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Sorry if this is a duplicate post…
I went to find that article Mac pointed out on the morning line and sure enough, it’s there to read online.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article … lates.html
I would just like to ask those who are more experienced in racing than myself, whether they consider the article fully correct and factual? I was inclined to think it may be overhyped at first, but if so, why would it be highlighted on the morning line?
It is mostly a load of nonsense. We all know things go on, and they always have – but their facts are completely wrong.
Not enough foals have been born yet this year to say that ‘lots of people’ have been putting to sleep.
Can anyone name me a NFNF TB stallion without Googling?
The biggest outrage is SM. She is closely connected with Animal Aid, yet she expects the racing industry to support her (she rang me up wanting box rests/pre trainers a couple of summers ago).
I believe 2 prominent figures in racing are the patrons of her charity.
It is a total joke, which I stated in my email to ATR this morning (I thought sending one to the DM would be a waste of time).
For a balanced, well written piece on a not-very-nice subject, get your hands on a copy of yesterdays Racing Post.No idea if this particular story is true or accurate though I would respect Cheekster’s opinion over that of the DM’s any day, but in my less-than-robust opinion a growing trend towards the disposal of unwanted throughbreds via the slaughterhouse wouldn’t be a surprise in the least; infact I’d expect it as we descend into a deep recession.
The grotesque growth in both the thoroughbred population and racing fixture list was just an unsustainable bubble financed by the equally unsustainable credit bubble; both have now burst in tandem as they had to do, but unfortunately the necessary ‘market readjustment’ of one entails the death of sentient creatures.
Incidentally although I despise the fact that matters have been allowed to come to this, I don’t have a problem with horses entering the meat trade; better that than burial or pyre, after all few give a second’s thought to consuming the horse’s ungulate cousins: cattle, pigs and sheep.
Dark days ahead, bite yer lip
Hmm, "Daily Mail" and "balanced racing story".
Not concepts that sit especially peaceably together, as those who will recall Liz Jones’ hatchet job on the Grand National, the Bowens and related regarding McKelvey’s demise will all too readily attest to.
Unlike Yellow Pages, the Mail really
is
just there for the nasty things in life – all exaggerated manyfold.
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
Their anti gay column today made sick. Its not pleasant killing unwanted horses, but a choice between neglect or death then they made the right call.
Its a horrid choice too make too have the horses destroyed but humanley doing it at home ( at worst after the sale a slaughter man coming round too the sales yard and doing it their and then) and then not breeding from the mare again.
I have long said there are too many horses in training and too many horses are being bred – so I am not surprised at what the story is suggesting at all.
Having said that it is a somewhat emotive and flowery piece of "journalism" and whilst I expect there is some substance to what has been written it is not what I would call a balanced article.
Whilst I personally have no particular desire to knowingly eat horse meat – although I have once eaten it unknowingly and actually liked it, as an avid eater of many other types of meat it would be hypocritical of me to condem the use of horses for the meat trade be it for human or animal consumption. I would no more condem someone for eating horse than I would condem someone for eating a sheep (which absolutely I adore!!!) or a cow.
There is a demand for the meat and although many of us will be uneasy with the thought of horses we have seen ending up on a dinner plate or a tin of dog food.
However until somebody comes up with a financially viable way of looking after horses who can no longer be afforded then it is going to happen.
Perhaps one solution would be for the BHA to impose a levy of say, 5% of all prize money to go towards re-homing projects. But would owners support it?
We may not like it but a horse is no different to any other animal. Some owners are responsible and take their responsibility seriously in the log term, others don’t.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if there is also an increase in the number of pets being taken to vets to be put down because their owners cannot affort to keep them.
We may not like it happening – but it happens.
Hmm, "Daily Mail" and "balanced racing story".
Not concepts that sit especially peaceably together, as those who will recall Liz Jones’ hatchet job on the Grand National, the Bowens and related regarding McKelvey’s demise will all too readily attest to.
Unlike Yellow Pages, the Mail really
is
just there for the nasty things in life – all exaggerated manyfold.
gc
‘Nuff said.
Only one surprise in that story – and that’s the lack of a mention for all the nasty foreign French, German, American and Italian horses coming over and stealing all our horses jobs
From ATR
"Credit Crunch impacts on the humble all-weather seller!
