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How they could ever be classed as Group class is beyond me…how many runners did AoB have in those races today
Someone please unstick that needle from the same record
I’ve been on my best behaviour all summer, I’ll have you know.
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I’ve often wondered how long turf can continue to be treated as an acceptable surface on which to race.
Comical
Another erudite contribution Mr. Wilson. I can only assume you haven’t owned a horse injured by running on ground that is:
too firm
too soft
has patches of false ground
has an uneven surface possibly with a poor covering of grassDepends on the quallity of your horse.
Hope this helps. ta
If they hadn’t had the AW stuff at Kempton, there wouldn’t have been any C4 racing today, and we would have been denied the excellent fillers on Stoutey and the holidaying champions at Ditcheat..
Agreed – nobody should be left in any doubt after watching the latter feature just what an effort it must be to get Denman fit and ready for his seasonal debut. He was absolutely elephantine!
For those that missed it, Nicholls confirmed the intended reappearances of his major stars as being the Betfair Chase (Kauto Star) and the Tingle Creek (Master Minded). I can’t remember if he said anything about Denman, but I’d presume it would be the Hennessy once more. The Old Roan doesn’t enter the equation for either of the first two named this year, much less 2m4f for Master Minded at all, for as long as he can continue to be found strong-run 2m championship-class races with a bit of dig underfoot.
None of that is especially earth-shattering, of course, but it seemed judicious to mention it all here nonetheless.
These features, plus the triumvirate of Hoiles, Machin and Luck, made the show appreciably better than just tolerable this afternoon; and whilst I had no financial interest in the Kempton card, I found plenty to enjoy in the races themselves. Yep, credit where it’s due this time, I think.
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.
Denman’s bullying attitude towards Kauto Star and the latter’s submissive reaction to it suggest to me that they might think about putting a visor on KS in the Gold Cup in case Denman starts eyeballing him.
This is all becoming too complicated.
Put lawnmowers on both of them
and force them onto the all weather
they will both run flat
but true to formI’ve often wondered how long turf can continue to be treated as an acceptable surface on which to race. Thoroughbreds are fragile creatures at the best of times and the lack of a consistent safe racing surface only exacerbates this fragility. I would be more than happy to run our horses only on the AW were it not for the fact that Wolverhapton is depressing, Southwell has awful kickback and Lingfield, Kempton and Great Leighs are miles away. Perhaps I should lobby Fiona Needham to install an AW surface at Warwick. At least we wouldn’t have to put up with her appalling assessment of the going or her bizarre watering policy any more.
I presume you will agree that basically horses are wild animals.
Could you give me one example of where, in the wild, a horse would be running on Polytrack or Fibresand. ergo Polytrack and Fibresand is not a natural surface for a horse to run on!!!
Yep glad the AW at least gave us a meeting on C4. I have never paid much attention to the AW and didn’t know that it gets quicker when it rains and slower when dry.
The programme was pretty good considering only 3 races and the fillers on Stoute and the Nicholls horses were of much interest. The latter will have his work to get the "school bully" Denman fit for the Hennessy while the former obviously thought Moore’s ride on Papal Bull wasn’t his finest.
They may not be natural surfaces, Paul, but horses have been running on sand, clay and hybrid/composite surfaces since olden times.
The Sybarites in 510BC raced in obelisk lined arenas. On sand. The Greeks raced horses on sand. The Romans raced their horses on sand at the Circus Maximus (the rails were made of gilded marble, incidentally).
It is thought the Romans sourced most of their horses from conquered North Africa – where there isn’t much lush green turf. Even if they didn’t race, the first surface their hooves encountered was likely to be a sandy composite.
The Libyans supplied horses to the Turks in the 6th century. Ditto points about lush green turf in Turkey. (And as you all know, it was sandy Turkey where the British captured the Byerley Turk at the Battle of Buda in 1688 – thus starting the direct linear connection between sand horses then, and Hattan gloriously winning the September Stakes 230 years later).
The Byzantines raced horses and chariots at the Hippodrome (team racing, like the Shergar Cup!). On sand and clay. It’s likely that the Muslims raced horses too, but most records of that civilisations early activities were wiped out by the Christian Spanish when they burned down the library at Corunna in the 8th Century.
Yes, the Franks raced horses on lush green turf and so did the Anglo-Saxons here – but horses racing on granules came first.
Partial source: "The History of Horse Racing" by Roger Longrigg (1972)
OK – brilliant response Max
However it still will not change my view that AW racing is my least favourite
Just be thankful and indeed grateful for what we have as regards Horse Racing in this country.
Flat Turf
Flat Polytrack
Flat Fibresand
National Hunt Racing
Point to Point Racing
Trotting
Arabian Racing
I think we have it pretty good over here and while Kempton might not be up everyones street it is still better than nothing.
I presume you will agree that basically horses are wild animals.
Could you give me one example of where, in the wild, a horse would be running on Polytrack or Fibresand. ergo Polytrack and Fibresand is not a natural surface for a horse to run on!!!
I presume you will agree that in the wild horses don’t line breed themselves for speed at the expense of soundness and don’t routinely run around with between seven and a half and twelve stones on their backs.
Neil Watson makes alot of good points,so many codes to chose from..
AW racing is not and never will be the way forward for horse racing in the Uk…but if that what floats your boat its there.
But turf racing wether it be my choice (NH) or flat will always be the top choice of punters.
Neil Watson makes alot of good points,so many codes to chose from..
AW racing is not and never will be the way forward for horse racing in the Uk…but if that what floats your boat its there.
But turf racing wether it be my choice (NH) or flat will always be the top choice of punters.
All joking aside I think Ghost’s posting sums up the situation perfectly – we are very lucky with the diverse choice of racing we have availabke in this country and we should be grateful and fully appreciate it.
My fear is, in the longer term, we may loose this diversity and, heaven forbid, end up like the States where all courses are basically the same and it is racing by numbers.
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What did George Washington die on please?
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