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Beautiful, beautiful horse. I was telling the missus last night "look at the gorgeous white face, his pink nose". "He will win tomorrow" I said.
Hopefully he didn’t suffer too much.
Farewell Our Conor.
He could have gone on to great things.
I echo the sentiments that I hope that he didn’t suffer too much.
This can be a cruel game sometimes.
R.I.P fella.Terribly biased news coverage of the first day by the BBC. While I wouldn’t expect them nor want them to ignore Our Conor’s sad death, to focus on it as the main story was a little over the top. Worse, they decided to show the horrible fall in slow motion…."watch the jockey in yellow….". That’s inexcusable to my mind.
Terribly biased news coverage of the first day by the BBC. While I wouldn’t expect them nor want them to ignore Our Conor’s sad death, to focus on it as the main story was a little over the top. Worse, they decided to show the horrible fall in slow motion…."watch the jockey in yellow….". That’s inexcusable to my mind.
Terrible reporting but typical of that reporter Joe Wilson, the guy’s clueless on racing and always centres on any injury to a horse or in the case of the Grand National what may happen. Not a mention from him regards Jason Maguire, did they even show the climax of the race?
Terribly biased news coverage of the first day by the BBC. While I wouldn’t expect them nor want them to ignore Our Conor’s sad death, to focus on it as the main story was a little over the top. Worse, they decided to show the horrible fall in slow motion…."watch the jockey in yellow….". That’s inexcusable to my mind.
I also saw that and found it in extremely poor taste.
I’d like to lamp the buffoon reading the piece and then play him a slow-mo on my fist tagging his chops.
Typical of the bbc. Since they have lost all of the racing rights it seems the only publicity they want give racing is negative.
Terribly biased news coverage of the first day by the BBC. While I wouldn’t expect them nor want them to ignore Our Conor’s sad death, to focus on it as the main story was a little over the top. Worse, they decided to show the horrible fall in slow motion…."watch the jockey in yellow….". That’s inexcusable to my mind.
To be fair I feel it is only a counter balance to the C4 and RUK coverage that seemed to gloss over it. I hate the BBC (more so than ever given their recent biased coverage of the Ukraine situation) however it was sad that poor Our Conor’s unfortunate demise warranted very little coverage from the main Racing programmes this afternoon. I looked on the Sporting Life website just now and at least they had a detailed piece from Barry Connell. The Racing Post almost completely overlooked the tragedy, merely including a couple of lines in the main story about the race – and then ending the News feed with the usual "Thats All Folks". Something more sombre would surely have been approproiate.
I remember back in 1977 on Gold Cup day the coverage of both BBC TV and Radio became rightly preoccupied with the death of Lanzarote in the Gold Cup. Whilst we ought not to dwell on tragedy (the show must go on after all) I cannot help but feel poor Our Conor deserved more than today’s C4 and RUK coverage afforded him.
The people who promote the sport these days seem hell bent on making sure only a positive sheen is put on the events that unfold. We are all grown up and many of us have felt the pain of losing our favourites time and again down the years. The least we, as a sport, owe them is to give them a fitting tribute and obituary. If that happens to diminish the "demographic" the RFC mob so yearn then so be it.
I pretty much agree entirely with Ivanjica’s comments. Whilst I wasn’t expecting a full on montage tribute to be thrown together, it would have been good to see the incident afforded the appropriate gravitas. Instead, it was almost appeared to be played off as being part of the spectacle. Though I’m sure this wasn’t intentional, it certainly came across as rushed and cumbersome "Something for everyone" "That’s what makes racing so great" "Fantastic day"…
Subtract Our Conor’s untimely death and it would have been one of the best opening days I can remember in the twenty years I’ve watched the sport. However, for me, the day was completely overshadowed yet this wasn’t reflected in the coverage.
I do worry somewhat that the sentimentality held towards racing’s brightest stars isn’t being effectively transmitted through its media windows. A casual viewer certainly wouldn’t have got the impression that a sense of great sadness resonated through the sport today.
I’ve just read Kevin Garsides article in todays Independent which says that all Our Conor meant to the people at Cheltenham was the name on a betting slip. I’m disgusted by his assumption, given that everyone I know racing wise is pretty cut up by it.
The only mention that Racing Post gave to Our Conor was the fact that his fall whilst taking a hurdle at speed stopped The New One from making a winning run. Nothing about the horse and the sadness felt by all who saw this beautiful horse meet his end.
