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I have just read that next weeks John Smiths Cup at York has had it’s distance adjusted from an extended 1m2f to 1m1f because the back straight at York is waterlogged and un-raceable.
I would love to know your opinions on this as I for one am quite amazed that this action has been taken. OK, York might not have had an alternative and it may well have been the only course of action, but if I were an owner or trainer of a horse that was aimed at that race and needed every inch of the 1m2f journey, then I would not be best pleased. It’s not as if it’s a run of the mill handicap, it’s one of the top 10 furlong handicaps of the season and I dare say many trainers/owners ear-mark this race from a very early stage, especially if they have a nicely handicapped 10 furlong specialist.
I am probably going a little over the top here, but I just think it’s a major change to one of the principle races on the York calendar, and I am sure they could have ran the race over the proper distance at the next available meeting rather than cut the distance so the race can be ran on it’s correct date.
Mike
Is there more rain forecast next week or is the waterlogging already so bad it will take a week to drain?
There are a couple of races on the Friday that have been shortened as well. It does seem a drastic step so we can only assume that the back straight is in a dreadful state.
I suppose they could have moved the John Smiths to the same day that the Silver Cup will now be run on (July 28th) but then if horses were being aimed at next Saturday, wouldn’t that also cause a disruption in their preparation?
Is there more rain forecast next week or is the waterlogging already so bad it will take a week to drain?
There are a couple of races on the Friday that have been shortened as well. It does seem a drastic step so we can only assume that the back straight is in a dreadful state.
I suppose they could have moved the John Smiths to the same day that the Silver Cup will now be run on (July 28th) but then if horses were being aimed at next Saturday, wouldn’t that also cause a disruption in their preparation?
The Silver Cup has already been scrapped and has been replaced by a 7 furlong race so that they don’t have to use the back straight. They may as well have just changed the whole race programme, or better still abandoned the meeting lol.
They say the recent rain has been so bad that the back straight is waterlogged and the rest of the course is ‘heavy’. So going on that, if York has anymore rain next week it sounds as though the whole meeting will be in jeopardy anyway – plus, they havd a fire recently that did quite a bit of damage to the restaurants, so maybe they are hoping for more rain lol.
Mike
Surely better to adjust the race so that it can be run, even if distance is adjusted. I would say though that all who’ve paid entry fees and were still ‘in’ should have their fees refunded. Perhaps that is the case, I don’t know.
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The Magnet Cup day is a massive day for both the sponsors and the racecourse, and to move it to another day would negate the amount of effort put in by the brewery, their pubs, and the York executive, in to making this possibly the best attended meeting of the racecourse’s annual fixture list.
However, changing the distance of the race at such short notice is certain to impact on what is probably racing’s premier 10f handicap, and is bound to change significantly the chance of a number of horses that have been specifically trained for the race.
The question is, imo, is this summer really that bad, or the racecourse in such a parlous state, that a decision to change the distance couldn’t have been held of until at least the 5 day declaration stage?The Magnet Cup day is a massive day for both the sponsors and the racecourse, and to move it to another day would negate the amount of effort put in by the brewery, their pubs, and the York executive, in to making this possibly the best attended meeting of the racecourse’s annual fixture list.
However, changing the distance of the race at such short notice is certain to impact on what is probably racing’s premier 10f handicap, and is bound to change significantly the chance of a number of horses that have been specifically trained for the race.
The question is, imo, is this summer really that bad, or the racecourse in such a parlous state, that a decision to change the distance couldn’t have been held of until at least the 5 day declaration stage?I totally agree that it’s a massive day for the Sponsors and the racecourse but that perhaps is part of my point. Have they put the racecourse and the sponsors before the trainers and owners, as without the trainers and the owners they wouldn’t have a race meeting anyway.
Like I said earlier, I may be making too much of this, but I just think reducing one of the seasons top handicaps by a massive 288 yards (almost 1 and a half furlongs) at such short notice, will not go too down well with the trainers/owners of genuine 10f horses who have been aiming at the race all season.
However at this stage, I think the chances of the meeting going ahead is probably about a 2 in 10 chance. They say the back straigh is totally waterlogged and the rest of the course is currently heavy – and with only one ‘dry’ day forecast in the whole of July then will York avoid anymore rain?
I guess we will have to wait and see.
Mike
It wouldn’t help those trainers that have been aiming their horses at the race by cancelling it would it.
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Like I said earlier, I may be making too much of this, but I just think reducing one of the seasons top handicaps by a massive 288 yards (almost 1 and a half furlongs) at such short notice, will not go too down well with the trainers/owners of genuine 10f horses who have been aiming at the race all season.
……
Mike
mike
Possibly so, but if the course isn’t fit for a race of the full distance then there won’t be a race at all. Better to take the pragmatic line of running races over the fit bit of the course than to call the whole meeting off.
Let’s face it, these are exceptional circumstances. There may have been summers which have caused similar problems but I’m hard pressed to remember one.
Rob
It wouldn’t help those trainers that have been aiming their horses at the race by cancelling it would it.
But that’s irrelevant, because the trainers who have aimed their horse at the race won’t be running now will they – instead what we have got is a totally brand new race over 1 and half furlongs shorter, which will now benefit the trainers of 8 and 9f horses.
But still, I guess this is better than not having a race at all so I take your point on board.
Mike
You probably are making a little too much of it Mickey.
As people have already stated it is probably the best option open to the course.
But I do concede your point that if a horse has been prepared especially for the race, and needs all of the distance that was advertised, that some investments may have gone awry.
Colin
Interesting to see what betfair do on the ante-post market. Should be voided imo.
the perils of anteposting, imo – tough luck, add it to the list of things that can go wrong
This is more than the perils of ante-post punting. It’s a change in the conditions of the race compared to when you placed your bet.
I’m pretty sure that all ante-post bets on the race would be void. The conditions have changed so effectively it’s not the same event.
Rob
Had a wander around the proposed 9f start this morning and it’s not looking too clever, there being a roughly yard-wide sunken and waterlogged strip about 10 yards off the inside rail which runs from near the start to approximately the 8f pole with smaller waterlogged patches in the same position between 8f and 7f. The grass in these waterlogged areas is sparse and yellowed. Elsewhere on the round course the grass is in pretty good shape but the ground is certainly uniformly soft with several heavy, near waterlogged patches.
Of course a week is a long time in weather but prolonged drying conditions over the next week would seem imperative in order to drain the waterlogging and I fear even if it does superficially drain, these areas could ride very false. We shall see: it rarely pays to be dogmatic when attempting to forecast going so far in advance.
Anyway, from a point of view of saving the Magnet Cup, they’ve made absolutely the correct decision in cutting it to 9f as the back straight is in dire condition; and in abandoning the Silver Cup and other races on the round course as it may possibly take one race but certainly no more, as things stand.
As for rescheduling the Cup: the next meeting on the 26th is a Thursday evening meeting and I doubt the sponsors would be interested. The Listed event from the abandoned meeting in June is due to be run though.
nope, it looks like they don’t care on betfair, only a few quid matched anyway
whilst i agree with dj re the conditioons are now quite different, the ground/going can always alternate between firm and heavy and if a couple of market leaders get pulled out or not declared, that makes races hugely different too
ask the connections what they would prefer – the correct distance and lucky dip going or the correct going for their horse and nearly the right distance – answers would differ i suspect
ante post betting is always about speculation to the extreme and this eventuality can just be added to the list of things that can happen, imo
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