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B27,
How could generating substantial income year in year out at Galway be bad for Irish racing?
John
Maybe I’m just a purist and enjoy racing when we are looking for the best horse. I always thought that’s what racing was about.
As I said the people going to Galway aren’t there to enjoy the racing and a big p*ss up down in Ballybrit once a year wouldn’t deal with the large scale inherent problems in Irish racing. The Galway festival is nothing to be proud from an Irish racing point of view.
Look Galway isn’t about racing. You could put 25 donkeys running around the track and the majority of people wouldn’t know the difference.
And if you gave racegoers an ultimatum of going racing or a night out in the city afterwards, the majority would choose the latter. The races are an excuse for people to go to Galway an enjoy themselves for a week. It’s a credit to the HRB that Irish Racing are the ones benifitting from all this.
It’s not as if there isn’t good prizemoney on offer. The trainers just don’t send their horses to Galway. I would love nothing more than to wander down to the racecourse later on, anticipating some top class racing and a night out after. Sadly that’s not the case so instead i’ll spend my day meeting with friends, scoping the talent, swamping pints of the black stuff, with maybe a few odd glances at the big screen when the horses are coming up the hill. And to be honest I can’t wait
B27,
Fair enough the horses are not top class, although there have been some classy horses at Galway in the past. Its great for owners who have horses that are not top class, it allows them to compete for a good prize money. I still really don’t understand how facilitating this fixture is bad for Irish racing, when HRI benefits so much in generating revenue and marketing of it’s product.
JohnJ
Can I just add that I visited the Curragh for the Irish St Leger in 2008 and throroughly enjoyed it.
It’s a huge place and presumably difficult to fill,(a touch of Newmarket about it), but there were plenty there that afternoon.
I didn’t say it was bad for Irish racing, I just don’t think it is beneficial either. They might make good money out of the attendances, but that’s pumped back into the prize money.
We all know racing needs to increase its appeal and associating it with a massive session or a great band doesn’t benefit the racing product. Sooner or later the product has to stand on its own two feet.
The product on offer in Galway is so poor (there is no point in sticking 1 winner of the festival into horsetracker!) it wouldn’t encourage many new comers to go back to a racetrack for the sole purpose of watching horses race.
The product on offer in Galway is so poor (
there is no point in sticking 1 winner of the festival into horsetracker
!) it wouldn’t encourage many new comers to go back to a racetrack for the sole purpose of watching horses race.
Rite of Passage?
The product on offer in Galway is so poor (
there is no point in sticking 1 winner of the festival into horsetracker
!) it wouldn’t encourage many new comers to go back to a racetrack for the sole purpose of watching horses race.
Rite of Passage?
There will always be the exception! They all have to start somewhere!
- Total Posts 17716
Loosen My Load won his bumper at Galway festival last year.
Now fav with many people for next years Arkle. He also won a grade two hurdle at Paddy Power Meeting.
By the way the bumper he won is the same bumper that Rite Of Passage won the year before.
"(there is no point in sticking 1 winner of the festival into horsetracker!)" I think its very obvious that this bumper certainly produces quality horses and the winner of it is one to stick in the horsetracker.
– Useless, cowardly stewarding.
– 90% of the hold up horses never sighted.
– Obligatory Dick Turpin style overounds mandated by the insider carve up that is 90% of it.
– Reliance on prizemoney contributions from ropey property developers and a now skint government.
– The reckless breeding of the Celtic Tiger era.
– "Irish" bookmakers shacked up on every tax dodge island between Dun Laoghaire and Calais.
– A Tote that pre-dates the Ark.Irish racing has problems all right but I’d put tens of thousands enjoying the craic and racing (for whatever reason) at Galway this week a long way down that list.
FFS.
Robert,
If you are referring to my post about the Curragh, the quality of the racing would be the standard of the cards it holds throughout the year, all 5 classic races are held at the Curragh along with many Group and listed races, it consistently attracts top quality horses, which in turn means top quality racing.
JohnJ
JohnJ,
Was not referring to any particular post but are people not confusing horses that have high Timeform ratings with "quality racing". A Curragh with a sparse attendance is not quality racing – it is dreary, sole-less and forgettable . Does it really matter so much if they run races there a couple of seconds faster or sometimes slower?
Going racing is about the whole experience – the crowds, the banter, the betting, the parades. The races are just a few minutes in each hour but even then it is the races run close to the crowds, with horses challenging, losing ground and fighting back, the crowd reponding to make an exciting finish which knocks whatever the Timeform ratings may be into a cocked hat. Galway is absolutely top class racing for the racegoer. Galway races is/are memorable.
– Useless, cowardly stewarding.
– 90% of the hold up horses never sighted.
– Obligatory Dick Turpin style overounds mandated by the insider carve up that is 90% of it.
– Reliance on prizemoney contributions from ropey property developers and a now skint government.
– The reckless breeding of the Celtic Tiger era.
– "Irish" bookmakers shacked up on every tax dodge island between Dun Laoghaire and Calais.
– A Tote that pre-dates the Ark.Irish racing has problems all right but I’d put tens of thousands enjoying the craic and racing (for whatever reason) at Galway this week a long way down that list.
FFS.
LMAO, Cav you’re not Eamon Gilmore by any chance?
Robert, I am in agreement with you, however on good days the Curragh can be very enjoyable.
JohnJ
LMAO, Cav you’re not Eamon Gilmore by any chance?
I exempt County Clare from all of this of course, JJ. We are a racecourse free zone and production unit for the finest jockeys, horse-traders, and up and coming trainers.
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