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I don’t know the full details as I’ve only seen a picture of the front page of Tuesdays Racing Post but it’s headline is Chester in trial to stage jump racing.
Believe I’m right in saying Chester used to stage racing over hurdles at their May meeting, though this was many years ago. I’m sure the traditionalists will baulk at the idea of bringing it back.
Just caught the end of Matt and Mick talking about it on ATR too, but can’t find anything on RP wesbite. Not the best track for it being on an almost constant bend I would have thought. They seemed to think a lot of people from Liverpool would come down for it, but you’ve already got Haydock, Aintree and Bangor providing jump racing in the winter so I’m not sure yet another jumps meeting in the area would generate that much interest. There’s only Bangor for jumps in the summer, but I don’t think English crowds like the idea of mixed meetings much, not like NI/Ireland where’s it’s the norm. Any idea/thoughts of why they’re thinking of doing it/bringing it back? Money I suppose.
Donald McCain would fancy some of that for Overturn over fences. Round there he’d be near unbeatable if he jumps.
It’s a purely exploratory initiative by Chester but local trainer Donald McCain is very interested and is being very supportive about trials involving hurdles.
Even if the venture went ahead, it would be 2014 before any jumps fixtures could be allocated to Chester. There seems to be plenty of enthusiasm for the idea locally and it would certainly add a new dimension to racing at Chester.
It’s good that someone, for once, is suggesting an increased presence for jumping on the racing calendar.
When you remember that courses such as Nottingham and Windsor have done away with their jumping action, which was arguably of a higher quality than the Flat fare, and take into account that features such as water jumps have disappeared at many National Hunt courses, this initiative from Chester, even though it is in the early stages and may come to nothing, is welcome news.
Apparently they are only contemplating hurdle races. I am with Mick Fitzgerald on this. It will cause too much of a scramble to get to the inside.
Whilst applauding their initiative, its not for me.There’s a report on the story on the Sporting Life website
I seem to remember posting an April Fool’s piece on here some years ago stating that Chester were going to introduce jump racing (and also make it a right-handed circuit). Can’t believe they are serious. It’s much too tight and is asking for trouble as the jockeys will all try to grab a rail position. The track might be no tighter than one or two other courses where jump racing currently takes place, but whilst not tighter, it’s
narrower
– and that’s a key issue. If a horse wants to run out at a flight, there will have to be space for it to do so. This means, at some points on the course – especially the home straight, the hurdles will be too narrow to support fields of any size.
The whole idea is totally barmy, besides Chester Race Company manages Bangor-on-Dee so can’t see why they’d want to poach runners from that track.Do people think there is any chance jump racing could return at other places such as Nottingham and Windsor. As Folkstone and Hereford are going and they both stage jumping and flat in Folkstones case it would be good if jump racing could return to Nottingham and Windsor. I know there is a good chance Hereford could return in 2014 but it would still be good to have at least 1 or 2 courses more with jumping. What do people think. I welcome the idea of jumping at chester as I am a die hard national hunt man but I agree that it could be very dangerous going round those bends.
Saw this in today’s Racing Post, so I thought could be worth buying to find out more.
Hurdles will be laid out around the track on Monday for a schooling session, with horses provided by Donald McCain at a course best known for top class flat racing.Donald whom trained Ile De Re & Overturn (Chester Cup winners) will take upto 8 horses to the Roodee for the trail. With next year’s fixture set to be unveiled this week, the earliest Chester could stage a NH meeting would be 2014.
Andrew Morris (Clerk of the Course);
"We are continuing to look at ways in which we could improve, innovate and push the boundaries of what we do now.
I think hurdle races were run in the distant past and it is something we have looked at and trying to decide if it is something we might be able to do.
We are at a very early stage and there are no plans set on what we might do in the future. The idea on Monday is to set up the course as it might be for a hurdle race and see what the feedback is from those who take part in the trial.
We have kept the BHA updated with what we are doing, but at the moment it is merely an exercise to see the art of the possible.
It is one of a number of ideas and concepts we have for the future. Our season ends on Saturday and to stage a trial we have to run it as close to the end of the season as possible so we can get on with putting the course to bed for winter."McCain said "It would be great to see hurdlers going round Chester. Chester and Bangor are very good to me and I would do whatever I can to help them."
Robin Mounsey (BHA spokesman) said,
" The BHA have been approached by Chester to explore the possibility of holding a small number of hurdle races there at some point in the future.
For this to be seriously considered there are several criteria which would need to be met in order to satisfy the BHA.
As a very first step the BHA will attend a schooling session Chester has arranged on Monday 1st October to ascertain horsemen’s feedback."Morris insisted it was too early to decide in the event of hurdle racing getting the green light, how they would fit it into Chester’s existing programme or whether applications would be submitted for additional fixtures. He added that they wouldn’t be looking to race in the winter.
Racing at Chester dates back to the 16th Century and is hughly popular at it’s flat meetings, the forward-thinking racecourse company who also runs Bangor has already shown a willingness to break with tradion by setting up its own in-house betting service to replace the tote.
Chester has also emerged as a potential suitor for Hereford, which is set to close at the end of the year.
I think it’s interesting that only hurdle races are being considered and no winter game, so if they pursue this out we have a mixed meeting of flat and hurdle races.
Sounds like a great idea.
If you’ve been to Sligo, you’ll know that course makes Chester look like the Rowley Mile, and they stage mixed meetings (and the occasional chase too).
Plus, as someone said, jump racing has lost Windsor, Nottingham, Wolverhampton (OK a bit tenuous there, but it that was a very tight jumps track too), and are facing the loss of Hereford.
As against that, only Ffos Las has been added.
Of more concern to me would be that it makes the chance of a proper summer break less likely.
Well it is at least worth trying to see if it could work.
The hurdles would probably go around the outside of the course i.e. being on the stands side up the home straight.
I could imagine about 5 parts per hurdle as going up the inside would damage the ground but then again Galway seems to cope with using the same strip for hurdles and flat.
I’ve often wondered why Aintree have never gone in for a Summer Saturday meeting when their is no Haydock or Chester on, They would deffo get a good crowd.
Well it is at least worth trying to see if it could work.
The hurdles would probably go around the outside of the course i.e. being on the stands side up the home straight.
I could imagine about 5 parts per hurdle as going up the inside would damage the ground but then again Galway seems to cope with using the same strip for hurdles and flat.
I’ve often wondered why Aintree have never gone in for a Summer Saturday meeting when their is no Haydock or Chester on, They would deffo get a good crowd.
In the days when Rummy (Red Rum) was racing, Aintree Grand National meeting used to be mixed. Rummy himself deadheated there in a 5 furlong race when he was 2 (1967) in his very first race.
Aintree Grand National meeting used to be mixed.
Yes, I remember when Aintree used to stage Flat racing and I seem to remember seeing it televised on the BBC. Seems strangely incongruous now.
It’s difficult to imagine jumps racing at Chester. It seems one of the most unlikely places for National Hunt racing you could envisage.
I’ll be surprised if anything comes of it.
I don’t see why there should, as was suggested earlier, be any knock-on adverse effect for Bangor-on-Dee through having jumps meetings at Chester, in effect, taking their runners. No doubt the fixtures would be arranged to avoid such unwelcome clashes.
Interesting that Chester are interested in taking over Hereford. Are they looking to expand operations to become the next Arena/Northern in the racing world?
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