- This topic has 66 replies, 28 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 8 months ago by
.
- Posts
I said to my wife the other day, ‘wanna come to Haydock on Wednesday?’ to which she said yes. On arrival I said, ‘are you gonna have a bet?’ to which she said yes again.
The RFC aims are easy to fulfil, you just need to make people aware that it exists.
I will say this though, their ‘gold flag’ on course bookies award has been a massive massive failure.
- Total Posts 17716
But this story about the citizens and non citizens is blown out of proportion and it’s not real history. Also slave meant labourer (doulos = labourer). The word slave is also used in Greek -though I ‘m not sure of its linguistic origin- and it means a slave like the Mississipi slaves. But the "doulos" was not a slave.
We would say
"bondsman"
for the Athenian
doulos
– and of course they weren’t allowed in either. As for the rest, my account of the Athenian theatre audiences is perfectly "real history", and the male citizens liked it that way (c.f.
"Lysistrata"
for Aristophanes’s satire on the situation).
Coming back to modern racing, the idea of one enclosure is a hypocrisy in every country I’ve visited, at least with major racecourses on major days. The plethora of
private boxes
,
private lunch tents
,
private viewing enclosures
and roped-off no-go areas at Longchamp on
Arc
day for example, makes our
Members / Tatts / Silver Ring
system look at least transparent.
This system also allows the racegoer to
choose
how much they want to pay – and I would have thought a market economist such as yourself would approve that!
I saw the 70k figure tweeted by someone Max so, as I say, it’s an unconfirmed number.It was a relatively sound source though as I recall.
Interesting article in the Scotsman where Bill Farnsworth, General Manager at Musselburgh and stand-up guy, spells out the effects some of the current financial pressures are having on his racecourse.
http://sport.scotsman.com/sport/Courses-feeling-pinch-warns-Bill.6742744.jp
It is an interesting article. Levy money is down & yet they can still afford to pay the Horseman’s Tariff & break even.
Also, if he wants more money from the betting industry, why doesn’t he just charge on course bookies more for a pitch?Although while under financial pressures, I wonder how Bill Farnsworth would react to certain posters on here who say the opening meeting shouldn’t be going ahead because the flat season is supposed to start at Doncaster? Apparently.
- Total Posts 17716
But this story about the citizens and non citizens is blown out of proportion and it’s not real history. Also slave meant labourer (doulos = labourer). The word slave is also used in Greek -though I ‘m not sure of its linguistic origin- and it means a slave like the Mississipi slaves. But the "doulos" was not a slave.
We would say
"bondsman"
for the Athenian
doulos
– and of course they weren’t allowed in either. As for the rest, my account of the Athenian theatre audiences is perfectly "real history", and the male citizens liked it that way (c.f.
"Lysistrata"
for Aristophanes’s satire on the situation).
Coming back to modern racing, the idea of one enclosure is a hypocrisy in every country I’ve visited, at least with major racecourses on major days. The plethora of
private boxes
,
private lunch tents
,
private viewing enclosures
and roped-off no-go areas at Longchamp on
Arc
day for example, makes our
Members / Tatts / Silver Ring
system look at least transparent.
This system also allows the racegoer to
choose
how much they want to pay – and I would have thought a market economist such as yourself would approve that!
The writings against ancient Athens appeared for the first time in the Soviet Encyclopaedia of the 50s writen by Nikita Krustchev. In the sixties and later a kind of ost politic developed and the Soviets dropped this but it was picked up by westerners of various descriptions. It is all lies of course. One could likewise say Brittania was not a true democracy because once upon a time there were the pocket boroughs. Anyway I admire the Byzantine emperors more than the Athenians. The Byzantines had chariot racing, the venetians (blues) and the greens. You have probably seen some in Ben Hur with Charlton Heston.
You are right the private things started coming back again.
Depends though on how much area they occupy and restrictions to movement of people they cause and one should of course make the distinction between areas under the rules of the jockey club and visitors areas.
