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While most of us are dreaming of the jumps season proper, the bumper runners are out in force at Ascot on Saturday.
Well, they would be, if it wasn’t a fortnight after the Arc and it hadn’t rained so much.
Now, Channel Four and the BHA are ramming this down our throats (and ignoring an interesting card at Cheltenham), which would be ok if this was The Big Shindig at Ascot at The End of the Flat Season.
But it isn’t.
Nope, the week after all eyes will, allegedly, be at Doncaster for the irrelevance that is the Racing Post Trophy and after THAT – after the Charlie Hall, FFS! – we have to go back to Doncaster for the sodding November Handicap, which officially the world’s most pointless race.
So that got me thinking. If the BHA really wanted people to genuinely genuflect to the end of the flat season, they need to do the following.
1) Decide what the So Called Champions Day is. Is it the flat equivalent of Cheltenham (if so, run it over two days and make it a Champions Weekend), or is it the British Breeders Cup (if so, move it around every year or two – I’m sure York/Ascot/Newmarket/Sandown/Epsom/Haydock/Goodwood could make a decent fist of it)
2) Move it back a week. This will give horses the chance to have a rest after Arc Weekend and should mean better entrants.
And now, the most important bit…
3) Tell Doncaster that, no ifs no buts, it MUST move both the Racing Post Trophy and what we’ll now call the October Handicap to when "Champions" Day is. This will allow the jumps to start properly without any interference from a bunch of flat cards no one really cares about.
End result – "Champions" Day becomes the climax to the flat season, the slog between the Arc and the Noonecaresvember Handicap ends, the jump season has time to start in earnest, and everyone’s a winner.
Except for maybe Doncaster. **** Doncaster.
What do we think to that?
FLD
BlueSky @pghenn.bsky.social
So don't run, just like the others always do
And while they’re at it, move the start of the flat back a couple of weeks so it starts after Aintree.
....and you've got to look a long way back for anything else.
You two are being way too permissive.
Flat racing should start in June at the absolute earliest… At least a couple of weeks after the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris.
Think having Ascot & Cheltenham both on Saturday works very well, there needs to be another quality card apart from Ascot.
Why not have jumps & flat cards at the same time? Don’t think it matters when seasons start, there’s flat racing all the year round anyway.
If you want it a disaster it was July 12th, with all them top races all on the same afternoon and they were all flat races.
I’m happy to have The Flat start when it does – bimbling along inconsequentially with some nothing races until it starts properly on Guineas weekend.
There’s plenty of quality NH action in April to keep us entertained, it’s October’s slow slog – punctuated with cries from the BHA/C4/ATR/RUK/RP of ‘Please Be Interested In Our Nothing Bumpers’ under the guidance of the likes of various Arabian human rights deniers and the incredibly sinister Coolmore Operation – like some rough beast, its hour gone at last, slouching towards Doncaster to die.
BlueSky @pghenn.bsky.social
So don't run, just like the others always do
How to stop October being a drag?
Head to head knockout.
firstly draw out the distance from a bag, 6f, 7f, 1m and 1m2f
then draw the horses out of the bag with a special guest doing it
weights change according to ratings and distance
32 horses winners goes through to the next round, losers go home in the horse box
I can picture it now Premio Loco vs Mia’s Boy in the final.Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
While most of us are dreaming of the jumps season proper, the bumper runners are out in force at Ascot on Saturday.
Well, they would be, if it wasn’t a fortnight after the Arc and it hadn’t rained so much.
Now, Channel Four and the BHA are ramming this down our throats (and ignoring an interesting card at Cheltenham), which would be ok if this was The Big Shindig at Ascot at The End of the Flat Season.
But it isn’t.
Nope, the week after all eyes will, allegedly, be at Doncaster for the irrelevance that is the Racing Post Trophy and after THAT – after the Charlie Hall, FFS! – we have to go back to Doncaster for the sodding November Handicap, which officially the world’s most pointless race.
So that got me thinking. If the BHA really wanted people to genuinely genuflect to the end of the flat season, they need to do the following.
1) Decide what the So Called Champions Day is. Is it the flat equivalent of Cheltenham (if so, run it over two days and make it a Champions Weekend), or is it the British Breeders Cup (if so, move it around every year or two – I’m sure York/Ascot/Newmarket/Sandown/Epsom/Haydock/Goodwood could make a decent fist of it)
2) Move it back a week. This will give horses the chance to have a rest after Arc Weekend and should mean better entrants.
And now, the most important bit…
3) Tell Doncaster that, no ifs no buts, it MUST move both the Racing Post Trophy and what we’ll now call the October Handicap to when "Champions" Day is. This will allow the jumps to start properly without any interference from a bunch of flat cards no one really cares about.
End result – "Champions" Day becomes the climax to the flat season, the slog between the Arc and the Noonecaresvember Handicap ends, the jump season has time to start in earnest, and everyone’s a winner.
Except for maybe Doncaster. [expletive] Doncaster.
What do we think to that?
FLD
Oh goodie, yet another "Flat racing is crap, Jump racing is great" thread.
Of course, they could just move Cheltenham’s October meeting.
Yes, Champions Day(s both Friday and Saturday) are a celebration of Flat racing; just as Cheltenham is of Jumping.
If you want Champions Day moved around from course to course why not the March jumping Festival too? No reason Cheltenham should have it every year.
Turf Flat season stutters to a halt with the November handicap, just as Jump racing stutters to a halt (if you can call it a halt, as it never really stops) with the Bet365, or whatever it is called now.
Both codes finishes could be made better. November Handicap should be on the Racing Post Trophy day. With Jump racing after its finale taking 4 months off, until the ground is safer .
