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.
- Posts
Jose
As you probably already knew, Wolverhampton race distances (like Chester, Lingfield, and a good few others), are a function of its sharpness, and to avoid races starting at or near a bend.
The Leger start, I would suggest, probably marks the extremities of the original racecourse, being just beyond the path were horses were walked over the road into the racecourse, (until recently).Yep – apart from the 5f 216y and 1m 1f 103y. The latter could easily be 1m 1f. And if that meant the 1m 141y distance merged with the 1m 1f 103y, it wouldn’t be a bad thing in my view.
Newbury is another strange one – 6f 8y.
Maybe that should recall the organisation "Racing for Change (that nobody wants)" as according to today’s Racing Post it has been confirmed that the ridiculous idea of moving the Champion Stakes to Ascot from next year has been confirmed.
Who are the buffoons that run Racing for Change? If they continue in their stupid ways I fear for the future of racing, who’s to say they won’t move the Cheltenham Gold Cup to Folkestone and the Champion Hurdle to Taunton?
I admit I’m being facetious, but am concerned what barmy idea they will come up with next.
- Total Posts 17716
The news about the Fillies Mile relocation is equally astounding and equally crass.
So now, both British Group 1’s for 2yo fillies are to be run over the
same
course, as are the Middle Park and Dewhurst for the colts. Only the Doncaster Trophy provides a Group 1 2yo test on an alternative racecourse.
And we note that now, none of these –
none of these
– are to be run on a
round
course.
The Champion Stakes moved (stupidly) to a
round
course, the Fillies Mile moved (inanely) to a
straight
one. How many hundreds of thousands has it cost to come up with this idiocy?
I’ve never taken direct action in my life, but I’m beginning to think that some strong public demonstration is called for.
Who do these flock-brained morons think they are pleasing?
- Total Posts 17716
Who do these flock-brained morons think they are pleasing?
Themselves; and apparently, that’s all that counts.
Hundreds of thousands of pounds has been spent (or, more accurately, wasted) on consultancy fees and the belief is obviously that something needs to be seen to have been done. Never mind that the resultant action is pointless bordering on the destructive, at least it’s action.
Change for change’s sake.
I think you almost
have
to laugh in situations such as this because it is just so infuriating. Mind-boggling even. Not one suggestion – or finalised plan, as it would now seem to be – makes any sense, with each the brain-child of a consultant with no interest in horse racing whatsoever.
I’m simply lost for words.
As for those behind Racing For Change, Phil:
Chris McFadden (RFC ChairmanRacing Enterprises Ltd, Chairman)
Ian Barlow (Racecourse Association, Chairman)
Simon Bazalgette (Jockey Club, Chief Executive)
Nic Coward (BHA, Chief Executive)
Douglas Erskine-Crum (Levy Board, Chief Executive)
Tony Kelly (Northern Racing, Group Managing Director)
Stephen Smith (Horseman’s Group and Racehorse Owner’s Association)
Wilf Walsh (Non Executive Director)
Rod Street (Project Director)
Karl Oliver (Project Director – Premier Racing)
Nick Attenborough (Director of Consumer PR)
Nigel Roddis (Development Director – Betting)
Jon Williams (Project Manager – Raceday Experience)
Hannah Grissell (PR Executive)There are CVs for each of the above on the Racing For Change website (use the details I provided earlier in the thread to log in and head to ‘info@’ at the top of the page).
Reading that list of racing’s Great and Good, AJ, reminded me of something I haven’t thought about for twenty five years.
In 1972, social psychologist Irving Janis coined the term "Groupthink" to explain how groups of seemingly highly intelligent and eminently qualified people can, together, through small group decision making, come up with decisions like, for example, the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, or the Tehran hostage debacle in 1980. It seems that sometimes groups can get it badly wrong.
Wikipedia has copious notes and links about how the process works. It’s interesting stuff.
This Newmarket-Ascot thing looks like a prime example.
AJ and Pinza , I fear the truth is covered in both of your posts , and maybe in a perverse way Max could be right
Fees , and radical change are the order of the day …what the customer wants however is ignored
I reckon it will end in tears
Ricky
Quite simply, a scandal of epic proportions!! I mean, it’s only been round since the 1870’s…
What’s to stop RFC deciding to move other races to Ascot…..
Is any race safe?
