- This topic has 39 replies, 17 voices, and was last updated 19 years, 7 months ago by
.
- Posts
All had vets certs. of course.<br>Similarly Beverley gets a high number of withdrawals of those drawn low.<br>These 2 courses probably have the worst draw bias in the UK.<br>Connections state it’s only coincidence and all down to 48 hr decs of course!<br>That said, were I an owner I wouldn’t want to waste a run when the draw gives the animal little chance
Who can blame them, one of the problems at tracks like Chester & Beverley. I’d like to see the stalls tried on the far rail at Chester and the stands side at Beverley.
Indiam Maiden was probably the best horse in its race at Chester but had little or no chance from wide draw and racing wide throughout
Any horse withdrawn under a vets certificate should not be allowed to run for a period of 3 weeks.
As far as I’m aware the handicapper doesn’t take the draw into account very much or either restricted to what they can.
I’m sure someone will come on to tell us the situation.
Who can blame them, one of the problems at tracks like Chester & Beverley.
I’m not having this "poor connections, they’re drawn out of it at Chester" argument.
Chester’s arguably the most biased course in the country.
If you run there, your horse is either going to be massively advantaged or massively disadvantaged because of the draw.
And it’s a crap shoot which one it’ll be.
If you don’t want to take your chances on the draw, run at a fairer course.
If you do decide to take your chances, accept you’re taking a gamble and have the integrity to accept a bad draw if you get one.
So, no sympathy for connections from me, they should respect fair play and honour their agreement to run … or stay the feck away from biased courses!
Steve
The handicapper doesn’t take the draw into account, he can’t. if you were penalised for having a "vets" they would just use unsuitable ground. <br>When we hopefully return to 24 hr entries I would like to see a 5 day ban for all "vets" as well as the previously required change of ground.
Forgive this ignorant owner – but what is the great harm in having these non runners? and who is suffering the harm and what are their rights as opposed to the horse and the owner?
Your ignorance is forgiven though difficult to understand.
Punters are suffering the harm. Scandalously, they have no rights or representation, but the powers that be do at least realise that without them the whole show would collapse.
There are few better ways to turn punters off horse racing than for there to be an impression that those on the inside of the game are doing as they please regardless of the consequences for others.
Prufrock,
I am at a loss to see what harm punters suffer when a horse is withdrawn 36 hours before the race. It is argueably better to withdraw than to do what Stef suggests – run round on the outside to get your handicap mark down.
Sorry cannot follow your logic and I have been betting for over 50 years so obviously a few withdrawels have not put me off.
Galejade,
Surely a horse being withdrawn with a Vets cert only to turn out within a week is not good for the integrity of the sport? Particulaly when said horse, who was curiously drawn 1 of 16 at Beverley, ensured that there were only three places available for each-way backers. I can see that that situation would harm punters.
This is an old problem – from way before 48 hr decs. were introduced. I recall writing to someone at the Racing Post (David Ashforth methinks but could be wrong) about it. <br>I used to go to Chester regularly and one day, despite its high draw (8 of 9 I think), strongly fancied a two-yr-old of Barry Hills’ to win the maiden – in fact it was going to be my only bet of the day. Got to the course – horse was withdrawn because of the ground (not a vets’ certificate). Ground was soft. Horse ran within a week at Haydock on v. soft ground and won. I quoted a few other examples too. Does anybody in officialdom look back at withdrawals to see if there seems to be cheating going on?<br>For what it’s worth, nowadays, when a horse is drawn high and it isn’t a front runner, Chester can be quite advantageous when the artificial rail which fans the runners out into the home straight is in place. It means late comers can get a clear(ish) run up the inside – or at least don’t have to come too wide. Trouble is, away punters don’t know before the first race if the artificial rail is in use plus some jockeys don’t have the brains (or balls) to take advantage of it.
I wrote to Peter Webbon (was Jockey Club vet) about this about two years ago suggesting that vet certs were being abused. He was sympathetic but promised no action. What they need to do is have a number of vets licenced to them to descend on a yard once a vet cert is proffered to independently examine the beast concerned, as happened here in Ireland the day before the Thyestes when a horse came out to let Tony Martin’s in. I also agree that a horse taken out with a vet cert shouldn’t run for at least a fortnight. This has little to do with 48hr decs.
Smithy,
I have probably missed it but I cannot find a handicap reduced from 16 to 15 runners by a withdrawal over the last few days but I have seen 12 non runners today which do not seem to me to have effected the punters one bit. Incidently there were more withdrawals at Folkestone and Redcar today than Chester on Saturday – why no shouts of outrage.!
A vet certificate can be issued for many reasons that do not prevent a horse running in 3 – 5 days ie casting in its box, abcess on foot, stiffness and lameness, running a very mild temperature etc – it comes to something when every Vet is assumed to be a crook just doing the punter down ( No one has really explained to me how the punter is done down but I will take your word for it)
Quite frankly I think we are all in danger of jumping on the latest bandwagon. Owners pay over £300 million per annum in keeping horses in training ( cf Punters contribution of £67 million through the levy) and on average lose 79% of their money – they are enthusiasists. They may be fools but why assume they are Knaves?<br>
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.