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Must point out that it was the comment that ‘Our Conor’s name would have featured on many a betting slip which for the punter is where attachment starts and ends’ that got my back up. Perhaps just adding the words ‘some’ or even ‘most’ would have been closer to the truth. The 100% certainty that everyone who puts money on a horse doesn’t give a damn about the horse itself was what annoyed/upset me.
Well said Betlarge, you got it about right.
The writers of articles that, quite rightly, highlight the sickening deaths of horses in racing, fail to mention the fatality rate of the sentient, innocent animals sent, not to Cheltenham or Aintree or Hexham etc. but to our abbattoirs. Not too many enjoy their trip there!
There has been a modicum of a row about the rights and wrongs of halal / kosher slaughter recently. Whatever ones’ opinion on that, I always thought it cowardly and hypocritical of the RSPCA and the like to remain mute on this yet get all sanctomonius about fatalities in racing.
Racing should take all practical steps to minimise the risk of fatalities, but it can never be 100% successful.Sadly two more horses died today. Akdam and Stack The Deck. racing might need to brace itself for the reaction.
I think it’s entirely natural for people to form an emotional attachment to popular/successful horses, even ones they may have personally never had anything to do with or even seen. Of course, logically, there is no difference between the death of Sud Pacifique and that of Our Conor but it is understandable that people generally should feel a greater sense of loss towards Our Conor. The same pattern follows in human sporting endeavour when loss occurs, the more widely known a character usually the greater general sense of loss.
There was a nice article on Our Conor in an Irish paper I bought at today where Ruby Walsh was quoted quite extensively. Ruby quite rightly made the distinction between animal and human loss, which was the gist of his point which was put across fairly directly and honestly, as is his style. Everyone quoted in that piece were breathing sighs of relief that Danny Mullins was relatively unhurt while expressing sorrow over Our Conor.
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g176/cormack15/e4a2cb8a-130a-4e73-b2a0-b0eda77f2554.jpg
Our Conor in the pre-parade ring at Cheltenham
Our Conor with that beautiful white face brings back memories of Synchronised and how he met his fate, not at Cheltenham, where he was victorious, but Aintree running in the Grand National.
Almost every single horse that loses his/her life on a racecourse is remembered fondly, whether they be Group horses or Selling Platers, and thoughts go out to those horses that never make it to a cosy stable, that’s why it’s good to support a charity such as World Horse Welfare who really try to make a difference at home and all over the world.
http://www.worldhorsewelfare.org/Home
Not all punters think a horse is just a name on a betting slip, the majority I’m sure would rather their horse came home sound and lost than went down injured in a race.Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...I think ruby is merely showing that jump jockeys know that every time they ride the huge risks to horse and rider and maybe the way he deals with it was shown in his reaction . Britain has a love affair with horses not replicated anywhere else and I can understand this. Our Conor was a gorgeous horse irrelevant of his talent. Btw I wonder if Aiden and Joseph obrien felt the same as ruby when st Nicholas abbey died. Joseph adored the horse as did a huge amount of the racing public. I wouldn’t criticise ruby or any jockey as they, and the horses they ride, put everything on the line for us racing fans. R I P our Conor and all those horses who perish in racing. They are such fragile animals.
Racing is constantly having to defend itself against those who feel that horse welfare is not important to racegoers and therefore comments/quotes will be picked up on by the press to prove a point. Alas,quotes from people like Philip Kirby about the death of Ancient Times are never going to be headline news.
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