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Increasingly, the mute button alone just isn’t enough.
Some really disturbing images this week.
I think Goodwood is the most beautiful racecourse in the world, but some of this week’s coverage is making me really glad I’m not there.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"“… some of this week’s coverage is making me really glad I’m not there.”
Anything in particular? Haven’t seen anything noticeably egregious, but I’m watching on Racing TV.
It’s the material between races – I blame myself, I should switch off the instant they cross the line and only switch on again at post time for the following race.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Ah, right. I thought that you had spotted some behaviour in the crowd that made you glad you weren’t there.
It WAS “behaviour in the crowd,” but the only offenders were members of the ITV Racing “Social” team, making their usual nuisance of themselves in among them all.
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 think Goodwood is the most beautiful racecourse in the world, but some of this week’s coverage is making me really glad I’m not there”.
It really is and it’s easy to avoid the worst of the low-life if you stick to the paddock area & seats in the grandstand. You can still hear the live music from the paddock though – at first it’s quite nice but after the first race you just pray it will end (and it doesn’t).
I last attended Goodwood at a quiet Sunday October meeting towards the end of last Turf Flat season.
I went in the Richmond Enclosure.
I hadn’t been for a few years (first attended in 1984) but was delighted to find it hadn’t really changed.
So pleasant in every aspect right down to the approach drive to the course through West Sussex.
My comments were about the ITV Racing team, not the track itself, which is God’s own Flat racecourse.
I walked the entire circuit one year – down at the 1m4f start the tranquility is almost overwhelming.
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"Indeed. I hadn’t driven before and came via Petworth. Seemed to be driving for miles along beautiful winding rural roads and started to panic as thought I was lost. Suddenly turned a corner and came out of the woods alongside the course at the 5 furlong post. Stunning.
It’s not just ITV to be fair. There are numerous media teams prowling Goodwood (from many countries). Easy enough to avoid by looking dowdy & grumpy!
Racing League. Who’s watching? I am flicking back & forth between uninspiring Commonwealth events. Bit of ITV commentary I caught seems aimed very much at old hands, indeed as a devoted follower of racing for over 50 years, I still occasionally struggled with some of the analysis of handicap ratings etc, or maybe I was too bored to concentrate. Yet the target audience for the meeting appears to be racing newcomers (being the excuse for the entire exercise). “Between 2 stools” I fear – voting now open for second stool (first is obviously Chapman).
I could not watch it.
In itself, a card of seven relatively valuable mainly Class 3 Handicaps is a welcome addition to the Racing Calendar.
But racing as a team sport is a proven failure – the Shergar Cup (to which similar remarks apply) has provided annual evidence of this for years.
You cannot recreate the tribal nature of football club support, ingrained and handed down from generation to generation, by creating contrived teams, even regional ones.
Viewers engage with racing by having a bet – and not on a horse they regionally identify with, but by trying to back the winner, regardless of its origin.
Every British punter will have backed an Irish runner at the Cheltenham Festival at some point.
The best thing about the Racing League is it’s not many fixtures and it will soon be over.
The best thing you can say about the Shergar Cup is it’s only once a year.
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"“The best thing you can say about the Shergar Cup is it’s only once a year.”
Second best.
The best is unequivocally Captain Robbo’s wonderful Shergar Cup thread.
That, Gladders, is undeniably true.
I actually attended Shergar Cup Day in 2012 and the best thing was the 80s gig after racing.
Jimmy Somerville had an amazing vocal, undiminished by the passage of time, the now sadly late Steve Strange lived up to his name, as Visage performed Fade To Grey and the years had been kind to Clare Grogan (Altered Images), still almost as cute as when I first set eyes on her in Gregory’s Girl.
But even the divine Ms Grogan couldn’t hold a candle to Captain Robbo’s Shergar Cup thread last year.
Best Shergar Cup EVER.
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"“You cannot recreate the tribal nature of football club support, ingrained and handed down from generation to generation, by creating contrived teams, even regional ones.”
But the ECB thinks you can with The Hundred.
“The best is unequivocally Captain Robbo’s wonderful Shergar Cup thread.”
Funnily enough I just read that thread again, after I had checked out this year’s card.
Captain Robbo played a blinder that day, with some fine support from TTC.
There were a few classic Thommo clips towards the end, including his memorable promotion of hospitality at Haydock. I think this clip must have been from the same night. Classic Derek in his element, helping to judge the Best Dressed Lady:
The Hundred and The Racing League are both similar in that they’re trying to create teams that don’t really exist. In cricket, Somerset fans are expected to support a team based in South Wales – what’s all that about? Or fans from my area (Merseyside) are expected to support a Manchester team – no chance!!
Both sports are guilty of wasting money on vanity projects, when otherwise it could be spent on other things. And with racing, it’s another project benefiting the Flat.
I’m a Somerset supporter Andy.. I have no interest whatsoever in any of the 100 cricket. I wouldn’t support any of them if you paid me.
If Somerset fold it will bye, bye to cricket for me.Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
Thing is cricket is a team game, racing not. Those atending the 100 will have a much better knowledge of the participants than those coming along for the racing league. Those taking an interest in cricket as a result of the 100 may just carry that over to the longer format.
I remember the John Player league being slated in the 1970’s but it surely did the game good, live coverage of a full match on terrestrial tv every Sunday and you also saw those South Africans unable to play on the international scene – such as Mike Proctor and Barry Richards.
I can never accept that this daft Racing League concept will attract a new audience to the sport – just those that call the horses by their numbers. Had a chuckle at the fact that Dettori couldn’t be arsed to travel up to Donny to ride for ‘Wales’. I knew an Italian who had a soft spot for Wales because a relative was in a POW camp there and decided to stay after the end of the war.
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