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Doncaster are adding
The December Novices Steeple Chase Class 1 Grade from Lingfield
and a new listed race called Doncaster Mares Steeples Chase Class 1 Listed race to enhance ARC’s commitment to NH Hunt racing and persumably to try to keep their only major track in big race business.
http://www.arenaracingcompany.co.uk/news/story/173Seeing as the novice chase frequently fell victim to the elements at Lingfield, I can’t see the switch as anything but a move in the right direction and the Mares Chase will be a welcome addition to the fixture list.
Great news as always felt that doncaster as great potential as a jumping track and would be great to see the betfair chase moved there from across the Pennines at haydock and those daft trolly fences
Great news as always felt that doncaster as great potential as a jumping track and would be great to see the betfair chase moved there from across the Pennines at haydock and those daft trolly fences
Jockey Club won’t give the Betfair Chase to ARC so put that dream to bed.
Agree with Runandskip re Donny’s potential but shame to see Lingfield’s jumping program being subjected to a slow and painful death.
would be great to see the betfair chase moved there from across the Pennines at haydock and those daft trolly fences
I’m not with you on this one I’m afraid. Nor would I say are the fantastic attendances that Haydock attracts for its premier jumps fixture. Sure, the fences aren’t what they used to be but they still need jumping and they can still cause problems for the best of jumpers. Besides, looking at the race renewal by renewal, one would be hard pressed to say that the daft trolley fences have detracted from the overall quality. IMO, the Lancashire Chase is fine where it is.
Agree with Runandskip re Donny’s potential but shame to see Lingfield’s jumping program being subjected to a slow and painful death.
It is sad but speaking pragmatically, the December Chase has only been staged six times since the turn of the century which is frankly appalling. If one had a promising staying novice chaser, why would you bother entering and preparing it for a contest which has less than a 50% chance of going ahead?
but shame to see Lingfield’s jumping program being subjected to a slow and painful death.
Too true remember the days when Lingfield was a premier jumps track but hasn’t been for years. Wonder if they will turn the track into another Windsor and ditch the jumps?
Doncaster have an excellent NH programme with The Grimthorpe and The Great Yorkshire Chase. The mares listed hurdle brought Annie Power over and there’s an excellent conditions race that is used as a Champion Hurdle trial.
Rivals Wetherby with excellent NH racing in Yorkshire so this is a welcome boost.
Agree with Runandskip re Donny’s potential but shame to see Lingfield’s jumping program being subjected to a slow and painful death.
Perhaps not quite a slow and painful death, but certainly a rather bizarre trajectory.
Acquisitions from Folkestone have bolstered Lingfield’s total of jumps meetings back up to their highest figure for just shy of 20 years, but you’d never have guessed that this year given the number of abandonments.
Of 44 intended jumps fixtures at Leafy in the past six seasons, exactly a quarter have fallen to the elements. Even allowing for the time of year when most of those fixtures are scheduled to take place, and for some exceptional winters of late, that seems a bit high to me – certainly set against some of the loss rates in years gone by (all bar one of 32 jumps meetings programmed between 1994-5 and 1997-8 survived).
Course husbandry issues, perhaps, exacerbated by years of working on the artificial surface track? Better brains than mine can say yes or no.
The table below comprises all of the jumps fixtures programmed at Leafy in the past quarter century, with totals of abandonments and other matters of note also applied. The fixture totals really were that small at the turn of the century – that was the period during which a cessation of jumping at the course was being given much, much stronger consideration to than now, and the December Chase fixture was virtually all that survived (although not every year itself).
For quick reference, the seasons in which the December Chase was called off appear to have been 2011-12, 2008-09, 2006-07, 2005-06, 2001-02, 2000-01, 1999-00 and 1995-96 – do say if you know different.
(NB figures taken using the HBLB racecourse attendances database, which lists all fixtures whether they go ahead or not. Any errors commensurate with the data provided there!)
LINGFIELD JUMPS FIXTURES BY SEASON
==================================2013-14: 9 (5 abandoned; one replaced directly by NHF-only card)
2012-13: 9
2011-12: 7 (2 abandoned, incl. 10/12/11)
2010-11: 6
2009-10: 6 (1 abandoned)
2008-09: 7 (3 abandoned, incl. 13/12/08; 28/03/09 = first and only running of a late-March meeting with a good class 2 chase)
2007-08: 7
2006-07: 6 (1 abandoned – 09/12/06)
2005-06: 3 (2 abandoned, incl. 10/12/05; no NH fixtures programmed after Christmas)
2004-05: 3 (no NH fixtures programmed after Christmas)
2003-04: 3 (one-off 04/04/04 fixture the only NH one programmed after Christmas)
2002-03: 1 (sole NH meeting took place on 12/11/02; all-Flat mid-December Saturday meeting instead; no NH fixtures programmed after Christmas)
2001-02: 1 (15/12/01 – abandoned; no NH fixtures programmed after Christmas)
2000-01: 2 (1 abandoned – 09/12/00; one-off 19/05/01 fixture the only NH one programmed after Christmas)
1999-00: 1 (11/12/99; no NH fixtures programmed after Christmas)
1998-99: 6 (20/03/98 = last running of Saturday-after-Cheltenham NH fixture)
1997-98: 7
1996-97: 8
1995-96: 9 (1 abandoned – 09/12/95)
1994-95: 8
1993-94: 18 (1 abandoned; including artificial surface hurdling (discontinued after 24/02/94 fixture))
1992-93: 18 (including artificial surface hurdling)
1991-92: 22 (including artificial surface hurdling)
1990-91: 23 (including artificial surface hurdling)
1989-90: 20 (including artificial surface hurdling)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.
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