What Is Happening To National Hunt Racing?

[Gingertipster]

thehorsesmouth wrote:

The JLT is taking plenty from the Arkle and RSA this year, of that there can be little doubt.

The addition of a 2m 4f Hurdle has been mooted, something which would be a terrible decision imo.

The way Quevega and Annie Power have been kept away from the very best and Mullins keeps his best horses away from each other (Vautor, Un De Scaux etc)… You can just imagine Hurricane Fly running in the Champion and Faugheen in the “Ryanair Hurdle”. With 4 or 5 runners in each…

Making the “Champion Hurdle” just another Grade One.

Some with vested interests might want a 2 mile championship, a 2 1/4 mile championship, a 2m4f championship etc. The easier races are to win, the easier it is for trainers, jockeys and owners to make money. Not that all jockeys, trainers and owners put their own selfish interests before the good of “Racing”.

Value Is Everything

[stevecaution]

What amazes me is the number of novice chasers who seem to be block entered for The Arkle, JLT and RSA chases. It’s almost as if you get a “buy two, get third free” offer.

I can see the argument that extremes of going would perhaps lead to a shorter or longer distance for the 2 and a half mile contenders but it seems quite clear to my eyes that some horses clearly belong in the Arkle and some clearly belong in the RSA.

I preferred the simplicity of the faster horses going to the Arkle and the stayers to the RSA. It was a lot easier to plan an ante-post bet.

The Willie Mullins embarrassment of riches has led to a separate problem of its own with musical chairs being played with horses across several races and often you don’t even know if it’s going to be a chase or a hurdle race. Of course, in the case of Gitane Du Berlais, who held Arkle, JLT and RSA entries, the waters were muddied further still, with Cheltenham only being an option in its entirety and one that it has been reported she won’t be taking in at all.

Three days was plenty for the Festival and spreading the jam thinner always makes the toast less appetising.

Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.

[tony321]

The problem is with more races even at Cheltenham horses can dodge each other and still pick up big money without being tested, they seem to be now adding races for the sake of padding the card out

[befair]

We could lose the 3 mile novice hurdle, the 2 + 1/2 mile novice chase, the cross-country, the ryanair, and make the 3 days a seven race card. The 4=yr-old handicap hurdle has been a positive, tho, makes the triumph a better contest

[Author]

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