"Oh yes, you’d like to move and extend your December pre Christmas Long Walk meeting, of course you can. Kempton won’t mind, they can run an AW meeting on Boxing Day…"Sorry, when I was first getting into racing, one of the images that I remember is the 1988 meeting and the fog on the Heath – and Indian Skimmer winning the Champion Stakes……
Edited and paraphrased from today’s hard copy Racing Post:
"Newmarket, which has held the Champion Stakes since
1877
will bid farewell to the race next month.
Its equivalent fixture will be repositioned seven days earlier in the calendar – six days after the Arc.
The Dewhurst Stakes will be joined by the transferred Group One Fillies Mile, the two juvenile showpieces becoming the highlights of a card that will be billed as
Future Champions Day.
…The (revamped) Ascot Card, to be staged on
October 15th
, is also due to include QEII Stakes, the Diadem, the 2m Jockey Club Cup and Group 2 1m 4f Pride Stakes"
Echo guskennedy’s post wholeheartedly. Well done Jose for the Fillies Mile info.
Sorry I don’t follow. The Champions Stakes will now be on the Saturday after the Arc, but the revamped Ascot card will be on 2 Saturdays after the Arc?
http://www.britishhorseracing.com/gorac … d+at+Ascot
Oh, who cares about the link. I’ll quote it all…
British racing will stage its richest ever raceday at Ascot on October 15 next year with the introduction of British Champions’ Day.
More than £3million in prize money will be on offer on a card that will feature the Champion Stakes, controversially transferred from Newmarket, the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, Diadem Stakes, Jockey Club Cup and Pride Stakes, as well as a high-profile handicap.
The flagship meeting will be the culmination of a new British Champions’ Series, which will launch on 2000 Guineas day, April 30, and will comprise of five separate championship categories, namely Sprint, Mile, Middle Distance, Long Distance and Fillies and Mares.
The new programme has meant some races switching venues, with the most obvious trade being the Champion Stakes leaving Newmarket for Ascot.
As a result, Newmarket will now stage an annual Future Champions’ Day, with the aim of finding horses of the potential to take part in the Champions’ Day the following year.
It will take place on October 8, 2011 and feature the Dewhurst Stakes, Middle Park Stakes, Rockfel Stakes and Autumn Stakes for two-year-old horses, and the Challenge Stakes, Darley Stakes and the Cesarewitch for three-year-olds and upwards.
A new company will be formed, British Champions’ Series Limited (BCS Ltd), to run the series and finale, and BCS Chief Executive Karl Oliver said: "British racing is the best in the world, but we need to give our sport a major new platform to compete for the public’s attention.
"Britain’s richest-ever day of racing is the opportunity to attract the very best British and overseas horses to compete at our top international racecourse. It can be the autumn climax that British racing deserves."
Frankie Dettori said: "This is one of the toughest periods that British horseracing will ever have to face. Our racing is the best in the world and Ascot is a world-class venue at any level so it is fantastic that the industry is doing everything to help itself at this time.
"I congratulate everyone involved and look forward to racing at a world-class event at my favourite track!"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_s … 027775.stm
Hopes for this – 35 races with 35 different winners.
French horses with French only speaking jockeys win all the "finals." Can’t have them according to Karl Oliver, who is the new top clown. Forget Rod Street. Rod Street = history.
And that Jeremy Hunt can be bothered to look in on this by October 31st and give the BHA nothing. You have your £13 million – get on with it type message. Someone can confirm for me if they do have their £13m this time, unlike the Sovereign Series.
The small gems that have come from this…
[list:2jz0zn44]A new creation of an organisation with a new figurehead – the BCS with Karl Oliver.
The fact we have a "champions day" from a series with no requirement to qualify. They will have to stick with the tried and tested Official Rating system, safety limits etc. Open to invasion still – like it has to be and should be.
Two Group 1, open 2yo races to take place on the same day over 6 + 7 furlongs – Dewhurst and Middle Park. Are they thick or what? Plus a Group 3 Mile race also for 2yo’s. Fancy the RP Trophy instead? (Come on Tattersalls, Goffs etc – I want a few "million" races on the same day if you could)
The Middle Park is certain for a downgrading now.
They will be one week after the Arc weekends Group 1 2yo races.
Cheveley Park and Fillies Mile aren’t even included on the same "Future Champions’ Day." I would have thought one of them would be.
