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I’m sorry, Robert99, but that strikes me as a very cold perspective.
Why should managerial ability restrict the media from praising a football player’s death?
And why should the inability to make a difference restrict racing fans from showing emotion about George’s death?
I can’t make a difference about cancer (unless of course I donated a massive sum of money) – should that mean that I can’t grieve if a friend or family member dies from it?
TC,
It is not the eulogy of Alan Ball that I am talking about. That is right and proper. It was the sudden rediscovery of that "great guy Alan" after they had not been able to write two good words about him in a difficult middle age and driven him out into the football wilderness. To my mind that is hypocrisy.
As I said, absolutely nothing wrong in showing genuine emotion about GW or any other horse.
Why it needs to be written about here for 2 minutes of reflected fame seems a bit pointless when horses are being fatally injured in racing on a regular basis is just irrational to me. What is it going to change? – nothing, so why say anything? If someone was making a point that would help then make it – the rest is just self serving froth.You can do a great deal to help with the care of cancer victims in supporting hospices or just giving your time. For horse racing injuries and deaths if you are going to continue betting and do nothing to support injured or even retired horses then accept the deaths as the price paid. For the charlatans, please don’t give out all this false caring – GW and all the rest will be totally forgotten in a couple of weeks.
Im still upset about all of this and its my last word
You can see after a furlong and a half when GW first got the kickback from Hardspun that he hated it. He pulled back from it and Kinnane had to push him as early as that to keep him going.
To see such a noble, beautiful and champion racehorse flail around like a beached whale, covered in mud and being pushed when he was clearly hating every second of it is one of the saddest sights if ever seen in any sport in my 37 years on this earth.
To say he broke down because of it isn’t right, but even if he hadn’t he didn’t deserve to ever have to race in those conditions. For a horse who graced the royal course of Ascot, a horse who won an English Classic to have to suffer the ignamy of having gallons of wet mud thrown into his face at 40 miles an hour is a disgrace.
You can argue about form till the cows come home but the fact is that GW spent his last moments being forced around a sh*thole.
Sentiment – The horses owners couldn’t spell it.
Think the RP headline was slightly misleading, was it not?
Kinane hardly slammed the race conditions; in fact, he merely confirmed what any punter with a working set of eyes could already see for themselves (the kickback was horrible).. not much the Monmouth staff could do about that given the race conditions..
A touch sensationalist on the RP’s part IMO (although Cecil did give ’em a right bollocking!).
Later, I found it odd that he broke from the stalls like a freakin’ lunatic after he behaved impeccably in the paddock.
I was wondering about this. Did he bolt to the front, or was he rousted to get up there? I assumed the latter but for some reason never thought it might have been George having a moment.
It may be sensationalist trackiside, but i find those comments disgusting
You can argue GW should/shouldn’t have been there, but for a jockey to keep on pushing when he knows the horse is hating it, is imo unforgivable and it’s not as if Kinane didn’t know the horse or was an inexperienced 7lb claimer
For a horse who graced the royal course of Ascot, a horse who won an English Classic to have to suffer the ignamy of having gallons of wet mud thrown into his face at 40 miles an hour is a disgrace.
You can argue about form till the cows come home but the fact is that GW spent his last moments being forced around a sh*thole.
Sentiment – The horses owners couldn’t spell it.
This sort of stuff really is cloying goo, never mind the wet mud.
What on earth has his victory in an English classic and his participation at Royal Ascot got to do with anything? Are you saying that horses with that kind of CV should be barred from running on anything wetter than soft ground?
Look, it was just one of those things that happens. It is extremely sad, but blame should only be attached to the weather gods, and nowhere else.
The famous 1923 match between Derby winner Papyrus and the U.S. champion, Zev, took place on a sloppy track just as much a mudbath as at Monmouth Park, and Papyrus was hammered. He ended the race covered in mud, and hadn’t even been shod correctly, so he was slipping and sliding all over the place.
So poor GW’s situation is hardly unique, and that’s without counting some of his rivals on Saturday, few, if any of which had faced such a surface before. But Papyrus, all those years ago, and the rest of the dirt runners just three days ago, all surivived.
It’s just terrible luck.
Later, I found it odd that he broke from the stalls like a freakin’ lunatic after he behaved impeccably in the paddock.
I was wondering about this. Did he bolt to the front, or was he rousted to get up there? I assumed the latter but for some reason never thought it might have been George having a moment.
From my viewpoint he bolted. When I later watched the race on TV, Mick Kinane was obviously trying to position him wide and slightly off the pace. GW eventually settled but it took him a good 2 furlongs. This is evident in just how quickly the horse folded. While GW wasn’t inconvenienced by a dirt track (he acted on it in 2006), he was definitely not enjoying himself on that surface.