I feel so sad tonight and yet, as said, it was a brilliant first day, but how can you celebrate when a horse lyes fatally injured, not myself or anyone on here I would think.As for that Kevin Garside article in the Independent, I think he’s just about alienated every racegoer in the land from buying his rag of a newspaper.
Our Conor was a beautiful talented young horse and he’s going to be so missed, it’s so sad. RIP
Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...I thought Mr Garside’s article (link below) was pretty much spot on, and it’s actually quite complimentary to Cheltenham.
http://tinyurl.com/q5vzx39
When I saw Our Conor stricken after the Champion Hurdle finished, then obviously I really hoped he would be OK. Sadly, it was not to be but thankfully the horse received the best of attention and died without pain.
However, I freely admit that I still enjoyed the rest of the day as I will the rest of the meeting – the idea that somehow punters should be in sackcloth and mourning all afternoon is frankly ridiculous.
The simple reality is that we all make a deal with ourselves when we follow this great sport. We know that death and injury will raise it’s ugly head jarringly and repeatedly. We have to accept death in the sport in the same way as we should accept it in life.
Ever since the ridiculous reaction to Princess Diana’s death in 1997, the country has thrown itself into an orgy of competitive emoting. Every sporting event must be accompanied by a minute’s silence; there must be candlelit vigils, roadside memorials, makeshift shrines. We regard this ostentatious dysfunctionality as the ‘correct’ way of marking death. In reality, it’s merely a display of sentimentality for the emotionally incontinent – self-serving, childish and utterly pointless.
I thought Channel 4 handled it fine – a solemn announcement and then move on.
The game always moves on.
Mike
The simple reality is that we all make a deal with ourselves when we follow this great sport. We know that death and injury will raise it’s ugly head jarringly and repeatedly. We have to accept death in the sport in the same way as we should accept it in life.
Yep, a knowing deal with a devil
A fine post Betlarge
In reality, it’s merely a display of sentimentality for the emotionally incontinent – self-serving, childish and utterly pointless.
So those of us who expressed sorrow at the passing of Our Conor were just showing off?
I’ve just read Kevin Garsides article in todays Independent which says that all Our Conor meant to the people at Cheltenham was the name on a betting slip. I’m disgusted by his assumption, given that everyone I know racing wise is pretty cut up by it.
Don’t think Ruby Walsh was cut up about it judged by his comments that were repeated on 5live this morning. He might just have well come out and said ‘I don’t give a ****’. What he said could do far more damage than the BBC report.
I didn’t think there was a huge lot wrong with the BBC report last night. After reading the comments on here I watched on iplayer expecting a real hatchet job. I think some of the comments about it on here showed a lot of bias. They had a good interview with Jessica Harrington who came across very well and also spent a fair bit of the piece talking about injured jockeys including an interview with Brian Toomy.
I watched on RUK yesterday and thought they covered the incident well. I agree with a lot of what betlarge has said.
Interesting that no one has mentioned the death of Sud Pacifique yesterday.
In reality, it’s merely a display of sentimentality for the emotionally incontinent – self-serving, childish and utterly pointless.
So those of us who expressed sorrow at the passing of Our Conor were just showing off?
My comment was blunt and ill worded…
I agree that competitive mourning is all very silly (we’re even seeing it today with the passing of Bob Crow) and wholeheartedly agree with the sentiments expressed by Ian Hislop and Christopher Hitchens regarding the death of the "people’s princess".
All the same, I should remind you of the distinction between sincere and insincere sorrow and how your condemnation of the latter isn’t necessarily applicable in this instance. What’s more, it should be noted that the live action view differs from that experienced by the armchair punters who were not surrounded by a buoyant atmosphere and witnessed the event in cold and sharp clarity. Said clarity certainly stunned me into a state of relative indifference towards the remainder of the race and the card. I doubt I’m the only viewer who felt this way.
In a similar vein, it is very much a deal with the devil we make when we adopt this sport as our passion and it’s entirely possible that much of the grief is a manifestation of guilt. After all, it is we who encouraged Our Conor to take such a risk for our pleasure therefore the responsibility of his passing rests on our collective shoulder. Consequently, I find the shirking of this responsibility rather pusillanimous of the community as a whole regardless of the respect to which Our Conor was entitled.
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