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As a postscript to the above, a black mark in Newbury’s copybook for reverting the Mandarin Chase back to an anonymous-as-you-like 0-130 handicap chase this term after three years framed as a really interesting (and often most classy) graduation chase.
Gone To Lunch, Carruthers and Pride Of Dulcote were the graduation-era winners. None of them would even get into the new handicap version (which, other than a lower ceiling and fewer hills offers little that the 0-145 handicap also over the Gold Cup distance at Cheltenham 24 hours later does not).
Vennix isn’t holding sway over courses and fining them for small fields just yet, o people of Newbury, so whatever possessed you?
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.
GC, my tempted to join in the fun remark was disingenuous but I take your kind comments on-board.
I do remember noting that the races in question – the 0-130 Handicap and Graduation Chase – had been flipped from the corresponding meetings in 2010 when posting about field sizes for Graduation Chases. Perhaps it would have made sense to keep the Mandarin prefix for the Graduation Chase for better continuity?
Also, the sum of the two races in total prize money has dropped £3k this year. £34k – 2010; £31k – 2011. That’s nothing, though, compared to the approximately £220k Kempton have "lost" from their 2 day KG fixture since 2007!
Ah! Good spot, Jose – yes, that was the race Time For Rupert picked up this time around, wasn’t it. The thunderbolt I was sending a*rsewards to all at the Berkshire venue has been temporarily diverted, then.
…Except it does still beggar the question why the switch round was made, given the graduation chase wasn’t really losing runners to the likes of the King George or Lexus Chase in its late-December berth.
Last year’s first and second Pride Of Dulcote and Punchestowns represented connections already perfectly well stocked with leading contenders in the Kempton feature; whilst Carruthers and Big Fella Thanks the year before wouldn’t have been animals expected to be primed for the King George either (the former has still never been to Kempton, the latter’s outpaced third in the preceding season’s Racing Post Chase represents his best effort in three visits there).
As you suggest, Jose, applying the Mandarin prefix to the switched graduation chase, rather than bestowing it on the handicap, would seem more consistent with the course executive’s previous noises about rekindling a race which in its last handicap renewal in 2007 (as a 0-125) earned the stinging remark in its
Post
/ Raceform post-race analysis:
"Formerly a top chase in the jumping calendar, this has waned in importance and is now a dummed down modest handicap affair".
Ouch!
Elsewhere, that shearing of prizemoney from the two days of Kempton’s Christmas fixture is pretty eye-watering, and you do wonder whether the (real or perceived) prestige of the meeting taken as a whole is what’s prevented a wider outcry.
See also the Welsh National meeting on Tuesday of this week, where the feature race and the Finale Juvenile Hurdle were the only races within tariff, and in the case of the 2m3f class 2 handicap chase missed it by nearly seven grand (the 2009 renewal of the same race missed it by mere pence)! Nice trick if you can pull it off relatively unnoticed…
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.
GC, maybe it is something to do with the Challow card being on C4 on a Saturday with all that goes with that?
Elsewhere, that shearing of prizemoney from the two days of Kempton’s Christmas fixture is pretty eye-watering, and you do wonder whether the (real or perceived) prestige of the meeting taken as a whole is what’s prevented a wider outcry.
Certainly is eye watering in places.
Numbers below are to the winner, all rounded for convenience, but illustrate the point.
Christmas Hurdle: 2007 – £63k; 2011 – £37k.
Feltham Novices’ Chase: 2007 – £46k; 2011 – £23k
Challow Novices’ Hurdle: 2007 – £22k; 2011 – £17k
Finale Juvenile Hurdle: 2007 – £29k; £2011 – £18kClearly the Chepstow sub-tariff card was missed during the festive frivolity. It still has wall-to-wall Coral backing, and all that goes with a bookmaker sponsored card, yet, indeed, did serve up paltry pots.
Flat desperate’s who take in the AW like me are still waiting for a decent race. The Southwell New Year’s Day sprint handicap will be a welcome start to 2012.
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