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They have to saturate you with today’s racing because 99% of it is complete garbage and they’re hoping punters wont notice in their frenzy to place a bet.
Agreed! Despite all these races I could only find one horse worth a bet, luckily it went in at 4-1 (Ardnaclancy)
Credit where’s it due to the racecourses today regarding timekeeping. They ran a complex program to the minute, right throughout the afternoon. Well done.
They have to saturate you with today’s racing because 99% of it is complete garbage and they’re hoping punters wont notice in their frenzy to place a bet.
Agreed! Despite all these races I could only find one horse worth a bet, luckily it went in at 4-1 (Ardnaclancy)
I had two, Class Is Class (solely because of the jockey, I am the mug punter I mentioned earlier, some of the time!) but there was such a queue in the bookies that I missed it (bugger). Tried my luck on Seventh Cavalry instead & that made up for it.
Also had Finsbury in the last at Carlisle.I’m not gloating, my point is that they were class 5 & 6 races & CS’s winner was a Class 6. It’s perfectly possible to have winners even when the quality is lacking.
There’s big conspiracy theories around why racing is organised the way it is. Could it just be that everyone is off work so there’s going to be lots of meetings?PS Well done selecting a Cartmel winner Cheltenham Specialist, I wouldn’t bet on a race at Cartmel with someone elses money!
If this thread is intended to exemplify how the fixture list has bloated with a surfeit of ‘garbage’, today is possibly the worst example you could choose: the number of meetings has actually declined significantly in recent years
The number of Flat meetings has remained more or less constant at four or five but NH meets have declined from six or so back in the ’90s to the two we have today
So seven now, eleven back then and I’d guess this bank holiday has never been so quiet (relatively speaking) as it is now
It has of course lost its jewel in the crown which was since time immemorial the Sandown HenryII meeting, though Redcar’s Zetland remains and there’s a new Goodwood meet featuring a Listed race
Other than those, this bank holiday – like all others – is and always has been a day choc-full of run-of-the-mill rural racing – or garbage/dross/crap if you prefer lazy pejorative throwaways
Haven’t checked other bank holidays but I’m reasonably sure the number of meetings has declined on most, if not quite so much as today
None of which means I look back to the days of 10+ meetings – several of which were non-SIS covered – with any fondness, but in these summers of incessant wall-to-wall racing let’s just be grateful for the smallest of mercies
Three ab fab days at Cartmel this week
How about condensing them into a Sat, Sun, Mon Festival?
Graysonscolumn
Haven’t checked other bank holidays but I’m reasonably sure the number of meetings has declined on most, if not quite so much as today
I’m sure of it. Easter Monday used to play host to around 15 meetings not so long ago before funding restrictions demanded otherwise, didn’t it?
Three ab fab days at Cartmel this week
How about condensing them into a Sat, Sun, Mon Festival?
Graysonscolumn
On grounds of course husbandry, I don’t think they’d bite. The little site takes such a pounding on each day of racing (in the public areas as well as the racing surface itself) that a clear day is needed to return it to its magnificent best every time.
Notice that the extra day they’ve added to their August Bank Holiday meeting this season takes place not on the Sunday in between the Saturday and Monday racedays, but on the preceding Thursday night instead.
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.
If this thread is intended to exemplify how the fixture list has bloated with a surfeit of ‘garbage’, today is possibly the worst example you could choose:
No it was not, it was to question why all 47 races were crammed into 4 hours when the levy is going down and down along with prize money. Even the Zetland Gold Cup and what a cracking race it was, has suffered a large drop in prize money, down to £22k from £32k to the winner.
I’m sure it wouldn’t have been detrimental to Cartmels attendance if it started at 5.30/6.00pm or to some of the other meetings if they had done similar.
I’m not gloating, my point is that they were class 5 & 6 races & CS’s winner was a Class 6. It’s perfectly possible to have winners even when the quality is lacking.
Nail, head. Find what meetings, races and types of races work for you and persevere with those. Can’t see the sense in devoting too many punting energies to Epsom this Saturday just for the sake of it when my (meagre) gifts of deduction are likelier to eke me out a winner or two at Hexham and Worcester.
There’s big conspiracy theories around why racing is organised the way it is. Could it just be that everyone is off work so there’s going to be lots of meetings?
