- This topic has 58 replies, 23 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 7 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
There were 66 runners at Chepstow today and 21 of them were eventually pulled up, not sure how many deaths but there has been 1 confirmed. The most worring aspect was that the NH Flat race, inexpieranced younger NH horses were asked to ride a full circuit, none were pulled up.
Just look at the distances between horses in that race
12 – 9 – 0.5 – 11 – 9 – 15 – 46 – 11 – 36 – 85 – 11
and this is minimum trip !!!!
Will have to reconsider my previous comment as I was only criticising the longer races in such conditions although as you say in this case it’s inexperienced horses.
The issue of pulling-up tired horses is fine in principle. It’s a valid concern, no doubt about that!
But let us look at the issue in the context of this particular race. Five of the six horses were ridden by claimers. During the course of the race itself the McCain horse unseated it’s rider; the Alan King horse was pulled-up before 4 out, as was also Society Night. This left three horses in active participation — one of whom, Ringsend Rose, was also close to being pulled up. Hardly a "Bloodsport" or a "Sickening" situation.
Orana Conti’s falling at the second last left Moulin de la Croix in a clear lead — a double distance ahead of Ringsend. Now, is anybody on here seriously saying that Sam T-D on Moulin ( the fav) should have pulled up his mare when he was around a fence in front and with the finishing line in sight?
If any jockey in such circumstances did such a thing (i.e., pulling up a running horse when in a clear lead because it might be tired) I can only imagine the reaction of the Trainer, the Owner, and the punters who backed the horse …………….. (never mind the stern punishment that would be dished out in the stewards room).Those horses could barely raise their legs let alone jump a fence turning for home.
Cannot have that at all !
The one horse who died in the race — Orano Conti — was striding along very well under only hands-and-heels and was jumping fluently at all fences until it fell two out.
It certainly was not an exhausted horse.Apart from the race after the 2.55 I have yet to see any racing from Chepstow and won’t until I get a chance to watch it later (recorded).
So apart from the 2.55 how were they finishing in earlier/later races? I ask as I’m not sure Cav and Tbr were specifically saying it was just that said race and was it possibly in the other races too that they meant about the horses finishing badly? Just on reading the race reports alone there was a hell of a lot of PU’s today which to me was no bad thing due to extremes of going.The 2.55 may have been the most extreme case on the day with the field strung out as they approached the straight.
In the subsequent races I watched 4.05 and 4.40 the pace seemed sensible and a clear winner comfortable with the conditions ran away from the field that possibly were not.
I agree with Hoof’s comments about the 2.55. As I’ve said Orano Conti was moving quite nicely unlike all the others. I would certainly not suggest that STD should have pulled up his mount up but the jump that unseated him did look that of a tired horse.
I have two concerns about today and both I suppose relate to image.
Firstly, the sight of extremely tired horses is not good for the sport.
Secondly, the races are not really competitive when a third of the runners PU and the rest are strung out across the county – it’s just not a great advert for NH racing.
Not sure how I stand on this one, it’s interesting for sure.
I backed Alan King’s horse in the race which was pulled up 4 out by Wayne Hutchinson. At the time I thought nothing more of it as the leader was miles in front.
The horse was in 2nd at the time though and I’d say about 10 lengths in front of the favourite who was 3rd and miles in front of the eventual winner.
When the leader crashed out I was actually thinking to myself why has Hutchinson pulled up and not attempted to try get the horse going again as it was in 2nd at the time. No problem with that at all though as he was looking after his horse which will live to fight another day.
The favourite was very tired and STD must have thought it worth carrying on as the leader had fallen and he was in the position to then win the race. I didn’t see nothing uncomfortable in that to be honest and it was an ‘unseat’ and not a fall that put paid to his chance.
When the eventual winner came round the fence and onto the next I must admit having a feeling of ‘what the hell is the jockey doing’ the horse looked as though it could hardly get it’s feet off the floor, I thought it was painful to watch the horse attempting to jump the 2nd last but it got over and went on to complete and win the race. Can’t see the horse ever winning another race so I’d guess connections would be happy that the jockey carried on and got the win and thankfully nothing bad happened.
I think it is worrying to run horses in conditions like that and something I think should be considered in future.
My thoughts go out to connections of the horse that lost it’s life today, never nice when it happens…
I think the ground conditions were made to look even worse by the poor quality of horses on show combined with the fairly strong paces of most races for the conditions.
As for Ringsend Rose, it will have been a good payday for the Sadik team, but they will probably regret her losing the novice status if she stays in training. No more small field novices chases for her next year…so will we see Ringsend Rose making up the numbers in graded races?