In the areas controlled by the jockey club there should be no mobile telephony nor betting terminals, but unfortunately sometimes there are such. This is against the integrity of racing.- Total Posts 17716
You are right the private things started coming back again.
They never went away, Froddo. And they never will. Alas.
- Total Posts 17716
You are right the private things started coming back again.
They never went away, Froddo. And they never will. Alas.
My objection is when freedom of movement is made difficult.
It’s not like football where you have to seat exactly where your ticket says and don’t move.
I do not object to there being private VIP places, suites and the like.
I also object to any hanky panky in the controlled areas.- Total Posts 17716
I also object to any hanky panky in the controlled areas.
I’m sure none of us like that, particularly as we get older.
I wonder how Bill Farnsworth would react to certain posters on here who say the opening meeting shouldn’t be going ahead because the flat season is supposed to start at Doncaster? Apparently.
Tut, tut, Anthony. You’ve driven a freight train through the context barrier here, sir.
What people are saying is that the start of the flat season is tepid. Bells and whistles conspicuous by their absence. One of the world’s oldest sporting seasons starts with a whimper rather than a roar from the rooftops.
To an extent, the flat has always started like this – Cav mentioned the apprentice handicap that opened Catterick’s card on Wednesday as a tiny sop to the traditionalists – but if you’re going to fork out 3.5million sovs of OUR hard earned to these marketing and public relations guys, like Rodders, to create a narrative structure with which race fans can identify, then the least they could do is their job properly.
That seems to be the point being made.
Musselburgh are doing far more than just matching the tarriff, some of the prize money they offer over the next three months is staggering.
Their Saturday meeting on April 24th includes three races worth £20,000, with a £12,000 handicap on the following day.
Friday June 3rd includes a £12k sprint consolation race and a £15k 0-80 handicap. Then the big day on Saturday June 4th, with a £70,000 3-y-old handicap over 1m 4f, a £40,000 sprint for older horses, a £27,500 sprint for 3-y-olds and a £20,000 conditions sprint for 2-y-olds. A toal of £173,500 for a seven race card.
Doncaster on the same afternoon also have two 0-105 handicaps, but their total is a hundred grand less than Musselburgh.
Perhaps Bill Farnsworth should be sent on tour to show other tracks how it’s done?
AP
Musselburgh’s prize money has always been good, Saif Sareea and Joe Jo Star didn’t go up there just because the track played to their strengths. They could go there any run for prize money that was generally better than for a similar race elsewhere.
"Has general media coverage increased/improved?"
A small but significant step might be to encourage BBC Radio Five to update racing results on the hour each afternoon thus reminding listeners that racing is actually taking place around the country.
Even during the Cheltenham coverage those listeners joining the programme during the transmission are not given updates on the earlier results.Powered by Linux
It would be nice if this "keen TRF follower" would have the common courtesy to submit replies to his Q&A, given that the general gist of the questions submitted was essentially "what is and what isn’t working".
There seems no point in any further "heads-up from the coal face" (whatever that means) until reading the Street-wise opinion on the Q&A generalisations. Then we can submit supplementary questions concerning Champion Series specifics
Give him a kick up his immaculately-trousered backside will ya Cormack
- Total Posts 17716
Yes. The images of "Rod Street" and "Coal Face" seem oddly … well, at odds. I think "heads-down from the champagne bar" might have been nearer the truth. There’s no evidence that Mr S. has done an effective day’s work in his life, or that his assiduous browsing of TRF has made the slightest dent in his iron-clad marketeer’s shell.
And again, yes – it would be nice if he could find time to come up in the lift from his coal face to deal with our Q&A.
Bit harsh lads – Rod has been keeping in touch with me at regular intervals on progress with the Q&A, my fault, I should have been posting the updates to keep people up to speed on progress. He’s been really helpful with this and, I have to say, all other communications I’ve had with him.
Anyway – I received his answers this very morn and will post tomorrow evening latest – sooner if I can manage.
- Total Posts 17716
Thank you, Corm. Breath duly held.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.