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“I’m not sure the opinion of someone who just wants to watch everything on mute is particularly relevant to this thread!”
This is a good point, well made, to be fair.
All I would say in response is I MIGHT turn the mute button off IF I thought there was anything worth listening to.
I shall crank up the volume when Ruby Walsh is back on come the winter and see if he provides the antidote to my cantankerous miserableness!
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"You and your mute button have got me intrigued Ian. Do you turn it up for the commentary, listen to an alternative commentary, or watch the races in silence?
I’m not taking the mick by the way! I’d struggle to follow what was going on without a commentator.
I am a great believer that the only way you can win as a punter long-term is to form completely independent opinions on absolutely anything.
If I could hear what they were saying I might be influenced by them or, worse still and tbh more likely, rebel against what they were saying to be different even though I agreed on that occasion.
If I watch literally everything – even the commentary – on mute I’m entirely on my own.
Just me and what I’m watching in silence and a blank piece of paper in my head to make notes on it.
That’s what I thrive on.
I only wish I could mute out the tannoy when I’m at the races too – I need to invest in some industrial standard ear plugs!
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"I can see the merit in that. But the commentary (Hoiles is excellent IMO) adds to the spectacle for me. All opinions isn’t it. I reach for mute when a Dettori love-in is imminent. It infuriates me for some irrational reason. “I Love my girl”. “I love him so much”. Nauseating fare.
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“I only wish I could mute out the tannoy when I’m at the races.”
Not just the tannoy. Lots of racecourses now have race day presenters to explain what is going on to the least experienced racegoers or the stupidest people who cannot make up their own minds.
The presenter at Plumpton one day recommended a horse as a great each way bet – in a four runner race.
I absolutely could not agree more, CAS.
But like TTC rightly says, “it’s all opinions, isn’t it?”
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"“I just don’t understand some of these comments. We have people on a horseracing forum (and who I presume therefore like horseracing) who think there is too much mainstream TV coverage, and would prefer that the coverage is interspersed with other things!
I agree ITV have been trying out quite a few different presenters over the past year or two, but again don’t understand why this provokes such strong reactions.
Yes, there are aspects of the coverage that could be improved, but they do a lot right with the more generalist audience they need to cater for in mind”.I think ITV generally have a problem filling the three hours they have allocated for their programme. That’s why it’s peppered with presenters, they are there to help fill the gap.
Each to their own. Depending what frame of mind I am in I can watch the whole thing or just watch the races, but I don’t have a problem with people disagreeing with me. It could be worse, Balding may be offered a contract because it seems like Rishi there are boxes that need ticking and they are in demand.Starting to feel like Persad is getting too much grief. Which “box” is the giggling Oli Bell ticking? The ‘being in the Bell family’ box?
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IanDavies – Thanks for answering my question. All respect to you for taking that approach, and I can see the logic in it. Much like Tatling, I’d lose some of the enjoyment of watching the big races in particular without the commentary, not to mention I’d not have the memory/speed to follow every race well enough!
GSP – The stop-start nature of a race meeting certainly presents issues for how to cover it on TV as has been said earlier in this thread. Personally I’d prefer more analysis and focus on the horses rather than the Social Stable, but in either case I don’t think ITV are struggling to fill the airtime, and racing has plenty enough to offer to do so. In fact when they also cover a second meeting it seems like they are struggling to fit everything in.
I think the talk of box ticking does a disservice to many of the presenters, and I’m glad the presenting teams are far more diverse than they were 30 years ago. I think you are safe from Clare Balding returning though. She has long ago moved on to more mainstream fare, and I’d be quite surprised to see her return to the niche world of horseracing now.
I know Ed Chamberlin gets a fair bit of criticism on here, but he moved from the more popular field of football to horseracing because he is passionate about the sport, and I have a lot of respect for him for doing so. Lydia Hislop has been praised on here for sticking to a potentially less lucrative career path, and I think much the same could be said of Ed. I also think he’s a good anchorman, but will probably be in a minority on that point too!
Chamberlain is great when he is not trying to turn every big race winner in to an X-Factor type emotional story. Unfortunately that is not very often nowadays.
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Everything seems to have to be turned into an emotional “story” nowadays; the presenting of racing is following much broader trends. If you can get them to cry a bit it’s even better! I agree it’s very wearying.
Boils my piss Martlingford. Everyone has problems in life. Its not a “story”.
“What a remarkable heart wrenching story. The groom of Plumpton winner ‘Old Dobbin’ got binned off by her boyfriend for another (more attractive) stable girl, exactly 27.265 months today!”
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Quite possibly the most surreal race I have watched on mute was The Derby last year.
Appalling aftertiming here, but I had backed Serpentine both win only and each way at 33/1, though he was by no means the only horse I backed in the race as I basically wanted to take on both the 2,000 Guineas winner and English King so had backed three or four sure stayers on form and/or pedigree at long odds.
Anyway, not only is the sound silent but visually it’s an empty Epsom Downs, a kind of visual silence as well if you get my drift.
I ran the full gamut of emotions watching in isolated silence.
“He’s leading, this reminds me of Slip Anchor but he’s no Slip Anchor….still it’s a purposeful lead and I don’t think he’s just being a pacemaker….this is a strong pace but I don’t think it’s an insane pace….he’s really getting away from them, they’re allowing him one Hell of a lead here….he’s kicked for home, this looks unassailable….he’s getting a bit tired, but they’re not going to get to him….come on!”
With absolutely and literally no one to instruct you and give you their take on what’s occurring, you have no choice but to get off the fence and form your own entirely independent views on what’s happening in front of you.
It’s kinda isolating in some ways, some might even find it lonely, but it is gigantically satisfying when you get it right.
You don’t have anyone telling you what’s going on, but you don’t NEED anyone telling you what’s going on – IMO that’s a great feeling.
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
https://mobile.twitter.com/Ian_Davies_
https://www.facebook.com/ThePointtoPointNHandFlatracingpunter/
It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Marlingford – “In fact when they also cover a second meeting it seems like they are struggling to fit everything in”.
Yes agree with all the presenters there chatting for chatting’s sake to justify them being there I can see that causes a problem. Too many mouths to slot in. Now, if there were just three or four there.
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