In October we have the culmination of a great Flat season and the (true) beginning of wonderful Jumps season. Enjoy!
Value Is EverythingWhile most of us are dreaming of the jumps season proper, the bumper runners are out in force at Ascot on Saturday.
Well, they would be, if it wasn’t a fortnight after the Arc and it hadn’t rained so much.
Now, Channel Four and the BHA are ramming this down our throats (and ignoring an interesting card at Cheltenham), which would be ok if this was The Big Shindig at Ascot at The End of the Flat Season.
But it isn’t.
Nope, the week after all eyes will, allegedly, be at Doncaster for the irrelevance that is the Racing Post Trophy and after THAT – after the Charlie Hall, FFS! – we have to go back to Doncaster for the sodding November Handicap, which officially the world’s most pointless race.
So that got me thinking. If the BHA really wanted people to genuinely genuflect to the end of the flat season, they need to do the following.
1) Decide what the So Called Champions Day is. Is it the flat equivalent of Cheltenham (if so, run it over two days and make it a Champions Weekend), or is it the British Breeders Cup (if so, move it around every year or two – I’m sure York/Ascot/Newmarket/Sandown/Epsom/Haydock/Goodwood could make a decent fist of it)
2) Move it back a week. This will give horses the chance to have a rest after Arc Weekend and should mean better entrants.
And now, the most important bit…
3) Tell Doncaster that, no ifs no buts, it MUST move both the Racing Post Trophy and what we’ll now call the October Handicap to when "Champions" Day is. This will allow the jumps to start properly without any interference from a bunch of flat cards no one really cares about.
End result – "Champions" Day becomes the climax to the flat season, the slog between the Arc and the Noonecaresvember Handicap ends, the jump season has time to start in earnest, and everyone’s a winner.
Except for maybe Doncaster. [expletive] Doncaster.
What do we think to that?
FLD
Yet another anti Doncaster thread
don’t you people ever get bored of it. Doncaster starts the flat and ends it get over it.The Leger meeting is more popular than ever and Doncaster is getting more jumps meetings.
No one is going to tell Doncaster what to do and there is no MUST.
I get sick of my town being used as an excuse to make up silly threads knocking the place.
If you want Champions Day moved around from course to course why not the March jumping Festival too? No reason Cheltenham should have it every year.
Not really comparing like with like, a fairer comparison would be the Cheltenham Festival and Royal Ascot.
I think October is an exciting month for both codes. On the level there’s Arc weekend and Champions Day (which has its flaws but an excellent day’s racing nonetheless). It’s this time of year that the jumpers start reappearing too and speculation begins about which novices can make the grade in open company and so much more. October is probably the only month where there is something for everyone
- Total Posts 764
How to stop October being a drag?
Head to head knockout.
firstly draw out the distance from a bag, 6f, 7f, 1m and 1m2f
then draw the horses out of the bag with a special guest doing it
weights change according to ratings and distance
32 horses winners goes through to the next round, losers go home in the horse box
I can picture it now Premio Loco vs Mia’s Boy in the final.Love this! Let the jockeys be randomly assigned to the horses too, actually screw it, have 2 jockeys on each horse, one to whip it as many times as he can and the other to do the steering. Actually, why don’t we blindfold the jockey that does the steering and have him wear an earpiece with the trainer on the other end shouting instructions.
In April, you’ve got the Grand National, followed by the Scottish (and sometimes Irish, depending on when Easter falls) National, and there’s Punchestown, and then it’s time to wrap everything up at Sandown, and then The Flat (which, as I’ve said, has been bimbling along with the Lincoln and the Guinea trials) properly shows up on Guineas weekend.
What I’ve said – and it’s not a bash-The-Flat thing – is the Flat season’s end is stupidly drawn out. If Champions Day is to mean anything, it needs to be the end of the flat season.
That, logically, means swapping it in the calendar with the Racing Post Trophy (which also gets the spangly new October Handicap).
If Newmarket can lose an entire Group One, I’m sure Doncaster can cope with a slight change in the calendar. Didn’t the Noonecaresvermboring Handicap used to take place at Manchester, anyway? (And didn’t the Lincoln take place at, erm, Lincoln? Thieving Northern Bastards!)
FLD
BlueSky @pghenn.bsky.social
So don't run, just like the others always do
What I’ve said – and it’s not a bash-The-Flat thing – is the Flat season’s end is stupidly drawn out. If Champions Day is to mean anything, it needs to be the end of the flat season.
Rubbish.
The Cheltenham Festival is not at the end of the NH season, nor should Champions Day be at the end of the Flat.Value Is EverythingIn April, you’ve got the Grand National, followed by the Scottish (and sometimes Irish, depending on when Easter falls) National, and there’s Punchestown, and then it’s time to wrap everything up at Sandown, and then The Flat (which, as I’ve said, has been bimbling along with the Lincoln and the Guinea trials) properly shows up on Guineas weekend.
Ye, ye, ye. We get it, you like staying handicap chases; your biased brain rambling again.
The Racing Post Trophy is THE most important mile race for 2 year olds all season. It is in many ways far more important than yet another staying handicap chase. Although I personally enjoy both equally. The November Handicap is again, one of the most important middle distance handicaps of the flat season yet the jumps finale, Bet365 at Sandown has many staying handicap chases above it in importance these days. Like I said, both codes could do with a better end of season.
The Flat season may go "bimbling along" (for you) at the start, but compared to Summer Jumping the Lincoln and Guineas Trials are fantastic races.
Value Is Everything
don’t you people ever get bored of it. Doncaster starts the flat and ends it get over it.
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