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Groundhog Day in the Post. Bruce Millington’s attentions are once again turned to David Beckham while an axeing of the fixture list is announced by The Rabble – 250 meetings to go next year.
How long before those who really run the sport have a word in their shell like?
Paul Dixon is already in the Rabble’s other ear:
It was front page headline news in the Post so I think you’re a bit harsh on Millington there Glenn.
I’d never really agrees that there was too much racing in this country.
But reading that 250 meetings are to go & knowing that it probably won’t make a noticeable difference is quite sobering.The question is, where is likely to take the hit?
For me, I’d have one summer jumps evening per week rather than per day for a start.A cut of 250 meetings is nowhere near enough, it should be double that at least.
As to where? Well we don’t need AW meetings in the middle of summer. We also don’t need two NH meetings a day in the summer either, as per yesterday. Much as I like NH there should be a 4-6 week gap after the close of the season.
We also do not need three evening meetings, tonight for example.
I’m also not sure why we need four meetings on a Saturday afternoon … three should suffice with one high quality meeting and two supporting meetings.
More radically have one blank day a week, Monday unless it’s a Bank Holiday or winter Sunday’s and it will be easy to absorb a 500 meeting reduction and (apart from the blank days) most punters wouldn’t even notice.
Sunday without racing would give the punters a chance to cope with the hangover,eat a decent meal and get ready for the coming challenge.Review,reflect and predict,that is what Sunday is for.
More radically have one blank day a week, Monday unless it’s a Bank Holiday or winter Sunday’s and it will be easy to absorb a 500 meeting reduction and (apart from the blank days) most punters wouldn’t even notice.
As much as it sounds good, you and I know this will never happen in our lifetime.
Since it’s introduction, Sunday racing has generally been a success (though I’m yet to back a winner on a Sunday lol), so I don’t think there’s any chance they’ll drop racing on this day, and even less a chance of them dropping racing on a Monday.
Paul , agreed , they could easily go again next year if the bookies dont pay up
I say its a good step though , and fair dues to the rabble , its been a long time coming , please dont have second thoughts ………
Ricky
before his column went behind rupert’s "pay curtain" (anyone been there incidentally?), alan lee wrote:
"….. Most of the present fixtures “belong” to racecourses or groups but 260 are BHA leasehold meetings. Every one of them should be scrapped for 2011 to give the sport essential breathing space in a crisis."
could that be the suggestion taken-up by BHA?
When I looked at this week’s fixtures last weekend I thought ‘great, the new coalition Government has given us an extra Bank Holiday.’
After all, 6 meetings in the UK today?
Just a shame I was working when everybody else enjoyed the holiday.
A cut of 250 meetings is nowhere near enough, it should be double that at least.
As to where? Well we don’t need AW meetings in the middle of summer. We also don’t need two NH meetings a day in the summer either, as per yesterday. Much as I like NH there should be a 4-6 week gap after the close of the season.
We also do not need three evening meetings, tonight for example.
I’m also not sure why we need four meetings on a Saturday afternoon … three should suffice with one high quality meeting and two supporting meetings.
More radically have one blank day a week, Monday
It may not be enough but an immediate ~15% cut is a damn good start. Not what I wished for but more than I was anticipating. Has a long overdue panic set in?
If (very very big if) the hardnuts who "really run the sport" don’t throw the timid rabblers a sucker-punch: Ken Clean Air System v Kenneth Clark springs to mind
Agree with your ideas of where the cuts should be made, bar the 4-6 week NH close season in May/June. Spring turf is too good to waste whereas September turf is generally poor, so I’d prefer the existing week-long break then to be extended to encompass the whole month. Reconvene in October at the tracks that haven’t participated in Summer Jumping – with lip-licking relish
I’d also prefer to see summer jumps restricted to a couple of weekday evenings and Sundays
Blank Monday would be fine though I doubt it will happen as a standalone; only if racing implodes sufficiently to necessitate something akin to a ‘three day week’
The introduction of Sunday racing (with betting) in 1995 was one of the great leaps forward so I certainly wouldn’t entertain that day becoming blank again. Does need beefing-up quality-wise though; at the expense of the too-chocker Saturdays would seem sensible
When I looked at this week’s fixtures last weekend I thought ‘great, the new coalition Government has given us an extra Bank Holiday.’
After all, 6 meetings in the UK today?
Just a shame I was working when everybody else enjoyed the holiday.
its certainly thanks to the UK government that Special Administrative Region Establishment Day has been celebrated every 1 July in Hong Kong since 1997.
It was front page headline news in the Post so I think you’re a bit harsh on Millington there Glenn.
Not really having a go at him. I just find his obsession with a player that has played no more than a handful of games of any betting interest to the vast majority of his readers in the last few years bizarre.
Did Beckham give him a duff tip at Walthamstow dogs once?
Nothing confirmed yet, the rabble playing hardball imo. Will be interesting to see the bookmakers response to this. Will we see retaliation in the form of reduced race sponsorship from the bookmakers justified by the subsequent loss of betting income, Racing would be the loser in that scenario.
Dont see what benefit there is to Racing at all by these cuts. Prize money wont go up, the standard of racing wont go up, the levy contribution wont go up and employment across the racing industry wont go up.
Having said that an average of 4 meetings a day over the year would be plenty, possibly 3 day meetings 10 minutes apart plus an evening one. Better use of Sundays to run decent flat handicaps in the Summer and more quality jumps meetings diverted to Sundays during the Winter.
A centuries old sport that supports a multi billion pound industry rapidly going skint through gross mismanagement, cronyism, snobbery and amateurism is nothing to celebrate imo.
Ivory towers or customers, Paul?
Can’t say I’m an expert on this, but aren’t the meetngs being culled exactly the ones that pay for themselves? Or am I falling for bookmaker propoganda?
If it is AW winter meetings than bear most of the brunt of this, from a selfish perspective, will be disappointed.
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Surely such cuts are common sense, Cav, in theory at least?
With the same number of horses now competing in fewer races, three and four-runner fields will hopefully become far less frequent. Racing in turn will be more competitive, prize money can be re-distributed among the remaining fixtures and whilst the current level of (betting) turnover may not be maintained, the increased difficulty in finding a winner should lead to a healthier levy yield.
I’m just surprised it has taken the BHA this long to announce these measures – racing has been crying out for cuts for years.
Just wonder whether anyone is an "expert" on this?
Reading Ruth Quinn’s comments today, it seems like this has been a knee-jerk reaction rather than a considered decision by the BHA.
I’m not saying the fixture list doesn’t need to be reduced, but the BHA should be targeting the meetings that are obviously surplus to requirements – as someone else has already said, do we need 3 meeting tonight for example?
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