No Blanket 48 Hour Decs For The Festival – "Thank God"

[yeats]

Very disappointing response from Racing For Change Communications Director Nick Attenborough who only seems concerned about bookmakers regards the issue.
He says he is enthusiastic over the prospect of 48 hour decs but admits finding a solution to the potential problem of non runners must be achieved to win round the bookmakers.
Attenborough added "The concern is finding a solution that works because bookmakers find it very difficult to bet on races where horses are doubly declared. If we can solve that, we could find an easier way to bring in 48 hour decs".
"It would be fantastic if we could have it because punters would have more time to see the cards and also help the betting and levy".

Thankfully the BHA are on the ball and realise chaos would ensue again with them.

Bruce Millington in yesterdays Post was voiciferous in arguing for 48 hour decs but failed to give any significant reasons why this would be beneficial to the sport. He says it’s ridiculous no one knows the final fields for most of the races till noon the day before and that’s about it.

Can’t see at all what is ridiculous or wrong with that.
Why does anyone want to know the final field (minus a few late non runners) for The Kim Muir, County Hurdle etc more than 2 days before the race?

I’m sure there are punters out there who would be in favour of 48 hour decs for the other races but from my point of view it would be totally unnecessary, one day at a time is more than enough for me and I would have thought that would apply to anyone pricing the races up. It’s hard to see how they would be helping betting and levy when the races would be littered with non runners, doubly declared horses and doubts about others.

[Prufrock]

I’m sure there are punters out there who would be in favour of 48 hour decs for the other races but from my point of view it would be totally unnecessary, one day at a time is more than enough for me…

Isn’t the point that we need to get away from what you think, or what I think (the opposite), and move towards what is good for racing as a whole?

Why does anyone want to know the final field (minus a few late non runners) for The Kim Muir, County Hurdle etc more than 2 days before the race?

I know of few people who do, but I know of plenty of people who want to know the final field for such races MORE than 24-30 hours beforehand.

…I would have thought that would apply to anyone pricing the races up. It’s hard to see how they would be helping betting and levy when the races would be littered with non runners, doubly declared horses and doubts about others.

There is an appetite for pricing up races of this significance in advance, both from some professionals and from some punters. Among the former are organisations like newspapers that are part of the whole process of promoting the event.

The littering of races with non-runners and doubly declared horses is a problem, but I suggest it is a problem that needs to be dealt with separately and the blame for it not laid only at the door of 48-hour decs.

Why does racing continue to tolerate avoidable non-runners and connections playing the game by keeping their options open when it damages the sport? Does the Premiership thrive on the basis that Man Utd are likely to play Man City on Saturday but may switch to playing Chelsea on Sunday if that seems a better option?

If racing cannot get its act together in general it can surely do so in this instance of THE showpiece occasion of the year.

[yeats]

I agree with the BHA over the issue, surely they’ve got the best interests of the sport at heart?

Aren’t the races at Cheltenham already priced up, you can have nrnb a few days before as well.

What difference have 48 hour decs in the vast majority of races on the flat made to when bookies price them up or Betfair put the cards up apart from the big races?
Lots more non runners though.

Of course more should be done about people abusing the system and a stop should be put on horses being withdrawn with a "vets" only to run the next day in an easier race like that one of George Baker’s the other day but that shouldn’t be much of a problem at Cheltenham as long as 24 hour decs remain.

[Prufrock]

I agree with the BHA over the issue, surely they’ve got the best interests of the sport at heart?

They do generally, yes, but they don’t always get it right. And they are ridiculously in thrall to vested interests, notably trainers in this context.

What difference have 48 hour decs in the vast majority of races on the flat made to when bookies price them up or Betfair put the cards up apart from the big races?

I can’t talk for the bookies, but it has made a big difference to when markets are up on Betfair. As you imply, it makes a lot more difference with big races, though. That is the point.

Anyway, we’ll have to agree to disagree on this. And on the existence of a divine being to be grateful to.

[Adrian]

48 hour decs means that the cards can appear in the evening papers the night before the meeting – much needed publicity particularly in the big cities.

They also allow the cards to get published overseas – helpful for betting when the races are being shown in those countries.

Dubai have a system whereby they can list up to 4 reserves for each race which can draw in up to 4 hours before racing and this also works well in Ireland and here with the Shergar Cup.

I appreciate reserves are a problem with regard to betting but perhaps an interim measure where you have 48 decs and a 24 hour stage for bringing in reserves would be worth a trial.

[jose1993]

Why does racing continue to tolerate avoidable non-runners and connections playing the game by keeping their options open when it damages the sport? Does the Premiership thrive on the basis that Man Utd are likely to play Man City on Saturday but may switch to playing Chelsea on Sunday if that seems a better option?

I don’t understand that comparison. EVERYONE already knows Cheltenham will be racing according to the fixture list if they’re interested. The same as Football fixtures are published so far in advance. Do Football managers have to declare their starting eleven 48 hours before the match? Because that’s what it’s like, not the comparison of when a Premier League match will take place.

[Author]

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