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Good question.
Having lost both the Cheveley Park horses and those of the Vyta Du Roc crew it will be a bit depleted.
But plenty have stuck by him – interesting few months ahead.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"“The nearest sneezy got to the hot seat was going over it with a feather duster …..reminds me of phoenix nights when they reopened the phoenix , Jerry’s name was over the door but potter still called the shots , ” Come get your black bin bags .. ””
Hahaha, excellent comparison. Gordy Potter, with his wheelchair parked on a dead horse. Haha, tickled me that mate.
BUY THE SUN
Looking at the racing post the highest rated chasers are Battleoverdoyen and Samcro , Battle is in Goff’s sale tomorrow , outwith that there,s a lot of handicappers , I imagine Cheltenham will involve a lot of handicap plot jobs
plenty have stuck by him – interesting few months ahead
And the Racing Post now has 2 front page articles promoting him.
IMO the Racing Post should be remaining firmly neutral on the subject.
They won’t be selling any more papers by hitching their wagon to his.
He’s entitled to return, but he can’t undo what he’s done and the damage it has caused.
Low profiles all round ought to be the order of the day.
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"If they did not interview him they would receive equal criticism.
Have you read the article (s) ?
Let me get this right you start a thread about
The return of Gordon Elliott then you criticism the RP for going to the horses mouth?They wouldn’t have had any criticism off me for giving him the swerve.
There is a difference between starting a thread on a racing forum, noting his impending return, and giving him a direct platform.
Yes, I’ve read the coverage and I’m not impressed tbh.
Note his return, yes, give him the coverage he’s getting and a chance to try to play the sympathy card, sorry, I don’t agree with it.
A quiet, contrite, return without media attention would have been preferable IMO.
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"I think the media are in a bit of a no-win situation on this one. It is a big story in racing terms, so a high profile interview seems reasonable. I think the key thing is what he says in that interview, and what he does from now on.
It is true that just because someone breaks the rules / disrespects a newly dead racehorse does not mean that person has or will break the rules about / disrespects live horses.
However…
Who is more likely to break the rules / disrespect a LIVING racehorse? A or B.
A) Someone that keeps to the rules about / shows respect for DEAD racehorses?
Or
B) Someone who’s broken the rules / actually shown disrespect for a DEAD racehorse?imo Someone who breaks the rules / disrespects dead racehorses is far more likely to break the Rules Of Racing regarding live animals… Which includes… being more likely to give racehorses performance enhancing drugs for his/her own personal gain.
ie imo The possibility (emphasise “possibility”) of someone breaking the rules of (live) racing goes up significantly if that person disrespects a dead horse.
Value Is EverythingTotally agree Gingertipster, but what can be done about it? Obviously the authorities should be keeping a close eye on him, but he can’t be punished for things we suspect he might do.
Its a news story along with a horse racing story and the RP is horse racings trade paper so of course they had to do a story on his return, have no issue with that as long as they remain somewhat objectively detatched with their reporting.
Gingertipster – Get what you are saying in the law of averages sense but as totally abhorrent as his actions were, he was suspended due to ‘damaging the reputation of racing’ so to say that because he has made that mistake he is now much more likely to stoop to an even lower level of administering performance enhancing drugs to his horses and as such risking their and his jockey’s health is a bit of a stretch for me.
I would say that he is still no more/no less likely to do that than say a newer trainer wanting desperately to make it into the big time. The temptation and opportunity to cut corners to gain any advantage is there for each and every trainer but there could be any number of factors in an individual’s life that end up being the tipping point that takes them down that road other than assuming one incident of extremely poor judgement will lead him there.
I look at it that way because, given the intense microscope that he will now be under (possible for the rest of his training career) one could strongly argue that he now has more incentive than any trainer to keep his nose clean of any type of impropriety – its just a shame for his employees that one horrendous lack of judgement can wipe out the fact that historically when authorities have made visits to his yard they have always found happy/healthy horses with no welfare issues whatsoever.