I think it’s harsh to criticise Mick. Did he push the horse too hard when he was clearly beaten? Yes. But we all make mistakes and he would probably ride him differently given another chance. This standpoint is in complete contrast to my original opinion. I was angry after the event. When I was told of his fatal injury I started blaming his connections. Once I had time to think about the situation I remembered that these thing happen, not only in racing, but in life – the big ‘if only……’
I thought the horse would be better suited to the Mile. As I said previously, however, the horse didn’t look out of place.
It’s obvious why we tend to eulogize over better horses. These are the animals that make headlines and encourage us to go racing. The anticipation of seeing horses like George Washington and Dylan Thomas compete in the greatest (my opinion) thoroughbred championship in the world is what made me travel to the US.
When these superstars meet an untimely end it will ultimately generate more attention. An average horse sustaining a fatal injury is equally as sad but the truth is we don’t always hear about them.
George Washington was good for racing. Was he arrogant? Was he immature? The anthropomorphic comparisons went on and on. The bottom line is that he was a character. He was beautiful, talented, intelligent and clearly had bags of personality. In the sometimes tedious world of horse racing, an animal like ‘Gorgeous George’ generates interest and opinion.
I’m actually a little worried. I went to Exeter a few years ago specifically to see Best Mate – we all know what happened there! Now this…
Again, R.I.P. George.
I think it’s harsh to criticise Mick. Did he push the horse too hard when he was clearly beaten? Yes. But we all make mistakes and he would probably ride him differently given another chance.
I’m not saying Kinane’s actions caused the fatal injury Bosranic.
I just find it disgusting that he kept pushing when he knew the horse was hating the whole thing.
Horse needs are above Prize money and Glory imo
I’m not saying Kinane’s actions caused the fatal injury Bosranic.
I just find it disgusting that he kept pushing when he knew the horse was hating the whole thing.
Horse needs are above Prize money and Glory imo
Hi EW.
Hopefully you know my statement wasn’t directed at you.
In regards to the bold type above – I agree with you 100%. The welfare of the horse is paramount. Like I said previously, Mick shouldn’t have kept pushing and I wasn’t impressed by his actions.
He made a mistake and he probably feels rotten about it. Even at this advanced stage of his career I hope he learns from it.
maybe the dividing line between heroism and recklesness is a very fine one – the day that David Elsworth ran Dessie in the Gold Cup in conditions that he disliked could have ended in disaster; as it is it turned out to be the stuff of racing legends….had George battled through those awful conditions on Saturday and won on a night when European expectations were dashed that would have been the stuff of legends also….it wasn’t to be….
It may be sensationalist trackiside, but i find those comments disgusting
You can argue GW should/shouldn’t have been there, but for a jockey to keep on pushing when he knows the horse is hating it, is imo unforgivable and it’s not as if Kinane didn’t know the horse or was an inexperienced 7lb claimer
EW,
What about a horse that is temperamental and doesn’t want to race i.e. hating it, should he be pulled up also?
JohnJ
It may be sensationalist trackiside, but i find those comments disgusting
You can argue GW should/shouldn’t have been there, but for a jockey to keep on pushing when he knows the horse is hating it, is imo unforgivable and it’s not as if Kinane didn’t know the horse or was an inexperienced 7lb claimer
EW,
What about a horse that is temperamental and doesn’t want to race i.e. hating it, should he be pulled up also?JohnJ
John, yes, it’s being temperamental for a reason
Some issues can be rectified, but if horse is hating every minute of what it’s doing, why persist it forcing it to do it
You wouldn’t force your son to face a driving hail, so why force a horse to face severe kickback
It may be sensationalist trackiside, but i find those comments disgusting
You can argue GW should/shouldn’t have been there, but for a jockey to keep on pushing when he knows the horse is hating it, is imo unforgivable and it’s not as if Kinane didn’t know the horse or was an inexperienced 7lb claimer
EW,
What about a horse that is temperamental and doesn’t want to race i.e. hating it, should he be pulled up also?JohnJ
Empty,
I get what your saying, but if you were to apply this to every horse in a race there would be a hell of a lot of horses pulled up. I really don’t think the kick back contributed to GW death and I don’t think you are implying this.
JohnJ
John, yes, it’s being temperamental for a reason
Some issues can be rectified, but if horse is hating every minute of what it’s doing, why persist it forcing it to do it
You wouldn’t force your son to face a driving hail, so why force a horse to face severe kickback
I agree with you all, but what if Kinane jumped off GW, hoisted him over hi..
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