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It starts up again at Great Yarmouth on Thursday evening, it’s got the might of ITV Racing on ITV4 once more behind it, and the seven-race card is undersubscribed with fields of: 8, 12, 10, 10, 11, 12 and 13.
Not only have I never attended any of these meetings, I don’t think I’ve hardly ever watched it, still less had a bet on any of the races.
A succession of Class 2, 3 and 4 Handicaps is, in theory, better than a succession of Class 5 and 6 Handicaps, but I can never summon any enthusiasm for any of it.
And as for the meaningless “teams” – I think I probably felt more tribal and passionate about the “teams” in “It’s A Knockout” in the 1970s.
It’s truly desperate stuff and, with no Captain Robbo to save it the way the good captain saved the Shergar Cup here in 2021, it’s gonna be another grim season for the team sport that isn’t a team sport, watched by people who only care about the horse they’ve bet on, if they have a bet at all, that is, and if they can’t be bothered to watch, still less attend, that is.
DIRE.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"The whole thing is barking mad. I’ve been looking at the 1M 6F race at Yarmouth this coming Thursday, my interest because of the presence of The Thunderer, the Ollie Sangster trained horse that beat my Eagle Court at Wolves back in April. He was sold two weeks ago to Nmkt trainer Stuart Williams and makes his debut for him in this race.
So reasonably enough, and relying on the info given on the Post website, The Thunderer represents Team East. But another horse trained in Newmarket by Ben Brookhouse represents team London and the South.
Ian Williams trains at Portbury, south of Birmingham, just inside the M42 – but he apparently qualifies for Team Wales and the West. Jennie Candlish, who trains in Staffordshire, is in Team North. And the absolute pick of the bunch, David Menusier, who trains at Pulborough in West Sussex, has his runner assigned to Team Scotland!
The bloke who fronts this thing and is reported in the Post today talking up the changes designed to increase the crowds is called Jeremy Wray. He used to be on the board at Swindon Town FC (Swindon is where I live) and he was totally convinced that he could get the Town into the Championship and get them playing in front of crowds of 50,000. They’re still in League 2, average crowd around 9,000 last season.
It just goes to show that human pedigrees, like equine ones, aren’t always a cast-iron guarantee of success.
Jeremy Wray is, I believe, a full brother to Edward Wray.
One founded Betfair Exchange – the other founded The Racing League.
I think Ed might just about have had the edge over Jezza in the business acumen department there.
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
https://mobile.twitter.com/Ian_Davies_
https://www.facebook.com/ThePointtoPointNHandFlatracingpunter/
It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"I thought The Hundred was a terrible idea.
Trust racing to think of something even worse!
The team element is totally manufactured and adds nothing meaningful as far as I can see. Racing just doesn’t fit any kind of league model.
These types of painful contortion to make it into a team sport just aren’t worthwhile. They show a complete misunderstanding of the sport’s strengths.
Jeremy Wray holding out for a large bid from Saudi Arabia
Charles Darwin to conquer the World
Took the time to read through their website just in case I
could see any redeeming qualities. That’s half an hour I’ll
never get back. It’s a total non starter. I’d rather watch
Mr Ben (actually I quite like Mr Ben) than the Shergar Cup
and this is way below that. Staggering to think that someone
let this go ahead.Jeremy Wray has huge faith in it despite the crowds totally just short of 8k last season. I have zero interest in it and only caught a glimpse of it whilst flicking through the channels.
The more I know the less I understand.
It only costs £5 to get into the opening fixture at Yarmouth. Which is still too expensive.
They way the pundits on SSR keep so enthusiastically talking up this non event is ridiculous. I know the channel shows dross for about 50 weeks of the year but trying to present a series of moderate handicaps as some sort of big event is embarrassing.
“I’d rather watch Mr Ben”
Tbf, I think many would rather watch Mr Ben – which was very good and was narrated by Ray Brooks, who was brilliant as Robbie Box in Big Deal (and incidentally also once did a superb job as the voiceover in a TV ad for me for the Racing & Football Outlook in 1987).
Big Deal was a very well researched TV Series – there was a manifest depth of understanding gathered of gamblers and the world they inhabited.
The Racing League is clearly the brainchild of someone with zero empathy or insight into what historically attracts people to horse racing, a particularly clumsy to year-on-year attempt to impose contrived team values upon racing taken from other sports.
What works in football – where tribal support for Clubs has built up over many generations – cannot be instantly recreated with gimmicky racing team names in a sport which is very much individual, and spectator affiliation is individual-bet-based hence hugely ephemeral.
But then the whole sport is funded by betting, so this ought to be obvious – but apparently it isn’t.
Those trumpeting this nonsense are those on its dwindling gravy train – let’s hope this year it finally runs out of gravy.
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
https://mobile.twitter.com/Ian_Davies_
https://www.facebook.com/ThePointtoPointNHandFlatracingpunter/
It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Afraid not Sam, although I’d have liked to have seen him as a jockey.
There were 13 programmes made but he never went to the races.You are wrong BigG
Here he is at the races
Charles Darwin to conquer the World
Magic Big G and Nathan.
Although Chez will get the casting vote here and say which mr Ben(n)He meant.
Paddington on the other hand, did and look where he ended up.
The Mr Benn goes racing episode maybe ended up on the cutting room floor knowing the beeb.
It would be rocking horse droppings like lost beatles tapes.
**** I see what you did there Nathan,
Mr bean and all.The Mr Benn Chezza referred to was the fella who kept visiting a costume shop, trying on gear, then stepping out of the “Fitting Room” into various alternate realities, having an adventure, returning, then leaving the shop without apparently ever handing over a penny.
Chezza always felt sorry for the proprietor on this score but, upon reflection, if you own a magic Fitting Room, you’re probably not short of a quid or two: https://youtu.be/YtUgnySlcI0
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
https://mobile.twitter.com/Ian_Davies_
https://www.facebook.com/ThePointtoPointNHandFlatracingpunter/
It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"As unpalatable as this brand of racing may be to traditionalists and racing affecionardos, a 50/1 winner is the same here as anywhere else.
Able Kane might run well.
Good point, well made, Sam.
Good luck with your interesting bet.
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
https://mobile.twitter.com/Ian_Davies_
https://www.facebook.com/ThePointtoPointNHandFlatracingpunter/
It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"
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