Nail, head x2. The tone of some postings on Bank Holiday dates borders on affront – how dare so many people want to spend a day off going racing at so many different meetings at once!
If anything, today’s schedule needs fattening up to incorporate a few more meetings, not reduced to fewer, as there are several notable parts of the country presenting no case for racing to snaffle the leisure pound on a perfect day for so doing. Scotland, London and Devon spring readily to mind, but there will be others (and of these named, only Devon offered the alternative of a point-to-point today, courtesy of the South Tetcott meeting at Upcott Cross).
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.
I’m not gloating, my point is that they were class 5 & 6 races & CS’s winner was a Class 6. It’s perfectly possible to have winners even when the quality is lacking.
Nail, head. Find what meetings, races and types of races work for you and persevere with those. Can’t see the sense in devoting too many punting energies to Epsom this Saturday just for the sake of it when my (meagre) gifts of deduction are likelier to eke me out a winner or two at Hexham and Worcester.
There’s big conspiracy theories around why racing is organised the way it is. Could it just be that everyone is off work so there’s going to be lots of meetings?
Nail, head x2. The tone of some postings on Bank Holiday dates borders on affront – how dare so many people want to spend a day off going racing at so many different meetings at once!
If anything, today’s schedule needs fattening up to incorporate a few more meetings, not reduced to fewer, as there are several notable parts of the country presenting no case for racing to snaffle the leisure pound on a perfect day for so doing. Scotland, London and Devon spring readily to mind, but there will be others (and of these named, only Devon offered the alternative of a point-to-point today, courtesy of the South Tetcott meeting at Upcott Cross).
gc
No point in having a meeting in Scotland today Jeremy as it is not a Bank Holiday there and it would clash with Carlisle if it was flat and Kelso would not risk a clash with Cartmel as I notice Hexham have dropped it’s Bank Holiday fixture.
Noted on the Bank Holiday point, Bbob. Ta! Mind, were it a Bank Holiday, I’d proffer that there would still be enough interest in a Flat card at Musselburgh from public and trainers alike. Edinburgh’s hardly short of potential racegoers, and Musselburgh presents a different enough challenge from Carlisle not to risk drawing from entirely the same well of potential runners.
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.
Maybe there would be some mileage in having a meeting or two in the evening before a bank holiday rather than the afternoon of it?
From a ‘bums on seats’ perspective, some of the more ‘urban’ courses (Nottingham, Kempton, Haydock at a push) could provide a Sunday evening alternative to going out on the lash.
(By urban, I suppose I mean with good transport links)
Not a bad call, Anthony. I’d be up for giving that a trial, certainly!
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.
I remember many years ago Hexham held their bank holiday fixture in the evening. I assume as they don’t hold the fixture anymore it wasn’t that successful?
On grounds of course husbandry, I don’t think they’d bite. The little site takes such a pounding on each day of racing (in the public areas as well as the racing surface itself) that a clear day is needed to return it to its magnificent best every time.
Notice that the extra day they’ve added to their August Bank Holiday meeting this season takes place not on the Sunday in between the Saturday and Monday racedays, but on the preceding Thursday night instead.
Aye, valid point, it must take them a day to clear up the infield, let alone put back the divots on the course itself
I’m sure Cartmel themselves wouldn’t be the slightest bit interested as the crowds throng to capacity as things stand, but kinda like the idea of three days on the bounce from the perspective of the stay-at-home punter
Didn’t realise an extra day will be added to the August beano – good news indeed
I remember many years ago Hexham held their bank holiday fixture in the evening. I assume as they don’t hold the fixture anymore it wasn’t that successful?
If it was a Bank Holiday Monday meeting, then a glance at the fixture list for 2010 advises that no evening fixtures are programmed for either of the Holiday Mondays in May nowadays. The decision not to race, say, tonight may not be theirs.
They still race on the Saturday night of the early May Bank Holiday weekend, though.
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.
Watching Cartmel today, I’m half surprised there isn’t a shifty fellow wandering round offering to tarmac your drive.
It seems to me that you’ll never ever get a Sunday evening meeting
in the UK, it goes against "tradition" if the uk authorities had their way
there’d be no racing whatsoever on a Sunday, but they can’t afford to
stop it cos of the revenue it brings. Ireland take a more relaxed approach
to times and fixtures, hence the ballinrobe meeting this evening.
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