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Height of the jumps season, 9 weeks to the festival and the highest rated National Hunt horse running in the entire UK today is 114.
I could go on but I don’t want to upset myself any further.
Just for the record, that was not true. A number of runners in the beginners’ chase at Musselburgh had hurdle ratings in excess of 114, Modicum being the highest at 131.
Rob
Thank you Rob, I was looking at the ratings as they applied to the discipline (hurdles / jumps). I stand corrected.
Herewith a quick return to one of the recurring favourite bugbears of the TRF populace.
Doncaster and Nottingham lie merely 48.6 miles and 58 minutes apart, according to AA Routeplanner.
Both of them boast fairish, reasonably galloping left-hand oval Flat circuits (I know I’m generalising a bit here), so the 60 and 57 runners they have mustered respectively this evening by no means represent disastrous totals; and there are six handicaps of eight or more runners between them (barring non-runners, which I haven’t checked).
However, surely the crowds at each are going to draw too much from the one pool of local racegoers to make it much worth the while of either venue?
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
Dont forget GC next Friday their is afternoon flat racing at Nottingham with afternoon n.h. action at Southwell plus evening racing at Pontefract.
Aswell as that Friday 25th of July sees afternoon action at Thirsk with evening racing at York.
I know Yorks evening meeting is due to the swap due to closing in August but surely the race planners must have an Atlas or Google Earth.
Of tonights meetings i would prefer Nottingham as it is a rare chance to see nh jockeys riding the course again, Oh i wish they would bring jumping back to Nottingham, such a missed venue.
Aswell as that Friday 25th of July sees afternoon action at Thirsk with evening racing at York.
As long as you don’t mind missing the last at Thirsk or the first at York then you have the opportunity for a decent double header.
I don’t get too upset with close afternoon / evening clashes as they can sometimes work out well. I recall last year I managed a very eclectic Sedgefield / Ripon double header – two contrasting courses and taking in both codes in the same day.
I recall last year I managed a very eclectic Sedgefield / Ripon double header – two contrasting courses and taking in both codes in the same day.
I don’t disagree entirely – before the delays to its opening this winter, I’d actually presumed I’d be doing a double-header or two along the lines of Great Leighs in the evening following Marks Tey point-to-point in the afternoon.
The key difference between that and your example compared to tonight’s, however, is that variety – the fare at Colwick Park and Town Moor this evening was simply not as diverse.
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
Of tonights meetings i would prefer Nottingham as it is a rare chance to see nh jockeys riding the course again, Oh i wish they would bring jumping back to Nottingham, such a missed venue.
Seconded without reservation – a sad loss.
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
next Friday their is afternoon flat racing at Nottingham with afternoon n.h. action at Southwell plus evening racing at Pontefract.
Aswell as that Friday 25th of July sees afternoon action at Thirsk with evening racing at York.
I know Yorks evening meeting is due to the swap due to closing in August
Nottingham and Southwell on the same afternoon is utterly barmy
Don’t think the York meeting is a swap though it has moved from Thursday evening to Friday evening for some reason; the course executives hoping for more lager swillers probably.
IMO having afternoon and evening meetings in close proximity is a sensible policy as it gives jockeys/trainers/bookmakers etc who’ve been working the afternoon meet a relatively easy opportunity to work the evening meet too, particularly in high summer with later starting possible due to the post 2100 dusk.
Infact with all the talk concerning burn-out amongst jockeys and restrictions on the number of meetings they can attend per week, it would be a good idea if race planners put more thought into minimising the mileage between afternoon and evening meetings when compling the fixture list.
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