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It would have been very difficult to make money by opposing Irish horses for the sake of it in recent years. But it’s great that there are those who do.
Judging by the comments on here and the generalisations clearly some people do care about the GB vs British thing.
I don’t really.
As with an earlier poster, I do make a bit of an exception for the Breeders’ Cup, and that’s it.
‘The opportunities for laying Irish trained horses at the festival at crazy low prices is always to be looked forward to’
In terms of placed horses, the Irish return at the 2006 Festival was vastly superior to their numerical representation at the meeting. Assessing the value of said horses is, of course, a more objective process.
Quote: from Mortisha on 6:40 pm on Nov. 6, 2006[br]I always look for an angle when laying. Whether it be a case like BOS, or Impek being backed by sentimental mugs in last year’s King George.
There are always fools out there to be taken advantage of. ÂÂÂ
So I presume you made a packet by laying Impek for last week’s Haldon Gold Cup, on the grounds that it would be sentimental money backing him did you?
Quote: from Mortisha on 6:40 pm on Nov. 6, 2006[br]Of course you can’t lay them all. But for example, laying Beef Or Salmon in last year’s Gold Cup was a like finding money lying on the pavement. All those Irishmen who just HAD to have a bet on BOS just in case helping to keep an already ridiculously low price down.
I always look for an angle when laying. Whether it be a case like BOS, or Impek being backed by sentimental mugs in last year’s King George.
There are always fools out there to be taken advantage of.  <br>
I presume there were "only" Irish men lumping on, no other nationality backed BoS because we are so patriotic to our horses even if it involves losing a few quid…..
Mortisha you do take a very simplistic view of that situation, I would rather think its driven by mug punters rather than nationality. Anybody with a grain of punting sense would know BoS would not have a hope in high heaven of winning the GC, unless it was run on easy ground at a slow pace.
JohnJ.
Was the horse Timber King. I remember that being a huge plot, sent off at single figure odds having been 20’s+ in the morning.
I remember that Mortisha, it was a very strange gamble that even had connections puzzled.
There will be just as many typical Irish mug punters as there are those that blindly back Pipe, Nichollas, Walsh and McCoy regardless of the horses they ride. And of course of the flat how often do we here the "Frankie Factor" or "Fallon Factor"????
Quote: from Prufrock on 2:55 pm on Nov. 6, 2006[br]I don’t really.
As with an earlier poster, I do make a bit of an exception for the Breeders’ Cup, and that’s it.<br>
Pru, I thought about my post (that you refer to) a bit.
Without the politics…. When the patriotism comes forth it’s always the ‘little guy’ versus the big bad guy that allows this. Do (patronising stance adopted) "the Irish" just care because they are beating the English? Do we only care about the Breeders Cup because it’s one of the few races against a nation "we" can feel indignant about?
As mentioned earlier, I’m still happy to back a US horse, but it’s the one horse race meeting a year where I do seem to get a feeling of them/us. Perhaps the reason I don’t at Cheltenham is because I am ‘them’ at the meeting?
People obviously care about this rivalry as it has given rise to quite rediculous comments such as pathetic and the quite unbelievable word terrorist.
The thinly veiled racism of Mortisha’s "thick Paddy" anecdotes I also find more than mildly disturbing.
I am an Irishman who has not missed a Festival since ’95 and has been a member since ’99. I have also been a marketing consultant to the racecourse.
What people are failing to realise is that the unique and friendly rivalry that exists between the Irish and English runs to the core of the success of the Festival.
Can you possibly appreciate how different the meeting would be minus the Irish horses and their fans. Further, are people any less passionate about horses from the North, the West Country or Lambourn?
I very much doubt it
I agree that the flag waving can be a bit much …..but also understand that for some they feel that they want to celebrate the victory and couch it in patriotic terms "they have won one for the Irish team" as such and that is their prerogative.
As it is equally the prerogative of any other nation at Cheltenham as is their want.
Maybe its not simply the flag waving of itself that you Anglo-Saxons find annoying but rather its growing repetition?
Good day
At first I loved the flag-waving as part of the unique atmosphere of Cheltenham.
BUT, my negative feeling about it is that I like, support and back horses from both sides of the Irish Sea.  I might follow a British horse as I have chance to see them run ‘live’ more often, or I might take a special liking to one of the Irish horses (Spirit Leader for example).  And when one of those Irish horses win, I’m probably just as happy as my friends from Galway or the bloke in the bar from Dublin – but the patriotic fever tends to say "this is OUR winner, not yours, because you’re British".  It can be quite excluding, when one of the chief virtues of NH racing is its inclusivity.
I presume many on here will not be cheering on Ouija Board in the Japan Cup, or Geordieland in the Cup today or any other foreign runner abroad that is based and trained in the UK.
Robert Thornton had a cross of St George to wave, I think it was on Voy Por Ustedes – although it was a pathetically small one!
Mortisha, you talk the kind of provocative s**t
e that is meant to start fires, but just inspires the reaction ‘won’t this ignorant twit go and attempt to annoy someone else?’.
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