I will somewhat give him the benefit of the doubt but he is standing on the thinest of thin ice with a lot of folks and no doubt those that stand firmly on the perception side of horse racing being cruel to horses full stop have likely already condemned him as a horse abuser that should be gone from racing altogether.
Gingertipster – Get what you are saying in the law of averages sense but as totally abhorrent as his actions were, he was suspended due to ‘damaging the reputation of racing’ so to say that because he has made that mistake he is now much more likely to stoop to an even lower level of administering performance enhancing drugs to his horses and as such risking their and his jockey’s health is a bit of a stretch for me.
LD – Where was the “mistake”? Getting caught?
Because imo sitting on a dead racehorse especially with those gestures is not natural for anyone that truly respects dead racehorses FULL STOP. He’s been caught just the once and therefore I want to believe this an isolated incident. However, am struggling to see how he could have done this unless there is a natural disrespect of dead racehorses…So no, it is not because “he was suspended due to ‘damaging the reputation of racing’”. For me – it’s the disrespect Elliott showed to a dead racehorse that makes him “much more likely to stoop to an even lower level of administrating performance enhancing drugs” than someone who respects dead racehorses.
Value Is EverythingWhat do you think happens to dead horses GT?
They drag them with diggers, ropes and chains, shovel them with machines, burn them in incinerators, etc. Even the good ones. Have you read Steeplechasing’s ‘the day we buried Red Rum’ thread?
With livestock (and racehorses are a form of livestock) people associated with the day to day reality of them dying, and the reality of the practicalities of disposing of them, naturally become, to some extent or other, desensitised by both the deaths and by the disposal process.
I’m NOT saying that the people close to a horse (including the trainers) do not grieve or mourn a loss but when you are training upwards of 150 horses I can understand how loss becomes ‘a day to day part of the job’.
I’m also NOT saying he was right to sit on the horse, it was stupid and naive and I am sure he’ll be careful not to repeat anything similar, but I can understand how it could happen WITHOUT the trainer being consciously disrespectful to the animals in his care. Remember, there is NO cruelty or welfare issue in this case, none at all.
You’d expect more from your trainer, yes, but it was an error of judgement and poor behaviour that I think he has paid an appropriate price for.
Mahon’s behaviour, however, is on a different level for me. THAT is the type of thing that should warrant a fellow being warned off for life.
I don’t think there is a person on planet earth who hasn’t done something that involved a moment of complete and utter lack of good judgement/sense/taste etc that when you look back upon it you can’t for the life of you explain what on earth you were thinking and thus can only chalk it up to making a mistake.
If you don’t think it was a mistake on his part then are you coming down on the side of it being a conscious decision on his part to sit on that horse because he has no respect for it because it was already dead?
I am sure there have been multiple incidents of his horses dropping dead in his yard or on the gallops (a extremely sad part of the game) and nothing has ever come to light of him acting in that same manor before so I have to mark it down as an epic brain fart moment never to be repeated.
Regardless of the rights and wrongs of it, whether it’s forgiveable or an act beyond redemption, and how the racing media are reacting, my main interest is whether he is a trainer to follow as a punter upon his return, especially in Handicaps.
Sneezy hasn’t exactly been a roaring success – some are even calling results under her tenure catastrophic.
Are a few of the horses about to once again be trained by Ireland’s man most in need of an outdoor garden chair (as he does like a sit down) now on lenient marks?
Will Jordan Gainford be booting a few home for him?
Can’t wait to find out.
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"Whatever he does and whatever he says everytime I see his face I see that image
he might as well have it tattooed on his forehead for penance.
I will never ever understand how anybody could have done something like that.
The dead horse deserved nothing but respect as it lay lifeless on the ground not some fat arse trainer leaping all over him taking selfies and now arrogantly thinking people will fall for his crocodile tears of contrition.Maybe people are willing to forgive Gordon Elliot for what he did but like myself and many others they will never forget…Jac
Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...
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