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This is all well and good but could someone let me know what Flash thinks about the postponement?
If you don’t want me to go on stop trying to wind me up.
I backed the first two winners at huntingdon, recouping yesterday’s losses at Cheltenham. Too hell with quality racing, say I.
Not the third I’d surmise!
8-13 in long handicap, chasing debut, grand laid on Betfair at 55
A Festival week ‘away’ touch, well done Don.
That’s 10-36 for Don at Huntingdon in the last five years now – hardly shabby.
There were some real canines in that race, wasn’t there! Follow Your Heart and Boardroom Dancer in particular seem to hate every aspect of being a racehorse.
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.
Follow Your Heart and Boardroom Dancer in particular seem to hate every aspect of being a racehorse. gc
Especially the being gelded part of it
I stopped after race two, surmising that I might need the ammunition for tomorrow and submitting to the tyranny of wage slavery (ie had to go back to work after lunch!).
That will help Mr. Cantillon repay his debt to AIB (I presume it’s him that appeared in the ads).
I’m glad I didn’t have a bet as I might have been tempted by Paddy Power’s offer today of refunding stakes on fallers – Dundridge Native had unseated in his last three races. I see he finished 7th at 9/2.
There were some real canines in that race, wasn’t there! Follow Your Heart and Boardroom Dancer in particular seem to hate every aspect of being a racehorse.
Not the most genuine bunch, save for the fav who was too short in my book to warrant a bet
Actually I backed Follow Your Heart at 11.5 as he’s a chasing type, still unexposed, has shown some aptitude and was sporting a tongue-tie for the first time. Not a horse to warm to though.
- Total Posts 170
One question I did have is why today’s races could not be moved until Saturday so that people with tickets could still go? I.e. Parents took time off to go – were travelling when heard the news.
Which is fair enough though disappointing
Durely rather then cramming racing in (which is great in the sense we are spoiled, but also means that each big race will not getthe coverafe it deserves i.e the 3 group one tomorrow)
Why not just shift it to Saturday?? people with Wednesday tickets get in and others who want excel;eant Sat racing could go??
Policing – or the absence of enough guaranteed policing, to be precise – put the mockers on that idea, aaftershock. The course would have to compete with Cheltenham Town’s home football match on the day for the force’s services.
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.
Sorry but purely from a selfish point of view I was more than happy with the decision. Am flying back today and the Wednesday was the only day I was due to miss even the TV coverage of.
But then I considered the reasons and having checked the weather I’m not particularly looking forward to the flight over the Atlantic tonight / tomorrow morning
Lee
Policing – or the absence of enough guaranteed policing, to be precise – put the mockers on that idea, aaftershock. The course would have to compete with Cheltenham Town’s home football match on the day for the force’s services.
gc
Hmm okay to that’s 5 bobbies earning some nice OT taking care of the 2 blokes and dog at Whaddon Road, what are the rest of em up to?
I noticed the forecast 30+mph winds yesterday when researching the 5-day forecast and can honestly say, hand on heart, that I thought Wednesday could be in big danger of cancellation.
Like MickyMo said, severe wind conditions kill countless many worldwide on an annual basis. Countries that experience these conditions respect ‘Mother Nature’ immensely. It’s solely down to our naivety that we generally ignore these warnings.
Certain members on this forum blame Cheltenham for not ensuring the safety of their buildings. Again, naivety. Even the most strong and stable structures in the world can be severely damaged by nature. Prestbury Park is situated in the middle of vast areas of open land where wind speeds are capable of increasing further and causing even greater damage. Ever walked across an open field in blustery conditions? It can feel like a bloody hurricane sometimes.
We’re not only talking about the health and safety of 60,000 people, but 60,000 people crammed into, given the size of the course, a very small area. A section of roof torn loose could cause severe injuries, even death, to hundreds of people.
Then you have to consider the enjoyment of the public. I certainly wouldn’t want to attend a meeting of this quality, with so much great talent on offer, cowardly hiding from the conditions.
Then we have to consider those competing. I went for a ride this morning and, granted I’m inexperienced, found it rather uncomfortable – the horse wasn’t enjoying it much either!
Can you imagine the uproar if we got ‘false’ results and punters lost money? Why were they racing in those conditions blah blah blah…
Health and safety is prevalent in our society because of the idiots who believe racing should have gone ahead. I guarantee, if you were hit by debris and injured, you’d think to yourself ‘This is a great to get some easy cash’.
They made the right decision. Period. They did it, primarily, for our safety and enjoyment, but they also did it to cover their own ass – I, for one, can’t balme them.
If the roof on a two-storey temporary structure can be blown off and the conditions will prevail until 3PM, then you have no choice but to abandon. A shame, but that’s the unfortunate reality when you have to put such structures in place to generate the revenue which makes Cheltenham such a worthwhile corporate venture.
As for the re-scheduling, does anyone else have a little part of them wishing that every day was put back 24 hours, giving us a Saturday Gold Cup? That would have been the perfect way to fully expose the great clash in the GC IMO.
As for the re-scheduling, does anyone else have a little part of them wishing that every day was put back 24 hours, giving us a Saturday Gold Cup? That would have been the perfect way to fully expose the great clash in the GC IMO.
Nope, but purely selfishly, because I’m off to Uttoxeter for the Midlands Grand National on Saturday and I don’t want the quality of that meeting diluted because the Walshes, Murphys, Thorntons, Fitzgeralds etc are back riding at Cheltenham!
If the roof on a two-storey temporary structure can be blown off and the conditions will prevail until 3PM, then you have no choice but to abandon. A shame, but that’s the unfortunate reality when you have to put such structures in place to generate the revenue which makes Cheltenham such a worthwhile corporate venture.
As for the re-scheduling, does anyone else have a little part of them wishing that every day was put back 24 hours, giving us a Saturday Gold Cup? That would have been the perfect way to fully expose the great clash in the GC IMO.
I agree. The concept of the Gold Cup being re-scheduled for the Saturday would have been great but, as you would expect, people have other plans at this late stage.
I was fortunate enough to book tickets for the Thursday and Friday months ago. My open train ticket, reserved in advance, has not affected my travel plans and now I’m getting greater value for money with the extended cards. Literally, I couldn’t have planned it better myself!!
My commiserations to those who were due to travel today.
I had booked to go Thursday on the assumption it would be the quietest day. One part of me feels annoyed this now won’t be the case with the course increasing the capacity to Gold Cup day limits, but on the other hand the extra races will be a bonus. I live some 18 miles from Cheltenham and it remained very windy here until mid-afternoon.
Clearly the correct decision today, however I’m a little dissapointed that the 2 days won’t start with their ‘traditional’ opening races, the Ballymore (Sun Alliance) Novices Hurdle tomorrow, and the Triumph Hurdle on Friday.
The 4m plodders race on Thursday, and the new mares only race on Friday don’t really have the same ‘oomph’ about them. A muted roar?
Maybe that’s the old-fart traditionalist in me.
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