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From the racing post:
Stewards satisfied
The stewards have accepted Am I Blue trainer Delyth Thomas’s explanation that the improvement in the horse’s form had been brought about by a change of tactics and some spinal therapy and decided not to hold an inquiry.
Of course they’re not holding an inquiry.
It’s not a big meeting where potential newcomers to racing have lost any money or seen what a joke racing is.
Instead it’s just the people that enjoy watching racing day after day and putting money into the sport (and i say sport loosely) that get fu**ed in the ar*e!
I didn’t bet obviously, I rarely do, but I’m beginning to realise why everyone in my family was skeptical of me choosing this sport as a hobby. "Nothing but con men and cheats" they said. Don’t like to say it, but they were right.
Anyway, I’ll always watch the bigger races because I can’t help enjoying a good race. It’s a shock to see how often this happens though, I was too busy thinking "poor racing getting a bad name" to realise.
Interesting view on things. It seems that there’s something going on, I for one shall be reading the racing post with interest tomorrow.
A ridiculously easy win, and a staggering improvement in form by a horse who’d been beaten over 150 lengths in its last two starts.
I suggest the stewards avail themselves of some of the spinal therapy which has proved so effective for Am I Blue.
This doesn’t suggest that the front running tactics have never been used before as stated.
That was not stated. The irony of you making the point that forceful tactics have been used on the horse to some effect previously (as in "on some, not necessarily all, of its prior starts") seems to have been lost on you.
Its previous best form was when Richard Johnson rode it for Tim Vaughan, all in the form book just some people miss things more than others.
Such as missing that the horse was going to be ridden by Richard Johnson, not a 5-lb conditional, something which seems to have been announced late in the day?
This horse has been beaten by 88 and 74 lengths on its last 2 outings, yet wins doing proverbial handstands.
A cynic may suggest that a drop in handicap rating of 17 pounds during its shocking performances, may have just as much to do with its improved performence, as its treatment or how it was ridden. Obviously the major gamble was just a coincidence.
Still every credit to whoever detected its likely massive improvement in form, as apparently it did not involve the connections.
Must be a lot of crystal balls at Hereford today.The BHA have issued a press release to the effect that the Integrity Department will be investigating all aspects surrounding this particular event.
Statement from Paul Struthers of BHA, read out on ATR:
"When a horse wins showing improved form having been heavily supported and subject to a jockey change, it is vital for the integrity of the sport that all of the facts are established.
Our integrity department spoke to the racecourse stewards who have obtained two possible reasons for the improvement in form.
It remains entirely possible that everything was above board, but it is just as important to prove if that was the case as it is to prove that it wasn’t.
Therefore, our integrity services and licensing department will be looking into all of the circumstances of Am I Blue’s victory at Hereford today."
(apologies if anything got missed in translation)
My main man Paul Struthers is on the case and he’s looking to crack some skulls.
Given that The Rabble’s own website still has Dean Coleman down as riding, a year after we were promised a site detailing jockey changes as one of RFC’s initial baby steps, I wouldn’t hold out much hope of them being on the case here.
Let’s hope they give the person that has been training the horse a proper grilling, unlike the on-track stewards.
So it appears the race is being investigated – does that mean the result definitely stands?
According to one report, the "unwell" conditional jockey was seen at the paddock before the race.
Were Nine Lives Reeder and McCracken there too? There used to be a joke that when the police wanted to round up the local villains, all they had to do was a swoop of the nearest bookies. Scotney’s Boys could probably achieve the same by proceeding to any gaff track paddock in midweek.
When gambles of this type are landed I tend to make every effort not to jump on the ricketty bent bandwagon and search for a plausible explanation from the formbook, but other than the horse falling fast in the weights and today being potentially even better treated on some juvenile novice form than he has been on his last two runs for this stable, I can find nothing to explain today’s win.
Had this been the first run for the stable, I wouldn’t have batted an eyelid as these small stables with a handful of horses can on occasions cause a dramatic improvement through ‘doting care’
So the stewards should most certainly have held an official enquiry into the apparent improved form, with emphasis placed on delving deeper into the reported treatment the horse received. Presumably this occurred sometime in the fortnight since his last run.
Veterinary reports confirming (or not) that the treatment received can firstly have such a dramatic effect and secondly, so quickly
A detailed explanation of what the treatment was from whoever treated the horse, bolstered by documents and receipts of fees charged
An inquisition of claimer Coleman concerning his reported ill-health. What was it? did he see a doctor? is he better now? if so why?
…for starters
An inquisition of claimer Coleman concerning his reported ill-health. What was it? did he see a doctor? is he better now? if so why?
It rather depends what ill health constitutes in this case, I think, and my first thoughts are actually to consider whether the rider has been struggling with a knock in the recent past, rather than something as transitory as sickness and diarrhoea.
A glance at his jockey stats on the
Post
site reveals that Dean Coleman’s ride on Am I Blue on August 17th is his only one since the end of July. Yet this is the man who has been second choice jockey for Tim Vaughan for over 18 months, and indeed first choice when the likes of Richard Johnson and Seamus Durack haven’t been available.
Given Vaughan’s heavy patronage of the summmer jumping period, it’s not too far-fetched to assume that had Coleman been in a fit state to take rides from the Aberthin handler during July, he would have got them (to go along with whatever has come his way from the likes of Dai Burchell and Jonathan Jay in lesser volume).
I’d therefore also wonder if the ride on the 17th constituted a premature attempt to return to the saddle, after which he’d had to concede he wasn’t quite there yet; and whether he’d similarly hoped to be 100% again today but had to concede otherwise (only this time before racetime).
Other circumstances may lie behind today’s decision, of course, but whilst I’ve not actually seen anything to indicate he’s been sidelined through injury for most of the last month, nor have I seen anything to indicate he’s been suspended, taking a planned break or anything else for it, either.
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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Matt Chapman made some very good points today but it was also obvious he was annoyed at what went on but I found myself asking why??
Surely Matt knows that this sort of thing goes on all the time in horse racing. ATR and RUK both spend a lot of air time with regular market movers where they report money coming in for horses and also drifters. Surely this feature alone would suggest that these sort of incicedents are almost expected????
If they didnt happen then why spend airtime reporting market movers both possitively and negatively????
You cant complain about it but then also have a feature on the programme where you point out movers….
Im sure a lot of people find the market movers feature very helpfull and I can understand why, but you cant find an incident like this today suprising when you have a feature like this setup to warn of such instances prior to racing starts that day???
You have to ask yourself why is horse racing the only real sport where market movers are reported on a daily basis. We all know the answer
The welsh mafia tried a similar touch last year if I remember correctly. Very blatant IMO.
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Its part and parcel of racing from where Im sitting.
Just think its double standards for Chapman to moan about it when part of the show he presents has market movers as a feature.
Maybe he was moaning on behalf of punters and I can understand why a bit, but market movers are a part of the show, therefore that accepts that they are part of the sport imo.
Why report such moves as a feature of the show if apparently the sport is clean and these sort of things don’t happen?
I do appriciate the the market move feature is there to serve the viewer and Im sure all viewers like the feature, but don’t moan about an instance such as today when the programme you present highlights these moves on a daily basis.
Funniest headline in todays Post
"Scotney offers BHA security security expertise to assist cricket betting probe"In the past Scotney has served as staff officer to Ronnie Flanagan who is now head of I.C.C security department while Ben Gunn ex copper and BHA board member has known Ronnie for thirty years.
Talk about jobs for the boys, all these ex plod on early retirement with generous pensions and the sad thing is they think they are competent
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