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Think it’s a bit puzzling to have an all female team put forward, we keep getting told that we shouldn’t look on them as female but just jockeys and not bring the sex into it
Didn’t know Jim McGrath had been involved in the selecting (must have kept a low profile) and surely Jason Weavers position must be under pressure as he’s been unsuccessful for a number of years and maybe it’s time to give someone else a chanceHi
Well I really don’t see what all the fuss is about whilst I am unable to get excited about the international competion bit at the end of the day it’s a full card of very good quality handicaps and I’m certainly very happy with that
Sorry duplicatedHi
Well I really don’t see what all the fuss is about whilst I am unable to get excited about the international competion bit at the end of the day it’s a full card of very good quality handicaps and I’m certainly very happy with thatThe event gets people through the turnstiles and interested in the sport. As long as that happens then at least the sport has a chance of moving forward.
As a group of enthusiats we can easily be accused of being insular. Sometimes the sport has to take a step back and work out how it can market itself. As far as I can see the Shergar Cup is as good as any.
Having been chastised – and rightly so – by you and others for my ill-judged use of the word ‘dire’ to describe racing at this time of year it may come as a surprise to learn that I’m in broad agreement with your sentiments here. The Shergar Cup has never appealed to me as a concept, primarily because horse racing or more specifically a horse race isn’t – or shouldn’t be – a team game: may the best
horse
win.
That said, and as others have said, it’s a one-off novelty; no one in the Insular Luddites Club (of which I’m a founder member) is compelled to watch or punt it, and ‘28,000 people can’t be wrong’ as they say.
Its time-slot in early August is ideal and I’d warrant there will have been a significant number of families/children/newcomers amongst that 28,000 – just the demographics I was banging on about racing trying to attract on the BHA-instigated Ben ‘n’ Brian thread earlier this year.
So I’ll no doubt continue to look down my nose at it, whilst realising it’s an initiative that’s both beneficial to racing and has worked as a spectacle.
Add me to the list of those who think this annual charade is not only unexciting and berfet of quality ( horse wise), but is set up to be nothing more than than a bookie’s benefit. I have no interest in it at all – as a concept it is weak and unimaginative and for me, the idea of having a bet on any of these races is a total non-starter.
It should be binned henceforth.
Gambling Only Pays When You're Winning
It could do with the quality of the jockeys being raised – it really needs the likes of Dettori, Murtagh, Take, Soumillon etc to show up (I don’t think the quality of the horses is as important personally)
I can’t agree that is a bad concept though – the idea of getting thousands of kids into a racecourse getting autographs etc from the top jocks is exactly what the sport needs if it is to have a future. The game can’t be run solely in the interests of the old school purists.
Happy,
As Paul says the races are normal closing races but with free entry. The race conditions have been adjusted over the years to try and get the optimum type of race ie competitive with at least 10 declared runners carrying weights that most of the jockeys can easily achieve.
The quality of horses is set by the ratings band which tries to encourage horses of decent ability, whilst appreciating that trainers would probably not put up random jockeys on top class horses.
The jockeys earn bonuses on top of their usual riding percentages based on how well their teams do in the competition and the overseas jockeys do get travel incentives.
Obviously I’m biased but as a one-off event designed to show-case high quality riders to a good crowd of people it seems to be working nicely. However Ascot will continually look to improve and enhance the meeting and will do their best to assess possible changes to the meeting accordingly.
Why not rotate this fixture to cover the northern tracks? The event takes place at one of the premier tracks.
Not the worst idea really. Why not rotate between 3 or 4 good tracks in the north and the south. Ascot in the South and York in the North would be two obvious candidates but could also think about Haydock or Doncaster in the north and Newbury or Sandown in the South.
Assuming it was the Ascot Executive’s idea in the first place they might not be keen to give the meeting away.
Assuming it was the Ascot Executive’s idea in the first place they might not be keen to give the meeting away.
If it was Rob, funny they should have the first one at Goodwood
Moving it around sounds attractive, but I’m convinced that the key to getting big crowds at any race meeting is consistent scheduling – i.e the non racing public who don’t have a racing diary know when and where the event takes place.
How many have been on a pub outing that ends in the evening with someone suggesting a repeat next year? That’s how Royal Ascot and Glorious Goodwood fill the stands every year.
Familiarity also works for Windsor – if it’s Monday, it’s a Windsor evening meeting – and for the Newmarket Friday evenings in July/August. They thrive on repeat business.
I can’t see the Shergar Cup meeting getting 28,000 anywhere else – how many flat tracks beat that during the year anyway. Chester, York, can’t think of any others.
Assuming it was the Ascot Executive’s idea in the first place they might not be keen to give the meeting away.
If it was Rob, funny they should have the first one at Goodwood
I stand corrected. I hadn’t realised that was the case.
Rob
Goodwood initially staged the event as an owners competition with teams from the Middle East (lead by Sheikh Mo) and Europe (led by Robert Sangster)
Ascot, semingly having a more savvy marketing team, saw the potential and effectively poached the event and proceeded to make it their own.
Having made it the commercial success it is I cannot see them letting it go on a "grand tour" as it were.
The only way I can see it moving is if someone out-Ascot’s Ascot as it were.
Ascot acquired the name and concept from Goodwood after Year 1. In Year 2 the owner’s team idea was repeated but Ascot soon realised it to be totally flawed and the jockey’s team idea was then put into action.
Ascot have built it into a successful day over the years and it won’t be moving around.
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