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Apart from the pithiness of the attacks on his stance and toadyism, Wood’s anger is hard to fathom.
I suspect that his mentality has more than a smattering of the puritan about it. He is more concerned to promote a "smash and grab" raid on Racing’s family silverware, than he is to offer any really constructive alternative.
His argument about Ascot’s stand capacity has the desperation of grabbing at logical straws, to bolster real feelings – feelings which I don’t think he acknowledges (or even, maybe, fully understands.) Curious man.
That comment he made, Pinza: "because the customers we have now are ageing and dying". A comment below the standards one would expect from The Guardian.
A seventy year old woman of my acquaintance was burgled the other day. The young hoodie stamped on her face after she disturbed him in the act. Nice young lad. The next day, bruised, battered, but essentially unbowed, she was interviewed in Grantham’s evening paper saying "wait till I get my hands on the little b*****d". I was well impressed.
That generation will live forever, Pinza.
They survived national service, rationing, iron footwear, Malaya, Suez, the Sixties, nylon, cholesterol, fogs, saturated fats, sixty fags a day, ten Party Sevens a week, freezing winters, asbestos ceilings, leaded petrol, the Black and White Minstrels and Margaret Thatcher.
Greg Wood assumes anyone over fifty is a dead person walking. Not so. The number of older people running marathons is increasing each year. Advances in health and medicine means that if you’re sixty now, you stand a good chance of reaching ninety and beyond. And not existing as a bedridden burden either: Peter O’Sullevan drove to the Arc last week. In his eighties? Also, many older people have got more money than sense – racecourses should be targeting them, not just the young, who appear to be still continuing to resist horse racing’s unique and wondrous charms.
Greg Wood what a tosser.
In that case may i propose that all the following meetings be run at Ascot due to this obsession with everything being closer to London so they dont have to travel far and we can appeal to the so called younger audience.
Cheltenham Festival
Aintree Grand National
Scottish National
1000 and 2000 Guineas
Oaks and Derby
Royal Ascot
Eclipse
King George
Glorious Goodwood
York Ebor
St Leger
Racing Post Trophy
Paddy Power Gold Cup
Hennessy Gold Cup
Tingle Creek Chase
King George Chase
Welsh National.
After all it is SOOOOOO selfish of us to have these racedays at other racecourses in the country when Ascot must have the first option according to the RFC Knobheads.
I don’t think the BHA have ever got over the record 70,000 who turned up one Saturday in 2008 to see the Queen and have picnics, Neil. It went to their head.
If they were serious about moving all the good races from the Rowley because its a bit out of the way, and they were really serious about attracting a racing crowd, they should have considered York.
Great access. Magnificent views. Two brilliant stands. Better, Yorkies are crazy about horse racing, more than any other county. 40,000 would turn up to watch the Champion Stakes if it were contested by Giraffes – AND they’d pay fifty notes a ticket.
It’s a flaw in the argument, innit.
Sadly, we’re all uncool pigeon-fancying barbarians up ‘ere, meowd. So it will never happen.
It is not a bad thing Greg Wood does not like Newmarket. The good news for him is that he can go there for the 3 million 2yo races to be run there because of RFC! "London-centrics" can’t go to Ascot to watch a decent 2yo race after the Royal Meeting.
And to think "Future Champions’ Day," which is to be run a week after "Champions’ Day," is going to be at that remote Suffolk market town. A week after our grand show-piece is surely likely to be able to retain our extra viewers/racegoers?
This from today’s Racing Post…
"THE Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club, which already sponsors the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, could emerge as title backer of the British Champions Series, which culminates in what is intended to be Britain’s Arc-meeting equivalent, Champions Day at Ascot in October…
They must be reading this forum…
Are the Qatari’s revolting CR?
Interested eyes cast north-westwards across the pedalo trip to Bahrain?
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Despite one terrorist outrage in 2005, which killed a British teacher, Qatar seems more liberalised and trouble-free than most other Gulf States. The Emir introduced women’s suffrage a few years back, though what people vote for under a strong emirate ruling class I can’t say – I’m sure others will be able to tell us.
