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Venusian – nobody’s saying heat exhaustion’s not something to consider, but by the same token I’m not sure it’s especially helpful to regard all races beyond a certain distance run above a certain temperature as constituting an unfair challenge. Plenty of horses contend adequately with greater extremes of heat and distance in the wild.
Nothing finished distressed at Cartmel yesterday despite the hottest temperatures of the year, not even after the 3m2f hurdle. The course provides a "horse shower" for quicker relief of hot horses post-races than the bucket and standpipe approach can afford, but there was very little recourse to that all afternoon.
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.
No runners for a Listed chase? For shame, for shame! Time some of the UK trainers considered making the odd raid across with a good chance to pick up some prizemoney, methinks…
gc
Unfortunately Jeremy, despite steeplechases such as the Badenia at Mannheim and the Iffezheimer Jagdrennen at Baden-Baden carrying Listed status (there are no Group chases in Germany), the total prize money for each race is just 12,000 Euros. With Group races on the flat regularly attracting British challengers with prize money from 50,000 Euros, the state of German steeplechasing is such that Messrs Nicholls, King and Henderson probably don’t have it on their radar!
However, it wasn’t always like that! In our syndicate magazine, one of our senior members (he’s 84, and one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet!!) wrote a series of articles about racing in Berlin in the 1920s and 30s, which included quite a bit about German steeplechasing (between the wars, the Grosser Preis von Karlshorst in Berlin was apparently the richest chase in the whole of Europe), and although the decline had happened in the last few years, the early 1980s still had some decent chasing, and a chase from 1983 in Hannover has turned up on You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ce0RTeV5lw
I’m not sure of the prize money, but the race is over 2m6f on what the commentator describes as ‘temperatures over 30c and bone dry ground, not particularly suitable for steeplechasing’. According to the commentator, the early leader in the race is an Irish horse (Some Character?), and there’s a French challenger as well ridden by Patrice Lemaire (Christophes dad). FYI, for thos of you unable to understand the German commentary, the horse that ‘collides’ with the fence was OK, and the jockey in the brown silks was fine. Just a pity that those days seem gone now, and from what I hear, this actually began with races being cut down in distance – there is now only ONE chase in the German season over more than 2m 7f, and after what happened to the Badenia last month, maybe that races days are numbered as well.
Darren – AngloGerman
________________________________________‘The Hungarian’s going hell for leather’ – Jim McGrath
Racing Post Analysis 4 June 2009
"Three horses vied for the early lead, which ensured a good pace, and the two top weights drew clear in a protracted battle to the line.
MISTER APPLE´S put up a thoroughly gutsy display, racing up with the pace throughout and still having enough inreserve to repel a sustained challenge from the home turn. His jumping was a little hesitant early on, but when it mattered he put in a flying leap at the final open ditch, which gave him enough impetus to carry him onwards to the finish.
The winner has been running well in marathon chases in higher grades this year, which clearly stood him in good stead to seize this easier opportunity. If he can get in, connections would like to aim him at the four-miler here at the end of the month.[/color:371xomnc]"
Somebody had better tell the trainer to put a bit of speed work into the horse.
On a change of tack, but on the same subject, so to speak, I’ll be quite keen to have a bet on Pak Jack if he runs in this. He’s obviously a good jumper, as he has come 3rd in both the Topham and the Becher Chase. He recently pulled up on his reappearance, after having a year out, so a nice price should be available.
Slightly different tack
Golden rule of race planners. More time a race actually takes to run means more time racegoers are actually outside watching the action and not spending at the bar!
Racecourse Managements says more sprints please as they only take a minute, leaving 29mins to spend in the bars. Four miles – god that takes nine minutes plus!
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