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I remember saying last year that I thought this was a shrewd move by ARC. It ties the AW Championships in with a moveable Bank Holiday that has very little competition.
Everyone will know what it is and when it is.
They’ve basically ‘claimed’ Good Friday for themselves whilst others were unenthusiastic. Good marketing that gives the day a clear identity.
Mike
Group 3 September Stakes at Kempton, Group 3 Sirenia Stakes at Kempton, /quote]
Aah the good old days of turf flat racing at Kempton. I know many people called the place soulless but I found Kempton one of my luckier punting courses. The September and Sirenia used to two good quality events, now they stand forgotten as add-ons to Sprint Cup day at Haydock
Actually, the September Stakes seems to be right back to the standard of its last turf running in 2005, where Imperial Stride beat 2x G1 winner Mamool at Newmarket.
Grade 1 winner Prince Bishop beat double Grade 1 winner and Derby runner-up Main Sequence last year, then followed up by beating a field including globetrotter (and 2012 September Stakes winner) Dandino this year.
The Sprint Cup does get a lot of publicity, so you may have forgotten the September Stakes. I don’t think many people have, though.
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!
I think that proves my point. Winter Derby? Group 3? You can’t be serious.
Correct – I do not watch the "Carnival". In fact it’s intensely annoying when it interrupts the UK jumps meetings.
Chantilly and Deauville are fine, it’s easy to avoid the AW races in between.
The point I’m trying to make, probably not very well, is that there is too much racing. In my opinion, to enjoy it, you now have to be selective in what you watch. Some people will not bother with the low grade turf meetings. I decided to ditch all AW racing wherever it is run. Do I regret the decision – absolutely not. Does this make me a bad person?
If the fixture list had remained at the early 1990’s level then I would probably still be interested.
So Channel 4 are showing an extra AW meeting. Will I suddenly start watching? – No. Of course lots of you will, that’s your choice and I wouldn’t criticise you for it.
As Ricky would say – enjoy
....and you've got to look a long way back for anything else.
Will La Balding deign to grace Lingfield with her presence on this most prestigious of days?
1-33 NO
8-1 YESWell 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.
A very fair post.
There is a surfeit of racing in general staged in at the behest of the bookies for betting shop fodder. Few people have got the time to keep up with it all and several national newspapers have sacked their racing correspondents and don’t carry all the racecards. Outside of "saturation" Saturday afternoons, most UK racing is dross comprising Class 5s and 6s with £1900 to the winner. Described as "racing for rosettes" by Hannon snr it is no surprise that corruption is perpetuated and owners try to lay their horses on the exchanges. It is unfair to blame all this on the AW as there are plenty of similar turf races at Bath, Chepstow,Brighton etc. Given ARC’s prominent position in racecourse ownership much of this is their responsibility but not exclusively so. Let’s be honest, part of the hostile response generated by ARC’s proposal to dig up the turf at Newcastle was to have a pop at ARC and their prize money levels.
Regarding AW, ss Richard Hughes said in his RP column,once you have laid the track surface, AW racing is cheap to stage as all you require is a tractor. Racecourses can then generate revenue by staging more meetings and selling booze if anyone attends. The BHA resemble the John Major Govt as "being in office but not in power" as they as the supposed governing body seem to have little control over the fixture list. Those in control are the racecourses and bookies. I do understand that the surface is consistent and can be good for horse welfare.
What makes AW boring is the numbing sameness of it all. Same surface, same tactics, same draw bias, same way races are run.No variety. Like US racing without horses on drugs. Of course I understand that serious punters make like the lack of variables.I am an ARC annual member and have spent many a winter’s day peering across the turf track at Lingfield watching the AW on the track laid inside it. In the winter the attendance is abysmal. No-one has ever really watched flat racing at Kempton whatever the surface.
IMO as a spectacle there is enough AW racing without Chelmsford and Newcastle.
Some good and well balanced posts here ,,,,its probably fair to say there is too much AW racing as is , and will be increased even further by chelmsford and newcastle….we are saturated with it…which kills the real spectacle of British racing ,,viva la difference …..
However its here to stay like it or not , so we have to accept it and or ignore / play its your choice
so lets get to the core of the argument , its not so much the spectacle and surface I object to , its the fiddling , by jockeys and all parties concerned , whilst fighting for first prize of 1900 quid …the low grade part , which is the majority during the winter , is in my opinion totally corrupt , as punters you would do well to just ignore it in its entirety
If you like it and make it pay , good on ya …Enjoy it
If you are at all dubious , you must just leave it alone
The choice is yours , it will never , ever , be as good as turf racing , and will never generate the excitement of jump racing , its simply bookie driven , aided by the BHA, fodder for mugs in the main , losers to fund racing , regardless of the consequences …in my opinion those are just a price too much to pay
IMO
Some good and well balanced posts here ,,,,its probably fair to say there is too much AW racing as is , and will be increased even further by chelmsford and newcastle….we are saturated with it…which kills the real spectacle of British racing ,,viva la difference …..
However its here to stay like it or not , so we have to accept it and or ignore / play its your choice
so lets get to the core of the argument , its not so much the spectacle and surface I object to , its the fiddling , by jockeys and all parties concerned , whilst fighting for first prize of 1900 quid …the low grade part , which is the majority during the winter , is in my opinion totally corrupt , as punters you would do well to just ignore it in its entirety
If you like it and make it pay , good on ya …Enjoy it
If you are at all dubious , you must just leave it alone
The choice is yours , it will never , ever , be as good as turf racing , and will never generate the excitement of jump racing , its simply bookie driven , aided by the BHA, fodder for mugs in the main , losers to fund racing , regardless of the consequences …in my opinion those are just a price too much to pay
IMO
Another interesting piece by Richard Hughes in his RP column today where he calls for more claiming races, partly with the aim of stopping what he describes as "cheating" in the many low grade handicaps.
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