On a different note, I had a round robin mail from Laura Thompson concerning horseracingdeservesbetter’s predictable failure to get BHA to reconsider the Newmarket-Ascot switch:
On behalf of horseracingdeservesbetter, I should like to thank you so much for signing our petition. The support, which came from all sectors of the racing industry and public, has been deeply appreciated.
As you will know by now (although there has been no formal announcement by the BHA), we failed to convince the authorities that they should defer the decision to make substantial and expensive changes to the Pattern. The new Champions’ Day – and British Champions’ Series – will go ahead as planned. Obviously it was always unlikely that they would back down; although we had hoped that the present economic situation would at least make them think again before going ahead with a £3 million race day. Sadly, this has not happened.
During the course of our campaign it became clear that the consultation on these changes was in no way as extensive as has been claimed, by both Racing for Change’s Rod Street and the BHA’s Paul Roy. Although it is true that racing’s major bodies have stated their support, many individuals within those organizations are not in agreement, and consequently feel disenfranchised. We have also heard doubts voiced by those who did come out in support. Having been persuaded by a highly selective presentation of what is involved, together with predictions of sizeable television and sponsorship revenues (as yet the new Champions’ Day has no sponsor at all), they are now realizing that the knock-on effect of the changes is unquantifiable and that the benefits remain obscure.
Although this particular campaign is over, horseracingdeservesbetter will continue to exist, and before long Jim McGrath will write something to that effect in the Racing Post. We want to be a scrutinizing body, a check upon the ‘change for change’s sake’ tendency. With regard to Champions’ Day, we organized an opposition very quickly, in the wake of Jim’s resignation from the BHA, and we freely admit that it was a bit too late. Next time – that is to say, if the authorities come up with another terrible idea and claim that it has the support of the whole industry – we will be prepared.
Contributions to the website are extremely welcome and we would love it to become a forum for opinions and new ideas.
Again, thank you so much for your support.
Yours, with all good wishes,
Laura Thompson, Jim McGrath and John Livingstone-Learmonth
http://www.horseracingdeservesbetter.org
This came a few days ago, before the noises off about the Qatar sponsorship.
Qatar seems more liberalised and trouble-free than most other Gulf States. The Emir introduced women’s suffrage a few years back, though what people vote for under a strong emirate ruling class I can’t say
So I believe. CR spends much time there and has painted a favourable picture of the place for we TRFer’s before. Just wondered if any sympathetic sounds concerning events in Bahrain had been murmered by the Qatari-man-on-the-street
No glee intended on my part. If Qatar is indeed a role-model for peaceable rule by Emir, then more power to it, and them
Though regarding the trivial matter of race sponsorship, it may be wise not to place too much reliance on the Middle-Eastern megabucks in the near-to-foreseeable future
where it goes nobody knows
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There’s probably a Ph.D thesis to be written on the history of International Support for British Racing from 1900 onwards.
First off, the Americans, an increasing presence from the turn of that century. Then of course, after WW2, the French. Then the Americans in the ascendant again. Then the Arabs. Now the Irish, with the Arabs trying to play catch-up. America and France only playing supporting roles.
Only constants throughout (at least from c.1920 to the present day) have been the increasingly elusive Royal colours, and those of (an) Aga Khan – though of course the current one has nothing in training here since the unfortunate business of Aliysa, Stoute and mysterious illegal substances.
Who will be the next group to take the helm here? The smart money’s on China…
Are the Qatari’s revolting CR?
Interested eyes cast north-westwards across the pedalo trip to Bahrain?
Nope, Drone. An oasis of calm.
If the revolt can be held on a balmy winter evening between 9pm and midnight at Starbucks, whilst the locals are waiting for their Spice Latte’s, then it might happen…
The Emir is popular, the government is generous (to the locals) and Qatari’s in general are prosperous. Most of them see this as a golden age for their country.
There are forty thousand US troops 15 minutes down the road at Al Udeid just in case.
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