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I would have thought Laura might make a very good model especially for portraits as she can clearly sit very still.
Christ,if she looks anything like her brother it wont be her face on page 3!
I would have thought Laura might make a very good model especially for portraits as she can clearly sit very still.
Christ,if she looks anything like her brother it wont be her face on page 3!
Judge yourself, there was a picture of her on P17 of yesterdays RP.
http://www.prometheusradio.com/lauraprobert/about.html
For those wanting pictures a quick google of Laura discovered this slightly bizarre and sycophantic (bordering on stalker territory) website by her (apparently) now ex-boyfriend … !!!
She is without doubt a good looking girl but simply finding the site and posting it makes me feel slightly voyeuristic
C’est la vie !!I fear we’ve gone off topic !!
Clearly the correct decision. Stewards are not required to make any allowance for competence or fitness of jockeys, the rules are the rules. Nina Carberry and Katie Walsh are both amateurs lest we forget. From a punting point of view it is a caveat emptor situation. If the jockey is an entirely unkown quantity (a known unkown if you like!) then how much weight we give that in terms of price required is a matter for us. The mandatory 28 days though is intended to recognise how serious losing a race that you should have won is, especially for punters. Whether or not to bet on amateurs, unraced maidens, bumper debutants etc is a matter for individual punters. Stewards though are charged with enforcing the rules for any race run under them. I presume it was Laura’s long cherished dream to ride in a race, on a racecourse, in public and under rules. Once you enter that field, regardless of your status and experience you’re subject to its rules.
Can’t argue with that reasoning, Sean … having seen the footage several times I’m convinced she thought she had enough momentum to just stay a fraction in front of the hard ridden runner up … something which far more proficient and experienced jockeys than Laura have got wrong before now.
Rules are rules and I’m sure she accepts that … just unfortunate that the length of ban means she has to wait for some considerable time before exorcising this nightmare start to her riding career … if she ever bothers again at all !!
I would have thought Laura might make a very good model especially for portraits as she can clearly sit very still.
Christ,if she looks anything like her brother it wont be her face on page 3!
Judge yourself, there was a picture of her on P17 of yesterdays RP.
Fair enough,she"s no selling plater when it comes to looks but the way she rides a finish,she"ll struggle to get a boyfriend!
What is this Forum coming to? First we had Nathan Hughes publishing his Escort Agency telephone number on Bob Rolf’s Competition Section, under Daylight Cup Quarter Final Draw, and now we have BurroughHillLad promoting his girlfriend’s glamour modelling career. It’s only a matter of time before Cormack gets in on the act by advertising massage services.
It looked to me that unfortunately for Miss Probert that the horse was running with its head cocked to one side, close home, and without doing so she would probably have won the race.
Such are the small differences in some cases between victory and defeat, I suppose.
I too except that ‘rules are rules’ but do feel the effective six month ban is excessive.
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Surely the fact that 28 days is not the same length of time as 6 mot
nhs proves that there is a flaw in the current set of rules when applied to amatuers and perhaps highlights my. Point that a different set of rules are required. 28 should mean 28 days. Surely nobody on here can support a ban for 6 months??? As I have mentioned a few times I feel amatuer races should be a betting free environment with less media exposure,therefore if this instance happened again the only people she would be letting down wuld be herself and connections, the racing public woudlnt care. Boycey do me a favour and remember your very first day in work, in fact everyone do it there for a minute. Remember how nervous you may have been, now imagine on your first day your boss asked you do to something which all your colleagues around you considered an easy task but you had never done it before, anyway since it was your first attempt you made a mess of it, your boss calls you in and says he has no choice but to give you a formal warning, fair???? Once again the stewards had to apply 28 days but amatuers need a different rule bookJoncol wrote… Boycey do me a favour and remember your very first day in work, in fact everyone do it there for a minute.
I’m surprised, Joncol. Thought you would have been the first to know that Sean was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and has never had to do a day’s work in his life. His time spent at ATR is purely on a voluntary basis and just his humble way of giving back to the community.
As for your obvious compassion towards amateur riders. I have to disagree with you. The whole purpose of having a strict qualifying entry point into obtain an amateur riding permit, e.g. having accomplished a certain number of placed rides/undertaken 4 days training/references/medical is to ensure that the individual has at least a modicum of ability.
I doubt whether she will be twiddling her thumbs for six months as there are plenty of other riding opportunities to brush up on her technique and acquire the necessary strength to finish off her races in a competent fashion. She will return wiser and stronger and more determined than ever to succeed. So fear not Joncol, it’s not as bad as it seems.
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There are very few sports where first timers are asked to make their debut in a full blown arena with senior rules.
Did Wayne Rooney play his first ever football match in front of 60,000 people?
Did Tiger Woods play his first ever golf shot in front of 1000’s at Agusta?
Did Lenix Lewis step into the ring for the very first time at Wembley?
All these sports people started off out of the media and were given time to grow and more importantly learn their trade
Most other sports have a graduate system in place where rookies can gradually build up to the professional ranks.
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Whatever way you want to judge the ride itself the fact remains that there is a flaw in the current set of rules when applied to amatuers.
28 days is not 6 months…
First day at work? Ken’s right of course that I’ve never done a day’s work in my life.
Not sure that’s the point though.
She’s not ‘at work’ as such. She’s taking part in a specific activity at her own choice and she is obliged to obey the rules of that activity.
A better comparison might be with a novice, newly qualified driver in a car on their own for the first time. They may lack the skills and experience and the judgement of other drives but they’ll still get a ticket if they break the law.
As for the length of ban being excessive, that’s a function of the number or races available to her. The flipside would be that the standard ban means she misses a mere half a dozen or so possible rides. Compare it to the number of rides missed by the professional jockey who is race riding for a living and it looks reasonable and proportionate to me.- Total Posts 17716
Just on this issue here.
What was the difference between Laura not riding out because she was exhausted and Johnny Murtagh not riding his mount out because he claimed Fame and Glory that day got very tired.
Surley there is an argument that both these horses would of won had they been ridden out..
Seems extremely unfair to punish Ms Porbert and Murtagh gets away scot free because thats just how it is.
Joncol, please, please end this masochism now. Some of the logic behind your statements is becoming painful to read.
The stewards deal in facts, not hearsay. It was Murtagh who said Fame and Glory was tired. Until such time as horses can speak for themselves it would be unfair to punish them on the basis of a jockey’s opinion. For all we know, Fame and Glory might have a completely different story to tell.
KenJoncol,
You make a good point here, 28 days does not equate to six months. So in essence amateurs get penalised six fold because of the schedule of amateur races. It’s a ridiculous rule and should be amended.
JohnJ.
She’s not getting banned for 6 months, she’s getting banned for 28 days of racing where she would be eligible to ride. It’s the same punishment that any jockey would get. Whilst the time period involved would be shorter for a pro it would be much more damaging to them.
A punishment that could be ‘spent’ on days when she wouldn’t have been able to ride anyway is no punishment. Like being told you have to serve 21 days in jail, but you need only be locked up for seven since you’ve already booked a fortnight’s holiday during the period.
It’s absolutely right that the ban applies to those days when she would in fact be eligible to ride, otherwise her penalty would be far lighter than that received by others in real terms.
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