to stage AW fixtures there’s a real danger of racing on these shores turning into the borefest that is American racing.
I am quite looking forward to seeing the AW champs on C4 although as I said earlier Musselburgh should get recognition for putting a really good card on that day as well.
I’m still baffled – what’s the big grudge against AW racing? It seems so deeply entrenched in most posters here.
Like Esp said, it seems like there’s no logic in these attitudes. Like any racing, it’s profitable if you put the study in, there are plenty of high class events stuffed with worldwide Group race performers and it’s just as entertaining as turf racing. How could it not be? Horse racing would be great on a surface made of trifle, right? It’s horse racing!
So what’s the issue exactly? Is it just because it’s different to how things used to be? I’m really curious as to why a superior, durable, consistent racing surface makes people so angry, or at least disinterested. It seems to be a recurring negative theme on this forum.
The history and tradition of European flat racing has always been about the turf. All those great races, all those great horses and that’s the way I want it to stay.
The all weather was brought in to keep racing going through adverse weather conditions or so it was sold at the time.
As with lots of things in society they are integrated upon the promise of one thing only for them later to turn into something different which often changes completely the fabric of society.
In terms of the society of horse racing the all weather has a small part to play. Give an inch and you lose a mile. Before we know where we are we’ll have group ones run on the A/W – then we become just like America.
The day that happens I am out of the game for good, and I mean it.
Well said, I had nothing against the AW when it started. It filled the void when the turf courses were frozen solid for weeks at a time. However, that was when the fixture list was at a sensible level.
I have plenty of video of the early equitrack and fibresand races, including AW jumping! Then the novelty wore off as the fixture list expanded and the BHB lost control of their allocation.
You can’t really knock the racecourses for putting on the fixtures, they have a business to run and an AW track can put on so many more fixtures than a conventional turf track.
Those who see racing as just a betting medium probably aren’t bothered what surface it’s run on, but the rest of us who just enjoy watching the sport would like to see much less AW racing and less fixtures in total. You can have too much of a good thing and there is too much.
To fully appreciate the sport you need a break now and again. There used to be natural breaks during periods of bad weather, now there are just three days at Christmas. To compensate AW racing does not happen as far as I am concerned. I won’t watch it and it wouldn’t matter if they started (and they will) running group races on the AW. That way I’m guaranteed a break at some point without having to miss any turf racing.
....and you've got to look a long way back for anything else.
Espmadrid,
Err, Group 3 September Stakes at Kempton, Group 3 Sirenia Stakes at Kempton, Group 3 Winter Derby at Lingfield.
Do you watch the racing from the Dubai Carnival, or do you deny yourself the pleasure of watching serious international competition because of a prejudice against the racing surface?
And I suggest you avoid Chantilly and Deauville, where those dastardly Frogs run AW claimers and Group 1 turf races on the same day – sacre bleu!
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