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Only 1 day to go now!
I fancy Tartan Bearer. Dante form is usually a good sign to the Derby. Stoute knows what it takes to win having won it recently in 03, 04. 7/1 looks good value seen as though the shorter priced horses have basically no worthwhile form and are priced on reputation.
Completely disagree. I could not disagree more with the Saturdayists.
Switching the Derby to the Saturday was the single most damaging decision made by the horse racing authorities since the decision to legalise betting with bookmakers instead of establishing a pari-mutuel system.
In comparison, Lord Melchitt’s capitulation to the off course bookmakers on the issue of overrounds was a cause for celebration.
By switching the race, they turned an event of international reputation and national social psychological significance into another horse race. The nadir, of course, coming four years ago when the Derby – the oldest and most significant horse race in the world, a historical seed race for at least twenty racing nations – was expediently fitted into the half time break of a football match.
As for the attendance figures/atmosphere argument, taken in a vacuum, the figures and anecdotal evidenceare convincing, and cunningly peddled by Saturdayists as irrefutable fact.
Taken in context of a scary decline in ALL horse racing attendances between 1988 and 1994, and the widespread impression at the time that this magnificent sport was really on it’s knees, the evidence doesn’t really mean anything.
As the Australians have shown (and I grow more and more impressed with that nation, particularly their honourable attitude toward the Japanese whaling scandal), you can stop a country with a horse race.
In the US, the Kentucky Derby still has the power to entrance the bovine gridiron fans on the first Saturday in May, and the Americans would never dream of switching the Run for the Roses to a Sunday (their traditional multi-sporting day).
It is my contention that the upsurge in the Derby’s fortunes since the mid-nineties would have been much stronger if the race was kept to a Wednesday and marketed as an national event.
(We wouldn’t have had the New Approach saga; the mercurial Mr Bolger wouldn’t have dreamed of doing what he did to an event.)
With shrewd marketing and the promotion of an exciting national consensus, racing could have taken advantage of the boom and ensured the iconic status of the Derby. The powers missed an opportunity of a lifetime. I live in hope one day someone will see the mistake – and rectify it.
I really like the look of Frozen Fire, he looked a little green at York and think he will definitely come on from that run, certainly a horse for the future.
JohnJ.
In principle I agree with you, Max.
I just feel it might be an idealists viewpoint that we share.
Colin
My ratings for the Derby are
New approach 133
rio de la plata 128
tajaaweed 125
tartan bearer 124
frozen ice 120
doctorfremantle 119
casual conquest 117
curtain call 112
river proud 107
kandahar run 106
bouguereau 102
alessandro volta 98
king of rome 96
washington irving 82
alan devonshire 78
bashkirov 68
maidstone mixture 59i will back new approach to win
and rio de la plata each wayMax…I would be interested to know what you do for a living ? The industrial landscape of this county is changing and racing needs to change with it. A white-collar workforce can’t absorb a Wednesday Derby; a midweek Royal Ascot; a midweek Cheltenham festival; a midweek Glorious Goodwood and a midweek July meeting.
If you’re working 9 to 5 in an office, you can’t go to the track; you can’t watch it in a bookies and you almost certainly can’t watch it on a TV.
A Saturday Derby is far more convenient to the majority. Your argument about Australia and the US isn’t convincing. The Australians have one major weekday race meeting a year (unlike ourselves) and the US triple crown is still on a weekend.
Completely agree with Sam. Its been on a saturday since I have been watching racing and it would seem odd to have the countries premier flat race on a wednesday, particularly if you ever want to attract new blood to racing.
The nadir, of course, coming four years ago when the Derby – the oldest and most significant horse race in the world
Not strictly true, of course. The St Leger (1776) eclipses The Derby by four years, and The Doncaster Cup, which was inaugurated before both of them, was first run in 1766… and not forgetting The Oaks (1779), which is run this afternoon.
Gambling Only Pays When You're Winning
Saturadyists you destroy the delicate shy english rose; racey,pacey, loved and nurtured – her style historically and attractively preserved down the ages right down to the tips of her pedigree ankles – to vulgarly replace her with an albino beauty; a Saturday, come on down, short-necked, large-thighed stunner swinging a crocodile bag minus her max factor.
Some persuasive argument I admit, but you’re all playing thong and aren’t at the races.
People of my generation (I’m 27) will not turn out to watch an event at 3.30 on a wednesday afternoon unless they have, through some stroke of luck, got themselves a corporate invite. The interest just is not there – The only midweek event any of my friends are interested in is Royal Ascot, which sadly is not because of the racing (The BBC deserves the blame for that).
The noughties is a very different time to the seventies and the advent of sky means the choice of sport and programming is so massive you have to fight for some prime time tv and fill the dwindling attention span of the young for 10 minutes on one saturday of the year to even have any chance of convincing them horse racing and the derby isn’t just some archaic insitutional sport watched by old men. Thats what my friends think of it until I take them racing (Which is always on a saturday or an evening meeting). Sink or swim would seem an appropriate turn of phrase.
I would love horse racing to be the romanticised sport many claim it once was but it isn’t and is never going to be again.
it seems like every derby these days is referred to as weak compared to the good old days, both soon after they are run and again when the winner loses his next race
it would be nice if tradition wasn’t changed but saturday makes sense for some reasons and doesn’t bother me too much whether it’s on a wednesday or a saturday
somebody in the pub last night asked when the derby was, they said "it’s soon isn’t it, why isn’t it advertised much these days, why no sweepstake, etc ?" – it does seem to have lost it’s sparkle a bit to a lot of people
i hope JB doesn’t continue his shenanigans with NA and even though the officials have said he won’t be allowed to hold up the race, once the horse starts walking to the start, they won’t be able to start till it get’s there, i can see it happening …
Doctor Fremantle for me, 16 years after my first Derby win bet on the other doctor horse, the devious one
Saturadyists you destroy the delicate shy english rose; racey,pacey, loved and nurtured – her style historically and attractively preserved down the ages right down to the tips of her pedigree ankles – to vulgarly replace her with an albino beauty; a Saturday, come on down, short-necked, large-thighed stunner swinging a crocodile bag minus her max factor.
Some persuasive argument I admit, but you’re all playing thong and aren’t at the races.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder Gamble and that happens to be whichever trashy magazine you wish to name.
I’ve already used up 3 holidays for Cheltenham (2 x half-days and 2 x full days) and 1 holiday for Aintree (2 x half-days) out of 20 I get for the year. I won’t get to watch most of Royal Ascot live because it’s on during the week. I won’t get to watch the Oaks or Coronation Cup live because they are on the afternoon of a week-day. I want to see this day switched to the Sunday so I can watch those races as well. I’m a big fan of the sport but it’s letting me down in this way, all for the sake of tradition!
Why is it I get the feeling that the Ascot detractors, Sporting Life mourners, AW racing haters, and Wednesdayists are , generally, the same people.
Perhaps I’m wrong .
But david, as I said before, part of the thrill of Derby day was "bunking" off work, not taking a day’s holiday!!!
Yeah cos my boss won’t suspect anything
K. Manning ,the jockey of the Derby winner was given a 3 day ban for careless riding for slight interference with the baby god Dettori. Surely in the Derby with its ups and downs, it cornering and camber, a jockey would be excused for mild interference especially one trying to win as opposed to Frankie’s mount who should have stayed at home since he did not see out the distance of the Derby,and everyone knew that ?
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