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The saga continues – I see the old boy is back at the age of 12 with a new trainer, he’s entered in a race at Ludlow, the Game Spirit and the Champion Chase. ;)
this horse will be running in races when he is 15!<br>his owner races him purely for his own enjoyment. would be nice if thay kept him at 2 miles in his grade and he actually won a race, but thats unlikely!!
There’s no doubting this horse is somewhat of an enigma, attributable mostly to the nutcase who owns him, but when he was with Paul Nicholls it was hard to fault just how well he did.
I have always been a huge Azertyuiop fan, and when Moscow Flyer fell in the Champion Chase almost three years ago, it appeared ‘Zerty would win pulling a cart. There was a moment, however, when Venn Ottery looked a live threat. Granted, his effort was tame in the end, but turning for home there was nothing travelling better.
It’s unlikely he has retained all of his ability – and he clearly had plenty – but if he’s run sensibly he could still be useful. Obviously if he were to be run with any degree of common sense, Olly Carter shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near him.
If ever the moniker ‘flawed genius’ could be stamped on any animal it would certainly be Venn Ottery. This animal has been blessed with an incredible amount of talent (given the shocking amount of in-breeding in the family) but has also been ruined by a mental defect, a serious wind problem which has plagued him throughout his racing career, and of course being owned and bred by the Insane Duke of Ottery St Mary. There is also no doubt that if the horse was with a ‘proper’ trainer for his entire racing career he would almost certainly turned out to be one of the best in his field – see what Nicholls (reluctantly) did with him with limited time to play with.
It isn’t as if he is owned by an idiot. Carter may be many things but he certainly isn’t stupid – he simply doesn’t give a damn and races his horses, as has been mentioned earlier on this thread, purely for his own enjoyment. He breeds all of his own horses, he never sells and they are all, in a rather perverse way, just family pets.
Carter is as sharp as a tack even at the age of 88 (he still runs his own point-to-point meeting virtually single handedly) and he takes great delight in trying to cheat the system – the old bugger has been trying for the last month to enter the horse in point-to-points and/or hunter chases when he knows damn well he isn’t qualified.
There has recently been calls in several corners for the horse to be banned and following his string of hair-raising efforts last season it is surprising that the Jockey Club haven’t done the decent thing, because Ollie Carter sure as hell ain’t going to.
Remembering the likes of Otter Way and Ottery News, it’s quite sad to see Mr Carter embarassing himself so badly nowadays.<br>Venn Ottery is a full 2 stone for the worse when he has the misfortune to go back to his owner. It’s sad, because Mr Nicholls showed that VO is a darned good horse when allowed to be.
It is sad because he used to be so exciting to watch in the days when you wondered just how far he could go, but now it’s just an embarrassment. You always wonder "will today be different and he’ll win again" but it doesn’t happen. <br>How can the owner get any enjoyment out of that?
Watched last year’s Aintree Foxhunters’ again yesterday where the bold Venn Ottery was bowling along at the head of affairs when coming a cropper just before halfway.
just read what ollie carter has written in the racing post today! made me smile. something along the lines off…"he has only fallen in his last few chase starts because he has had amatuer jockeys on board, his is a very fast jumper, wont be beaten for speed and wont be disgraced, no way"<br>i hope im that enthusiastic at his age!
Couldnt agree more.He is never going to win another race,he deserves no less.he needs an owner like Ashley brook who retires all her horses to home and gives them a fantastic after racing life.
does anyone know what happened to him today and the reason he was dis-mounted. <br>there is more chance of dessie riseing again than venn ottery being retired, providing he is still in one piece!<br>i think he should be banned from racing for his own welfare. he couldnt even go the gallop today which is unlike him
Agree with former trainer Paul Nicholls writing in the RP today that the horse should not be racing- it struggled to complete in points last year.<br>A useful horse, albeit plagued by breathing problems, it never reached its potential due to eccentric ownership and the consequent merry go round of trainers and odd campaigning.<br>The authorities should step in if its ageing owner won’t look after its welfare.
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