Champion Stakes and QEII Stakes clashing on the same day as well.[/list:u:2jz0zn44]
Dire, just dire. I mean talk about dilluting the quality. Jesus wept. Imagine if they had the Fillies’ Mile too. 7f 2yo fillies Group 2, 8f 2yo fillies Group 1, 6f 2yo open Group 1, 7f 2yo open Group 1.
Would it not be smarter to just leave it as it is…I mean honestly, talk about change for the sake of change. Middle Park horses can double up in the Dewhurst, Cheveley Park horses can double up in the Rockfel, QE2 horses can double up in the Champion Stakes, Arc also-rans can go for compensation too. It’s sickening to think about the total waste of money all around the world, but surely horse racing is one of the biggest culprits in the UK…Fallon’s trial, Findlay’s trial, this crap, the RFC – it all adds up.
Dire, just dire. I mean talk about dilluting the quality. Jesus wept. Imagine if they had the Fillies’ Mile too. 7f 2yo fillies Group 2, 8f 2yo fillies Group 1, 6f 2yo open Group 1, 7f 2yo open Group 1.
Could have been worse.
6f 2yo open G1, 7f 2yo open G1, 1m 2yo open G1 (RP Trophy).
And the Cheveley Park + Fillies Mile on the same card with the Rockfel moving to Ascot. Where has the Royal Lodge gone?
What is next? King’s Stand + Golden Jubilee on the same card, perhaps.
I better not give them any ideas…
EDIT – I’ll edit this to give the full list of 2yo races affected by this nonsense.
22nd September 2011 – Newmarket
Oh So Sharp Stakes, 7f, G3, 2yo f23rd September 2011 – Newmarket
Somerville Tattersall Stakes, 7f, G3, 2yo c+g24th September 2011 – Newmarket
Cheveley Park Stakes, 6f, G1, 2yo f
Fillies Mile 1m, G1, 2yo f
Royal Lodge Stakes 1m, G2, 2yo c+g7th October 2011 – Newmarket
Cornwallis Stakes – 5f, G3, 2yo8th October 2011 – Newmarket
Middle Park Stakes – 6f, G1, 2yo c
Dewhurst Stakes – 7f, G1, 2yo c+f
Autumn Stakes – 1m, G3, 2yo
Rockfel Stakes – 7f, G2, 2yo fThe only Group 2yo race after this date is the RP Trophy.
Newmarket, through both the July Course and Rowley Mile, has 4 2yo G1’s, 5 2yo G2’s and 5 2yo G3’s.
The Horris Hill too, Jose.
Yes, sorry. Now titled as the John Smith’s Extra Smooth Stakes.
I would have thought tackling race sponsorships that detract from the "product" would be something (the lunatics who ruin this sport) that is pretty simple to do. Obviously not.
A reconfiguration of nearly end-of-season 2yo race was needed though.
Have this lot got a phone number – RFC etc?
THE BRITISH CHAMPIONS SERIES
Sprint: Temple Stakes, King’s Stand Stakes, Golden Jubilee Stakes, July Cup, Nunthorpe Stakes, Sprint Cup, Diadem Stakes
Mile: 2000 Guineas, Lockinge Stakes, St James’s Palace Stakes, Queen Anne Stakes, Sussex Stakes, Joel Stakes, Queen Elizabeth II Stakes
Middle Distance: Coronation Cup, Derby, Prince of Wales’s Stakes, Eclipse, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, International Stakes, Champion Stakes
Fillies and Mares: 1000 Guineas, Oaks, Coronation Stakes, Falmouth Stakes, Nassau Stakes, Yorkshire Oaks, Pride Stakes
Long Distance: Yorkshire Cup, Gold Cup, Goodwood Cup, Lonsdale Cup, Doncaster Cup, St Leger, Jockey Club CupEnjoy further stupidity everyone. Get excited and print off your "points tables."
All Sprint races are 3yo+, apart from the Nunthorpe.
A balance with the Mile races – 2 4yo+, 2 3yo (but they restrict geldings from the 2000 Guineas, restrict fillies from the St James’ Palace), and 3 3yo+. I took a guess they would use the Celebration Mile.
"Middle Distance" – 2 4yo+, 1 3yo, 4 3yo+. Geldings obviously can’t run in the Derby.
"Fillies And Mares" – A jumbled up mess that promotes fillies avoiding colts and geldings. In theory, of course.
"Long Distance"
Why include the St Leger when no 3yo can win, realistically speaking?
They even manage to mess up with their league table/order of merit system idea. Remarkable.
What’s to stop RFC deciding to move other races to Ascot…..
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