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I think the BHA could have anticipated the race would be too gruelling in the conditions and called it off. The amateurs probably had a difficult call to make in terms of judging whether they could remain competitive in a field that was falling apart. I felt sympathy for the winner Le Breuil who seemed to give his all and looked out on his feet after the line.
Not edifying at all. Some of it reminded me of The Last Fling being ridden into the Canal Turn when he had nothing left to give and perished. The quality of the jumping was terrible – It is rare to see problems at the fence where Ballyward came down.
Calls for changes here are inevitable and justifiable
I agree with you Pilgarlic – it was a total shame it happened. On the first day there were interviews with the vets – much about horse welfare, vetting the horses thoroughly when they arrive etc. Putting the horse first is paramount quote – this is not putting the horse first and did a lot of damage to the good work done for horse welfare at the festival IMHO.
I think from the little I’ve found it has always been a novice chase even before it moved to Cheltenham. But it’s a historical anomaly. It was restricted to hunter chasers and horses that had won before the current season under rules were barred.
I imagine the intention was the field would be grizzly old hunters and point to pointers who had maybe won for years but outside rules races and the restriction was to stop the pro horses taking over.
Hence the odd situation now where it’s just inexperienced but good horses lining up.
Why not repurpose it as a pure hunter or veteran chase?
Just leave it alone. It is a great chunk of the BHA that should be banished, It stumbles from one disaster to the other almost as badly as Mrs May:
And just to clear this up. The first running was in 1859. Fogo Rowlands idea was to provide a race for genuine steeplechasing hunters and he hoped the riders would be farmers and hunting men. Rowlands hoped that all the local hunts would support the race but only two did, however, the following year at Market Harborough it was a resounding success, 12 hunts subscribed. The race, over 4m, was for maidens at starting. It settled at Cheltenham in 1911.
Of course, the term ‘national hunt’ derived from Rowland’s creation hence the code’s first rule-making body, formed in the mid 1860s, was the National Hunt Committee. Races for many decades had the term either ‘under National Hunt rules’ or under ‘Market Harborough rules’ attached to them.
I say to reactionary naysayers: leave our fcuking history alone.
Changing the conditions of the race today would not be changing fcuking history.
It’s an anomoly that it’s a novice chase today because back in the day that was a way to keep it confined to “genuine steeplechasing hunters … farmers and hunting men”.
Is the race today composed of “genuine steeplechasing hunters … farmers and hunting men”? No. Changing it to a true hunter’s race (are there enough of those to go round these days?) or a veteran’s chase could achieve that. I’d even generously allow female farmers and hunting women to join in, bless them.
I’m against the idea of shortening the race or banning amateurs. If anything I’d like to see more of the old fashioned traditional amateurs with wooly jumpers and massive long stirrup leathers, but I think that battle is lost.
If the consensus grows to replace the archaic anomaly then a 4m Veterans’ Chase does appeal; they are good spectacles and as has been mentioned there’s no need for any more ‘championship’ Hunters
The appeal would be enhanced if the riders were veterans too. Retired pros over 40 who now struggle to do 12st perhaps: male, female, trans, non-binary, cis-tertiary, laevo-rotatory and all inclinations ‘twixt them, off level weights of course
“The tranny beat the girls and all the boys had coronaries”
Ooh er…that really would put racing on the front pages
Back in 2008 (at 12:30), 2009 and 2010 (at 1:30) the National Hunt Chase was run as the first race on the card. Why did they change it? It made more sense to have it as the first race on the card and ensure prefect racing ground.
The alternative would be – as the mighty Drone mentioned – a Veterans Chase with experienced jumpers getting the chance to have their own “Championship” race at the Festival. If the Foxhunters do, then why not the Veterans?
To quote my favorite Mark Johnson used expression: It wouldn’t be a SHUTTERING mistake.
I’m standing by for snowflakes to call for this race to be reduced to 2 miles and restricted to professionally licensed jockeys!
But then look at an actual 2 mile race for pros, last year’s Grand Annual, and the emasculating measures brought in as a result of the fuss created about it.
Listen to Ted Walsh’s interview yesterday. The pampering must stop now. Either we ban Jumps racing (and ultimately any racing) altogether or make a stand. Otherwise it will be death by a thousand cuts.
The current leading honchos at the BHA are either simpering reactionary fools or Aussies who do not remotely understand the fabric of the sport. They are completely out of touch with those in the game. Surely horse racing’s authority should be run by ex-pros, former leading jockeys and trainers, etc.
Either we ban Jumps racing (and ultimately any racing) altogether or make a stand
Tush GM, it’s disappointing to see a traditionalist like you describing the noble sport as Jumps racing: it’s National Hunt Racing for goodness sake
My cunning plan for the future to soothe snowflakes and enrage trilbied gammons is to carry on with National Hunt Racing but without the fences and hurdles
sorted
Its the jockeys to blame – it is their riding that is leading to the problem IMHO, not the other way around. As a matter of interest – the finishes to the GC shown this morning in the Dessie days displayed a much softer sympathetic riding style to what we see now.
If the consensus grows to replace the archaic anomaly then a 4m Veterans’ Chase does appeal; they are good spectacles
Now that would be excellent! (And we’re basically getting one of those in an outstanding-looking Midlands Grand National tomorrow, with improving 14yo Raz De Maree running off his lowest mark since the King died).
Mike
Further criticism of the current top echelon of he BHA from those noted revolutionaries Henry Daly, Brough Scott and Sam Waley-Cohen:
https://www.racingpost.com/news/members/racing-post-sunday/the-big-read/371426
I feel for the BHA who are trying to do the right thing in impossible circumstances. I thought they were caught in a right dilemma today with the end of the Midlands National looking, to my eye, very similar to Jerrysback’s finish in the NH Chase. First and second looks almost as tired. This whole subject is nuanced to a degree that it’s unlikely ever to be solved.
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