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Reality Cheque

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  • #1515496
    Avatar photolochinver
    Participant
    • Total Posts 363

    Headway going easily to lead under 2f out, pushed along and clear when slipped up 1f out (op 4/9) …
    Going to win well when he came down, broken fore-leg … sad end at Leopardstown …

    #1515512
    Avatar photoEx RubyLight
    Participant
    • Total Posts 4258

    What a moron Jerry Hannon is:

    “hapilly both up Patrick Mullins and Reality Cheque …… who has broken down”.

    Doesn’t he realize what a swinging leg is? And why raising his voice insede the final 100 yds with the winner already ten lengths up? Show some class, please….

    Anyway a sad loss and too bad that all jockeys seem to take exactly the same route inside the final two furlongs – the one nearest to the far rail. That ground must be full of holes after to days and some 14 races.

    Rest in peace Reality Cheque

    #1515571
    Avatar photoTriptych
    Participant
    • Total Posts 17034

    Sounded dreadful.
    RIP Reality Cheque
    Hope you found some dignity in your final moments. ⚘
    Terrible way to end the day.

    Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...
    #1515572
    Avatar photoVenture to Cognac
    Moderator
    • Total Posts 15098

    Ruby, completely agree.

    The man is an utter ****, and he is completely unfit for his role. I’m amazed at the lack of reaction for his commentary today.

    His Roaring Bull commentary unfortunately appeals to those who are easily amused. He is clearly thriving on the attention he got for it last year, and he gave an exaggerated Roaring Bull every time he mentioned him during commentary today, I cannot tolerate him.

    The Reality Cheque commentary put the tin lid on it for me……….he’s a disgrace.

    #1515574
    SpaceProject
    Participant
    • Total Posts 16

    That’s a little unfair to Jerry Ex Ruby. Clearly the commentator initially thought that Reality Cheque had slipped up with no consequences. However, once Patrick Mullins’ mount rose (well out of camera shot) I’m pretty sure Mr Hannon was fully aware of the seriousness his injury; otherwise he would not have reported the horse’s condition as “broken down.”

    There was no footage of “swinging legs” shown on the live Racing TV broadcast, so why reference this term so flippantly??

    Comments like this demonstrate the type of melodramatic assumption-making that knowledgeable people on racing forums really should avoid. In this instance, the melodrama is compounded by your baseless opinion that a respected broadcaster is tasteless.

    #1515586
    Avatar photoEx RubyLight
    Participant
    • Total Posts 4258

    I do think that Jerry Hannon is quite tasteless at times. It was once again Gary O’Brien who went into further details about the horse. Gary never seems to have a problem finding the right word and assesing the actual incident.

    A horse getting up and standing on three feet right in front of the commentators box deserves a more accurate final comment than the ones Jerry Hannon usually makes. And there was no reason to get that excited with 100 yards to go. Bobby, you’re right about his Roaring Bull commentary, sadly it’s always the first thing Google finds when searching Hannon’s name.

    Still feel very sorry for horse and connections.

    #1515588
    shipithollabolla
    Blocked
    • Total Posts 129

    The same commentator somehow thought the three fallers at the last in the 2.50 on Boxing Day (Jan Maat’s particularly heavy) were a good excuse for an awful pun as well.

    Someone needs to have a quiet word I think – a disturbing lack of compassion and clearly a shameless self promoter.

    Sad for Reality Cheque, what might have been.

    #1515593
    greenasgrass
    Participant
    • Total Posts 7695

    I didn’t see the race so could be all wrong but in this instance, as SpaceProject said, I’d be inclined to forgive him for saying it. I like that he does try to let the viewer know when fallen horses and jockeys have got up. Of course he should check all the legs are weight bearing before he puts a “happily” or “thankfully” in front of the information but I guess he just winged it a bit as there’s such limited time to say it before you have to return to the action, and because it looked like a harmless SU he chanced that the horse was OK, thought “oh sh*t it’s not” quickly corrected himself and moved on. Agreed that straight after this happened is not the time to be squealing home a wide margin winner though.

    He does show moments of compassion- for example when the mare Annie Kate broke down in Wide Receiver’s race unseating the jockey, who Hannon reported as “on his feet and going to the aid of his stricken partner” or something like that. Stupid puns about fallers definitely not on, and as a commentator he often struggles to identify which horse has done what. Like RubyL I think Gary O’Brien is a very good calm presence and in general find his immediate post race comments add a lot to understanding of the race and the form.

    Anyway, RIP poor Reality Cheque. He was Patrick Mullins’ banker of the meeting in an interview I watched and he sounded really excited about the horse’s future :-(

    #1515600
    Avatar photoCork All Star
    Participant
    • Total Posts 9096

    Agree with comments about Hannon. He is a terrible commentator.

    Thankfully I did not see the incident yesterday, which sounded horrible. My condolences to the horse’s connections.

    Gary O’Brien is usually a calm and assured presence on screen but I thought he looked absolutely choked up in the aftermath. It must have been very bad to have had that effect on such an experienced broadcaster.

    #1515604
    Meerkat
    Participant
    • Total Posts 66

    How many of us could do Jerry Hannon’s job? Probably very few would get anywhere close to an absolute minimum standard to be heard in public. Criticism here is grossly unfair, the incident happened at the close of a race which looked to be in safe keeping, but suddenly was transformed by a tragic incident.

    In those circumstances the commentator has to react immediately and that would cause the raise in tone. Ballycairn is leading and Limestone Rock closing so that needs to be reflected, watched and broadcast. Hannon then when the race is over turns his attention to the earlier incident and probably should have double checked that not only was Reality Cheque up but also ok. Completely understandable that in a high charged moment a slip was made.

    Are we really saying that Jerry Hannon is not an improvement on his predecessor?

    Much more importantly, sympathies to all connected with Reality Cheque, a horse that looked to have an excellent future.

    #1515605
    shipithollabolla
    Blocked
    • Total Posts 129

    Bit of a logical fallacy there, BSV. How good any of us might be at commentating isn’t really relevant, is it?

    I like to think most of us could at least find an appropriate tone around fallers and racing incidents, which seems to be something Jerry Hannon struggles with. It’s a criticism of him as a human being rather than any reflection on his diction or accuracy.

    #1515606
    Prong
    Participant
    • Total Posts 684

    He is absolutely awful, Misses more than Aussie Jim.

    #1515756
    Meerkat
    Participant
    • Total Posts 66

    Disagree there. Commentary is a specialised role, taking years of practice to get to even a competent level, far less the top of the tree. I do not believe any of us are in a place to criticise a small mistake until we have experienced the pressures of the job for ourselves, and not many of us could do it.

    #1515764
    Prong
    Participant
    • Total Posts 684

    All we can do is compare him to other commentators, and for me he’s poor.

    Thommo is another one, 17:35 at Newcastle last night not a single mention of insurplus breaking down mid race.

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