It’s hard to see how the race wasn’t declared void, surely all the participants in a race have to jump or attempt to jump the same number of fences.
The winner missed one out that others had attempted to jump, that can’t be right.
What would have happened if the winner had jumped the fence?
What would have happened if there had been several runners left in the race, some jumped the fence and others didn’t?
Is any Tom, Dick or Harry allowed to wave the horses around a fence?
Some clarification is required from the BHA rather than the rules being made up as they go along.It’s hard to see how the race wasn’t declared void, surely all the participants in a race have to jump or attempt to jump the same number of fences.
The winner missed one out that others had attempted to jump, that can’t be right.
What would have happened if the winner had jumped the fence?
What would have happened if there had been several runners left in the race, some jumped the fence and others didn’t?
Is any Tom, Dick or Harry allowed to wave the horses around a fence?
Some clarification is required from the BHA rather than the rules being made up as they go along.Are you suggesting whenever a fence is considered ‘unsafe’ to be jumped a race should be declared void? In this instance there was only one horse who bypassed the fence but there could have been more. The Stewards were able to use their discretion and in my opinion made the correct decision. Official or not whoever waved them around the fence also made the correct decision.
As for Ringsend Rose, it will have been a good payday for the Sadik team, but they will probably regret her losing the novice status if she stays in training. No more small field novices chases for her next year…so will we see Ringsend Rose making up the numbers in graded races?
As a 59-rated mare hitherto looking incapable of winning a race of any description, I don’t think Jeff Sadik will have had too many lofty aspirations for her either entering or following today’s contest. She’d struggle to be found too many handicaps where she could run off her true mark, even.
Whatever aesthetic or rulebook issues this particular race may bring up, though, I can’t begrudge connections the victory. Jeff has become something of a Ted Caine figure in the last couple of years, I suppose, and I mean that in the nicest possible way. Few of his animals harbour any realistic prospects of winning races on merit, but, like Caine, he lost his son – Cengiz Sadik killed himself a couple of years ago – and he has essentially continued to train horses since then as his means of coping rather than going slowly mad staring at the walls at home.
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
- Total Posts 17716
Agree with Stilvi.
Even in the Law Courts, common sense is the arbiter when there’s no clear ruling. Pity the Stewards don’t use it more often though.Just what purpose is served putting these longer races on in such conditions.
To cater for those horses who are deep ground- and 3m trip-contingent, perhaps? By expedient of being entered in the race, you’d have to presume connections of all horses concerned thought, rightly or wrongly, that their charges could operate in the prevailing conditions to a certain extent.
I’m no fan of lopping race distances on the basis of isolated instances of horses finishing unilaterally legless (if they finish at all), when in a drier winter races such as today’s would not necessarily have posed anything like the same attritional challenge. I’m still pained by the decision Market Rasen took a number of years ago to reduce the Lincolnshire National from 4m1f to 3m4.5f off the back of one freak renewal (which wasn’t by any means the only one ever run on deep going) where Nativetrial finished alone.
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
I’m no fan of lopping race distances on the basis of isolated instances of horses finishing unilaterally legless (if they finish at all), when in a drier winter races such as today’s would not necessarily have posed anything like the same attritional challenge.
gcUnderstand your answer to my comment and totally agree with the bit I’ve quoted.
Could the decision to race at Chepstow yesterday have been influenced by the fact that they lost their last two meetings to water-logging?
Would the Clerk of the Course been put under pressure to race when it was against his better judgement?
It was a bloody awful card yesterday and, in my opinion, one that wouldn’t have been missed.
Colin
Really gutted about todays events – especially the death of Orana Conti as I’d been following her for sometime, and had my joint biggest priced winner of last year with her at Leicester in December
Not sure they should have run the ‘chases yesterday but the hurdle races and bumper seemed to be competitive and plenty finished in those.
Agree with Colin that teh decision to race looks questionable, and you have to wonder if the prospect of terrestrial TV coverage due to Newcastle being called off early, was a factor.
The times of the races yesterday, as well as the number of obstacles being omitted, indicate that conditions were marginal at best.
This particular race for novice mares is run as a qualifier for the final at Newbury in March. The final is over 2m 5f, so it’s hard to see why Chepstow run a qualifier over 3M when they have a 2m 3.5f start available.
This is the third year the race has been staged, and it has a history of small fields and strung out finishes. In 2008, it was run in January, eight started, four finished and the distances were 3/4l and 66 lengths.
In 2009, it was switched to the current date, four ran, three finished, distancs 7l and 84l.
A cut in distance or a switch to another Northern Racing track (Hereford perhaps) would seem a good idea.
AP
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.