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Ridiculous that the Bunbury Cup couldn’t become the 32.Red Bunbury Cup………surely the sponsors have missed the point here in seemingly not wanting to attach their name to part of the history of the sport……..surely they weren’t hoping for sponsorship heaven where their race becomes simply known by their name as in The Whitbread etc………no chance.
I’ve turned off C4 racing and will return to it after the sacrilege that is the 32red Trophy is finished.
I will not accept the race as anything other then the (insert sponsor here
) Bunbury Cup.
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Praise where praise is due – thank you
Lydia Hislop
and
Jonathan Neeson
on
RUK
for refusing to call the
Bunbury Cup
the
32Red Trophy
. The most either of them would allow was
"32Red Bunbury Cup"
and Lydia (bless her) wasn’t even having the 32Red!
Commentator Richard Hoiles was, I suppose, in a more delicate position, but I was disappointed that he didn’t even manage a
"formerly known as the Bunbury Cup"
(which is actually part of the race title, to be fair to the Newmarket executive.)
Nevertheless, a shameful day for British Racing when the race named after the co-founder of the Derby is sold down the river in this way.
Pinza, fwiw, it was Stephen Wallis’s suggestion that the Bunbury Cup be dropped altogether, according to the Racing Post. You got the impression the racetitle wasn’t important to him.
I wonder whether May’s
King Charles II
Stakes is important to Mr Wallis. Or The Nell Gwyn, named after the King’s buxom mistress? What about the oddly named, but enticing Criterion Stakes? The Craven?
Let’s face it, once you break one taboo, its no big deal to break another. Hell, Mr Wallis could sell the lot – anything to avoid using the media rights windfall to pay prize money.
Racing being what it is Max, royalty are sacrosanct so while poor old Nell being one of the great unwashed may become 32Red, King Charles II will only lose a little dignity as his race would become the King Charles II 32Red Stakes
Witness yesterday’s absurd Princess of Wales’s sportingbet.com Stakes
Any race with a regal connection seems to be named in a similar oerse-about-tit pseudo-deferential manner
e.g The Duke of York Blue Square Stakes
…and joy of joys, how all sponsored races should be named:
Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (sponsored by Sony)
funny old game innit
Thanks for that Drone.
That could be a good lounge topic that; how many races in the calendar are named after Kings and Queens. And what are they!
Personally, I’m pretty ambivalent where sponsors add their names to the existing race title (e.g. Coral-Eclipse), but this "registered as the Esher Stakes" business is nonsense.
Traditional race names are part of Racings narrative (isn’t this one of THE Racing For Change buzzwords) and the erosion for the quick sponsors buck is destroying this. I remember when Totesport & Newcastle renamed the Eider the "Northern National" about 10 years ago. (This was soon reversed).
In my mind, the Skybet Chase at Donny is still the Great Yorkshire. There are others which escape my mind at the mo.
Sorry, Kate I cannot agree with the Skybet being still the Great Yorkshire. That race was run over 31/4 miles over much stiffer fence and was contested by a whole host of good horses like Playlord, Buona Notte and the great scottish champion Freddie. The current race, although a very decent race and well worth watching, is nothing like the Great Yorkshire.
Can’t comment on the fences during the ’60s but Skybet’s tenure of the race has coincided with the replacement of Doncaster’s ‘dandybrushes’ (what is a dandybrush?
) with an altogether more robust set of ostensibly ‘portable’ fences: the tarting-up of the course in general a few years ago was everything that Haydock wasn’tThe Great Yorkshire Chase was run in that hallowed name over 3m for many years pre-sponsorship and Skybet emasculation. I do recall it over 3m2f but that must have been nigh on twenty years ago
A dandy brush is a type of brush used to groom horses Drone – when turned upside down it looks like a NH fence.
The stupid thing about losing the race title of "Bunbury Cup" is that it’s long odds on to be re-named some other bookmakers plate, vase or trophy within the next 5 years.
Heritage Handicap has always had a false meaning since I’ve followed racing – soon none of them will have any heritage left.
A dandy brush is a type of brush used to groom horses Drone – when turned upside down it looks like a NH fence.
Thanks IS
Thought they were accoutrements carried by the likes of Beau Brummell
Presumably the name is derived from the same root as dander and dandruff
Another ‘faceless’ bookmaker sponsored (desecrated?) card at York today
Yes, bookmakers take bets on horse racing & some promote themselves through advertising including sponsorship.
What exactly is the problem?
Another ‘faceless’ bookmaker sponsored (desecrated?) card at York today
Yes, bookmakers take bets on horse racing & some promote themselves through advertising including sponsorship.
What exactly is the problem?
I’ll answer that with another question if I may? What do Sky Poker and Sky Bingo have to do with horse racing?
Today’s York card was an advertisement for racing’s most direct competitors. How does that help the sport?Another ‘faceless’ bookmaker sponsored (desecrated?) card at York today
Yes, bookmakers take bets on horse racing & some promote themselves through advertising including sponsorship.
What exactly is the problem?
I’ll answer that with another question if I may? What do Sky Poker and Sky Bingo have to do with horse racing?
Today’s York card was an advertisement for racing’s most direct competitors. How does that help the sport?Well, Sky Poker & Sky Bingo are connected to Sky Bet in the same way that all the other bookies have ‘casinos’ I suppose.
I do apologise, I hadn’t looked at the other race names. I only watched two races from York today.
I’m surprised any company connected to Sky would sponsor York at all given that it’s an RUK track. ‘Hey look at this great racing that’s on another channel.’
Well, Sky Poker & Sky Bingo are connected to Sky Bet in the same way that all the other bookies have ‘casinos’ I suppose.
I do apologise, I hadn’t looked at the other race names. I only watched two races from York today.
I’m surprised any company connected to Sky would sponsor York at all given that it’s an RUK track. ‘Hey look at this great racing that’s on another channel.’
It’s all part of racing selling out the sport for the quick buck Anthony. That’s my opinion anyway.
Would I sell the battery for my macbook for £50 as a separate sale, knowing full well that the sell value of the macbook without the battery would be depreciated by considerably more than that?
It just seems to me that racing is being sold down the river for it’s scrap value, with no regard for it’s heritage.
It’s no different to knocking down that old decrepit behemoth called the Tower of London to build apartments for the city elite. City real estate sells for top dollar after allThe American style bugle blowing at York was dreadful & very tacky. What a shame York was always one of the best courses. It was so English & charming why try & make it like Kentucky, keep the naff bugle blowing in the USA.
Is this something we are going to hear more? Is it advocated by Racing for Change, like the huge yellow American style number cloths?
) with an altogether more robust set of ostensibly ‘portable’ fences: the tarting-up of the course in general a few years ago was everything that Haydock wasn’t
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