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totally embarrased a winning Grand National jockey in front of millions of viewers.
Please explain for those who missed this.
totally embarrased a winning Grand National jockey in front of millions of viewers.
Please explain for those who missed this.
Possible confusion with Clare Balding’s remark about Liam Treadwell’s teeth?
Hi Fist,
you see what’s happened here? You’ve taken exception to Lydia Hislop’s vicious criticism of Sam Thomas because she’s done it in an environment in which he can’t defend himself. Unfortunately, you’ve chosen to launch an attack on her in an environment…….you see where I’m going here?
Why not give Lydia a chance to defend herself by emailing the Timeform Radio studio directly? She’s working again tomorrow and I’m sure she’d be delighted to get the feedback.
radio@timeform.com is the e-mail address you’re after.
A cricket commentator can signal that such and such shot or performance was "bad" and not be pilloried. Same in football. Same in many other sports
What is it with Racing?
Ok theres cash invovled but thank god we are getting opinions rather, to give one example, the ignorant rant by Ted Walsh (backed up by sniggering schoolboys) against mccricrk when he dared to criticise a ride
Balding Hislop? He aint bad on ‘Have I Got News For You’.
Can’t see an awful lot wrong with the ride IMO, but we’ve all got our own ideas about the finer points of race riding and what we like to see. All opinions.
In all honesty – I could count on two fingers the number of NH jockeys that rode the course adequately, at best, IMVHO. It was like watching fast work from where I sat.
Having watched the race several times,there is absolutely nothing wrong with the ride Sam Thomas gave Oh No Not Harry,yes Sams shirt started out with White sleeves and came back plastered in dirt,but that is expected if you run horses on that surface! As far as commenting on what Lydia Hislop did or did not say,i will say it would be very out of character for Lydia to say something i didn"t agree with,she is as good a judge as i have seen as is Sam Thomas as a jockey as is Fist for his knowledge of Flat racing!
I fast forwarded most of the race so can’t really comment without seeing it again.
No problem with Fist raising it on here – sending an email direct to Timeform Radio is hardly going to encourage a debate is it? If you don’t like something a trainer does is your first inclination to email a website?
Have to say I get the distinct impression that for some people on here Lydia can seemingly do no wrong.
Surely the problem here is that the comment was made on the radio. If people could actually see the race they would be able to form their own opinion, but in this case, given that most people will probably not go out of their way to watch a recording of it, their only opinion will be formed by what she said. Also, Sam was possibly the only rider in that race that had not ridden in previous races. Judgeing by the first race it was a bit of a learning curve for all of them. Can I also point out again that the race review stated that Oh No Not Harry was hampered by the stricken horse which may have caused Sam to change his riding tactics.
Yesterdays "Racing" a term i use loosely at Southwell was nothing more than an excercise gallop for bumper horses,on a surface described as All weather, which conveniently gets described as standard.That surface at Southwell could easily be described as fast,standard,slow,or as in yesterdays case heavy! There is no other surface like it in the country,you certainly dont need a form book!When people ask me what should i take to the races,i always ask where are you going,if they say Southwell,i reply,you will only need a pin!
Fist – Lydia had an opinion, she expressed it, you disagreed with it. You think you’re right (shock horror) and that she’s wrong. You could have made that point without the embittered tone though.
I’m personally delighted that we have people who are prepared to stand up and say what they think. She showed last year when taking on Jim Bolger at the post-Derby press conference that she doesn’t stand on ceremony when she has a point to make, I only wish more in the racing media were prepared to follow suit (John McCririck, love him or loathe him, is another who has always been prepared to speak his mind without bothering too much about upsetting egos).
As far as criticising jockeys goes, the lamest argument against any criticism is when the ex-jockey broadcasting brigade hint that if you’ve never ridden you don’t know what you’re talking about. If you watch enough racing it’s perfectly possible to become fairly acquaint with what constitutes a good or an ill-judged ride, although I accept that on occasions jockeys do have to ride to orders which sometimes reflects unfairly on them and that horses aren’t machines and all that.
sending an email direct to Timeform Radio is hardly going to encourage a debate is it? If you don’t like something a trainer does is your first inclination to email a website?
I’m slightly nonplussed by that argument. I’m not sure how other broadcasters work, but part of the construct of Timeform Radio is that listeners are encouraged to e-mail their views/questions direct to the studio where the presenter and pundit can deal with them first hand. You’re not e-mailing an "organisation", you’re in direct contact with the people covering the action, so an e-mail from Fist would actually be dealt with specifically by Lydia. I can pretty much guarantee that. Or is that a bit too even-handed?
Can I also point out again that the race review stated that Oh No Not Harry was hampered by the stricken horse which may have caused Sam to change his riding tactics.
I can see why it looks that way at first glance, but several replays show that ONNH wasn’t actually impeded, just briefly caught flat-footed as the leaders quickened. Slightly lazy race-reading imo, but hardly a hanging offence.
After listening to the absolute slagging Lydia Hyslop gave Sam Thomas on Timeform Radio yesterday, I thought I have to watch this.
The horse in question was Oh No Not Harry in the last race at Southwell yesterday.
After her excessively harsh word and her raving on about how Sam didn’t study any the previous races, didn’t allow for kick back etc etc etc I was expecting to see a real balls up of a ride.
So I watched and I watched and I watched! and I can’t see one thing wrong with the ride. Absolutely nothing!!!
Oh No Not Harry was with Jonjo O’Neill. The tried holding him up…he was beaten ridden by AP .They tried making the running he was beaten when Richard Johnson rode him.
Sam rode him time before last again holding him up and watching him yesterday and the way he finished I would say he’s best ridden that way.
She was ranting on about the kick back but as far as I could see the horse wasn’t the least bit bothered by it.
If he is a hold up horse and needs covered up, of course he’s going to get kick back.
For me this woman totally abused her prevelaged postion and owes Sam an apology, absolutely shocking behaviour from someone who should look before she leaps.
Judging by the Racing Post Fist, you are factually incorrect.
Haven’t seen the race myself, or any of the other three of ONNH’s runs; nor did I hear what Lydia said.
It is true that on debut he was unplaced when "in rear". However, both Johnson "led", and Thomas himself was "always prominent", according to the Racing Post. So when ridden prominently ONNH was placed both times, yet unplaced when "in rear".
Therefore, you are (imo) wrong to suggest ONNH is a "hold up horse". This may put a different complexion on the race and Lydia’s comments.
From what ONNH had done before it surely can NOT be argued (as you are) that he’s "best ridden that way" (held up).
Value Is Everything
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Have to say I get the distinct impression that for some people on here Lydia can seemingly do no wrong.
Agree completely!
If you’re a ‘name’ and you can score a few points off a soft target, does that mean that your word is sacrosanct?
Shoddy journalism, and not for the first time, imo.Lydia has defended Sam Thomas in the past.
She just says what she sees, which should be encouraged. Whether you agree with her on this point or not.
Value Is Everything
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