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Dear TRF Members
For the first time, and about 5 years behind the rest of the internet using world, I will be blogging live from Cheltenham all this week.
It will be a mix of insight into the roles of the raceday officials, the latest news from the Stewards Room and various other bits and bobs.
If you have any questions about events at Cheltenham that you’d like answering on the blog please do email me at pstruthers@britishhorseracing.com and I’ll endeavour to answer.
Also, if you’re having a bad punting Cheltenham and need cheering up then it might be worth a read as my punting is usually woeful at the Festival so there’s a pretty good chance I’ll be doing worse than you.
Don’t forget that today’s the last chance to win £500 in our Cheltenham Tipping Competition. You can enter at http://www.britishhorseracing.com/goracing/festival_tipping_comp/ and you have until Midnight tonight to get your entry in.
Have a good week – let’s hope it’s a classic and that all the runners and riders come home safe and sound.
Paul
Thanks Ethan. In the extremely unlikely event of a couple of big priced winners the blog will probably cease rather dramatically, given that I’ll be writing it from the Media Centre near the Guinness Village!
Hi Paul,can you please tell Gillespie/Claisse that in each of the public bars around Cheltenham racecourse there will be hundreds of us ,straining to hear the commentaries on the TV`s as the remotes in each of the bars are hidden like gold. Sometimes it is OK for the first races and previews as we can bully the managers to turn the TV`s up. After this it is impossible to hear them.It needs a responsible person in each bar to be responsible for this. I will be in the corner of the Mandarin,by the perspex bubble,on the corner of the bar,under the TV. Same place I have been since the bar was opened ,and before when it was a pigeon loft. Join me there, I will buy you a pint,and you will see what I mean
Thanks Ethan. In the extremely unlikely event of a couple of big priced winners the blog will probably cease rather dramatically, given that I’ll be writing it from the Media Centre near the Guinness Village!
And a good location that is too – if not more a little crowded!!!
Hopefully will see you in there.
Roddy – I’ve passed that on to Cheltenham. If I get chance I will try and hunt you down in the Mandarin.
Latest news from the blog:
13.51 – Stewards Room Update
The Stewards will be enquiring into the use of the whip on the winner and on Cousin Vinny.
There appeared to be a couple of hits dropping onto Go Native’s saddle cloth (which is the incorrect place – the whip should be landing on the horse’s quarters) and Paddy Mullins used his whip four times in quick succession without giving Cousin Vinny time to respond.
Neither are serious offences and definitely on the minor infringement scale.
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I see that David Casey has been handed a ban for his use of the whip when ‘out of contention’ on Jered. Isn’t the fact that he failed to act until the race was all but over not more of a concern?
I’m normally a cynical man, but the running of Jered doesn’t concern me too much from an integrity point of view. Given the horses’ profile, him being left too much to do in a race like this particular CH is quite readily attributable to human error IMO.
Silvoir
I hope that the Stewards have reported the connections of Aachen to Shatesbury Avenue for withdrawing.
I also hope that the BHA will throw the book at them.
We can’t be getting into the situation where horses are declared, and then withdrawn because the connections think they have a better opportunity a couple of days later.
Gerald
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I’m not suggesting that there is necessarily an integrity issue regarding the running of Jered, more that it seems ridiculous to punish the jockey for riding the horse out when he’s failed to do anything at all in the preceding 14.5 furlongs. David Casey was perfectly content to sit motionless some 20+ lengths off the pace until such time as the leaders were beyond recall.
If I were overly cynical I’d say that this run was merely a gauge for connections. Bringing him over wouldn’t have been a problem given that Noel Meade had other runners anyway, and the entry fee and additional expense is hardly likely to bother McManus. But for a horse who has always been touted as a Champion Hurdle prospect, and with the perhaps lengthy lay off of no real concern, Jered’s running was questionable and, in my opinon, far removed from human error.
So, with that in mind, would it not make more sense to question Casey’s ‘decision’ to do nothing until after the last rather than punish him for actually riding the horse out?
Thanks guys – I’ll address those concerns with the stewards in the morning (as per my blog) and report back. They were happy with Casey’s effort but I’ll get a race read done and also ask them about Aachen’s withdrawal – the official reason given was ‘Going’.
I’ve always thought of Jered as more of a 2m4f horse so to see him running on like that didn’t suprise me.
Thanks guys – I’ll address those concerns with the stewards in the morning (as per my blog) and report back. They were happy with Casey’s effort but I’ll get a race read done and also ask them about Aachen’s withdrawal – the official reason given was ‘Going’.
The official reason was bollox. It was reported on Racing UK yesterday I think, that they had left Aachen in because they had heard that Cousin Vinny had travelled over badly at the weekend.
Gerald
The official reason for Aachen’s withdrawal is bollox if the owners article in todays Guardian is to be believed…..
"One of my horses, Aachen, is still engaged in the same race, because we heard the rumours about Cousin Vinny on Sunday night and so Aachen was left in accordingly, but the plan with him is still very much to go for the County Handicap Hurdle on Friday."
Harry Findlay – The Guardian 10/3/09
The official reason for Aachen’s withdrawal is bollox if the owners article in todays Guardian is to be believed…..
"One of my horses, Aachen, is still engaged in the same race, because we heard the rumours about Cousin Vinny on Sunday night and so Aachen was left in accordingly, but the plan with him is still very much to go for the County Handicap Hurdle on Friday."
Harry Findlay – The Guardian 10/3/09
He really should be hung for that. Taking a horse out on account of the ground and then coming out with that in the papers is really questionable and hope Aachen gets beat on Friday but comes hojme safe. It will serve him right.
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