The Bigger Picture – Ace Article By Alan Lee

[shabby]

I generally enjoy Alan Lee and I get the Times most days but I felt he was a bit trigger happy on this one. You could almost feel his keeness to highlight and develop this point and I got the impression it was an article he had been waiting for an excuse to write.
Whatever the merits of the Morning Line (and it has for some time been a show desperately lacking in editorial innovation) it is no place for a professional athlete 3 or 4 hours before a big event. The fact that it is the only forum for terrestial coverage of this kind is not the fault of Thomas or O’Regan. Hopefully there will be a continued debate on how to promote racing better.
In truth in most sports initiatives that make the difference usually come from the broadcasters and not the participants.

[dave jay]

The article is kidding itself on a bit though. You can’t compare jockeys with footballers, footballers are in a different league.

[bahram]

the alan lee article is the same reactionary drivel churned out at every opportunity by journos with nothing else to say.
No one on here seems to have noticed that there is virtually no live football on the BBC anymore.No live Cricket.Is there any live Rugby?

Mind you we get more F****** dancing shows than you can shake a stick at.THATS IT!!!! A SHOW WITH DANCING JOCKEYS!!!THAT WILL MAKE EVERYONE GO RACING!!

[Gingertipster]

I did not think the article is that bad.

What don’t you particularly like about it?

We do need those stars to be media friendly and for racing to be seen as something more than betting fodder.

Mark

Value Is Everything

[bahram]

the point I am making about the BBC is that they have been paring back their sports coverage for years.Racing isn’t being discriminated against.
lees article has been written a thousand times before.
It is not insightful.

[graysonscolumn]

GC, have you got an offical list of retail outlets where it is sold? And what day of the month does it come out? I always look out for it when I’m out and about but I’ve never seen a copy – ever – in any shop which would include:
Tesco’s, Sainsburys, Martins, my local (small) WH Smiths etc.

Tesco and WH Smith are the main stockists to the best of my knowledge. Release dates can vary by a day or two either way, but the next edition hits the shelves on January 22nd (NB it’s published 11 times a year – the current issue is the December-January double issue and came out around November 24th).

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.

[MDeering]

He was asked after the move what his "natural" writing style was, to which he replied "it depends who is paying me." I think that sums it up perfectly.

Interesting. If that is the notion in which all journalists should abide by, then I have been an ignorant adolescent in my job.

I find it harder to write what I call "pub journalism" than eloquent, complex, poetic type. How quirky.

[Seagull]

Would it be even worse if every jockey, trainer and owner were to promote themselves the same way as ‘Come On Me!’ aka Frankie Dettori?

Imagine last year at The Coral Eclipse meeting would Ryan Moore have come on The Morning Line and told eveyone ‘I have walked the course and taken a lot of time doing so especially up the home straight and I think the ground under the stand side is the best place to run Notnowcato’.
However not to give the game away I will be racing on the far side in the earlier races as that is the shortest way home.

If he had done so would he have been a fool?
Would Sir Michael Stoute been best pleased giving away the plan?
Would other jockeys have followed Ryan Moore knowing he had taken the most effort in deciding where the best ground that day was?

Anyway Frankie thought that his horse ‘thought it had won’ so he would have been happy!

With Sam Thomas dont you think most jounalist would have written down questions such as –
How do you feel Sam about being jocked off?
What is the feeling down at Ditcheat about this?
Have you lost your nerve on the big occasions?

Sam would have been on a hiding to nothing if he had gone on The Morning Line or any other programe. The wisest thing he could have done was to keep his thoughts to himself and get on with the job in hand.

As regards to Graham Wylie he has put hundreds of thousands into the sport and he therefore must have a say what goes on with his horses.
As I understand things at Howard Johnstones Graham and Andrea do more than pay the bills and have many discussions regarding targets and plans. I was told that it was Graham Wylie who told Howard that Graham Lee ought to be replaced after a poor ride at Cheltenham when he raced his horse very wide which was against the instructions given to him.

There as always are loads of subjects within racing that could and should have been written about.

They include the downturn in funding for racing.

The many questions regarding Paul Beck and why did the BHA take over 2 years to decide he had not done anything wrong when his horse Sobers was the subject to suspicous betting moves back in March 2006.
(Paul Beck claims not to know how to lay a horse but PB Racing was his on course bookmaking firm and was run by someone who certainly does know his way around Betfair!)

The downturn in recent sale prices of horses at auction will have a big effect on racing that could have been writen about.

[Cav]

I don’t quite understand this part of your post.

What is it that you think Alan Lee doesn”t understand about Wylie’s contribution? I’m sure he knows that Wylie has spent a lot of money on NH horses in recent years. What other contribution do you mean?

In what way is Lee residing in dreamland about the broad mass appeal of the sport? He seems to me to be addressing this very issue most directly and suggesting ways in which it might be enhanced. This is something that most racing "journalists" don’t have a clue about.

Rather then referring to Graham Wylie as ¨misguided¨, Lee would be better served writing a thank you article to the man for his contribution to the sport, a contribution that has increased the public profile of the sport more than said journalist ever will.

Sport connects with people on emotional and asthetic levels, thats what makes it appealing. 90% of racing is neither emotional or asthetic. Horseracing broadly attracts as a betting medium and or a social day out. Twas ever thus. How Scott cant see that is beyond me.

[Cav]

Excellent stuff Seagull.

[seabird]

Pompete, I get my copy of RACING AHEAD on the last Thursday of every month (except December) from Tesco.

Colin

[clivex]

Jockeys are usually boring hired midgets. Havent read right through this, but the key participants are trainers.

Admmittedly, Mick Easterby isnt going to be any birds idea or morning eye candy

[alan1]

I totally agree with the gist of the article, but I believe Trainers are just as at fault.

They seem to forget that they are part of an entertainment industry.

I would go further and say that Winning Trainers should be obliged to give interviews, and if they refuse a part of the winnings should be withdrawn.

Then they soon might realise where the winning prize money ultimately comes from, which is the public. And therefore they have an obligation to the public.

only reason they

[Venusian]

the alan lee article is the same reactionary drivel churned out at every opportunity by journos with nothing else to say.

Alan Lee’s article may be a lot of things, but it’s hardly "reactionary".

Do you know what the word means?

[Author]

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