The falling value of bloodstock due to the credit crunch has been well documented by those attending the sales – but the economic situation has had a major impact on the outcome of some types of races, too.
Take sellers, for instance. As the average sales value of moderate horses has fallen, it is clear that more and more connections have been prepared to drop higher-rated horses into selling company. The figures below show the number of horses rated 65 or higher that have raced in all-weather selling contests between the months of October and January in recent seasons.
Oct 05-Jan 06 35 in 45 selling races
Oct 06-Jan 07 36 in 45 selling races
Oct 07-Jan 08 48 in 51 selling races
Oct 08-Jan 09 105 in 45 selling races.Thus, from averaging less than one runner rated 65+ per race, all-weather sellers are now having an average of 2.33 horses rated 65 or more per race. Punters should bear this in mind when looking at these contests; they are almost certainly more competitive, on the whole, this year than in previous years."
Only one surprise in that story – and that’s the lack of a mention for all the nasty foreign French, German, American and Italian horses coming over and stealing all our horses jobs
I hear Total employ quite a few.
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
IPerhaps one solution would be for the BHA to impose a levy of say, 5% of all prize money to go towards re-homing projects. But would owners support it?
As there is little prize money as it is, and a percentage is put on top of every entry fee for the same purpose, i’d guess not.
Yep, some fine English names at Total – 4th largest multinational oil and gas company on the planet:
" The Executive Committee **
Christophe de Margerie, Chairman (Chief Executive Officer of Total)
François Cornélis, Vice-Chairman (President of Chemicals)
Michel Bénézit, President of Refining & Marketing
Patrick de la Chevardière, Chief Financial Officer
Yves-Louis Darricarrère, President of Exploration & Production
Jean-Jacques Guilbaud, Chief Administrative OfficerThe Management Committee **
The committee includes, in addition to the members of the COMEX, Executive Officers from the different functional and operational Divisions.
Holding – Yves-Marie Dalibard, Jean-Michel Gires, Peter Herbel, Jean-Marc Jaubert, Jean-Jacques Mosconi, Jean-François Minster, François Viaud, René Chappaz.
Upstream – Philippe Boisseau, Jean-Marie Masset, Charles Mattenet, Patrick Pouyanné, Jean Privey.
Downstream – Pierre Barbé, Alain Champeaux, Alain Grémillet, Eric de Menten, André Tricoire.
Chemicals – Pierre-Christian Clout, Françoise Leroy. "—
There wouldn’t be the slightest hint of suspicion that any of these gents would ever dream of partaking of the horseflesh, I don’t suppose, or would there now?
Btw, there’s nothing at all wrong with meat-eaters – human, canine, and feline – eating horses. It’s perfectly natural. As is death.
We shall all die, as will every living thing associated with the racing game. The only issues are how we pass the time before it , and, the manner of our despatch. Happy and painless are good, imo.In fact, if given the personal choice, I think I’d rather the bullet between the ears, than a forced run round some field in Aintree, where some moron had left stacks of old Christmas trees in my way.
But then, no horse has ever thought , said, or written, any of this – so I’ll leave all further comment to the donkeys who write and read the DMail.san fairy ann, mes amies.
- Total Posts 84
Note the neat little racist sideswipe – the French eat dog meat. What makes the
Daily Mail
so odious, in my opinion, is that, unlike
The Sun
, it isn’t even clever – just dull, stupid and nasty.
Quite. For all that I’m emphatically no fan of the
Sun
, I do concede that you have to be (for the most part) amusing, creative and attuned to today’s parlances to make the grade as a writer, sub-editor, etc. there. At the
Mail
, conversely, you needn’t apply unless you have an expired passport, zero creative flair, thin lips and stomach ulcers.
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
It’s a rag I wouldn’t wipe my feet on. What’s worse is that there are so many morons out there who not only read it, but believe all the tripe they are being fed within its pages.
As for a potential 5% levy on owners for racehorse welfare, I’d rather have some kind of clause or contract which insists that owners are made responsible for ensuring their horses go on to a decent home in good faith after they are finished with them. I don’t feel so comfortable making all owners pay a charge (they already pay £1 on top of every race entry fee towards racehorse welfare) since some owners do indeed make sure that their horses go on to a decent home afterwards – why should they pay for those owners who can’t be bothered to find a decent home after they’re done with them?
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