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I wouldnt give him a pantomime horse , harsh but true , there are a few yards that need to watch they don’t get left behind , Jonjo has had a better year but Cheltenham is now but a memory for competing , NTD is another who bar the odd one is competing in handicaps
“While he wouldn’t be one to have the mortgage on, Beauport shapes as if a marathon trip might suit him, 140 is a tempting mark for a still young (8yo) horse rated 148 over hurdles who won the Colin Parker on his chasing debut and he is 16/1 with the books (and bigger on the machine) in what wouldn’t be the strongest Midlands National ever.”
Posted at 6.46am this morning – was that long enough before the race for you, camera boy?
Pay, pay!
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"See, it isn’t difficult lad. Get them up while the price is there and then take the credit by all means.
It seems like there are three separate racing issues being discussed here under the one heading.
1. The dominance of Willie Mullins.
2. Festival Championship races.
3. The decline of UK NH racing.Personally from a Festival point of view, I just want to see the best horses compete and I’m not too bothered who trains them. If four Mullins horses are running, then as long as they are all running on their merits, then I’m OK with that.
Why it has got into that situation and if anything needs to be done about it is a separate debate, but it is now becoming the Dublin Racing Festival MKII.I’ll admit that my main excitement and anticipation regarding the Festival would be the Championship races. I look forward to watching the very best of these equine athletes compete, but that’s not happening when these races consist of one outstanding star at odds-on and the rest competing for place money. Cheltenham have brought this on themselves by extending it to four days and diluting the quality and creating options for the races. For instance, Lossiemouth should have been competing in the Champion Hurdle, but was able to sidestep it for an easier race and wait until next year. Was growing the Festival to four days better for the racing or greed?
I’m not sure how they view their Equine Olympics, because it doesn’t appear to be one looking to increase the quality of the event if they were seriously considering making it a five day feature.
The damage has been done now and the genie can’t be put back in the bottle, so I don’t know how these odds-on favourite races can be avoided, especially when one trainer seems to hold all the aces.
Attendance is down, but the blame is mainly directed towards the economy. As far as I can see, the Six Nations stadiums are full and I see no spare seats at Anfield. I know more and more genuine racing supporters who have called it a day due to the prices and facilities. As Nathan says, they will replace them with bodies, but long term, is that good for the event and racing as a whole?
I know of one Corporate company who are making this their last Festival after many, many years of sponsorship. They spend £200,000 annually and cite “poor practice and greed” as the reason.As for the decline of NH racing, there are many factors that need addressing, but I think Gladiateur hit the nail on the head with his remark, “the problem is that racing in this country is run by the bookies, for the bookies.”
Is the BHA even capable of making significant changes to stem the decline and improve NH racing?I’m mildly surprised she was even aware there was a race meeting at Cheltenham last week, tbh – the lady isn’t exactly my go-to source for informed racing comment.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Nor mine – but at least she recognises the continued decline of British National Hunt racing on her watch.
I am not convinced any of the BHA’s ideas will do anything to arrest the decline. That horse has already bolted.
If British trainers want to compete at Cheltenham, they need to get the owners into their yards, get better horses and train them better. But that is easier said than done because Mullins’s operation is not going away.
He’s good but I don’t think he’s this genius people think he is; if he was he’d have been dominating for years…..but it’s only in the last 5+ years when he’s had the horses he’s dominated. It’s all about the horses, and the owners he’s got. Nicholls is capable of similar but no longer has the top horses…..Not a lot you can do if horses are bought in private sales……
Maybe racing needs some kind of FFP……..
It’s all a bit ‘marginal gains’……and Sky/ Ineos were eventually caught and overtaken….
Seems a long time ago since we did not even acknowledge the name of Irish trainers in the cards and results with the horses name simply followed by “In Ireland”
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