- This topic has 26 replies, 14 voices, and was last updated 7 years, 11 months ago by
.
- Posts
The first day of the flat season has come and gone.
It was a day that I used to look forward to with anticipation.
However although we can still produce equine superstars such as the mighty Frankel, the human part of the equation doesn’t seem in such rude health.
The best we can now manage is Moore , Atzeni , and Mosse for a little gallic elan.
Long gone are the days of Piggott , Eddery , Carson , Mercer et al. Nobody in the training ranks to compare to dear old Sir Henry either.
Perhaps I am beginning to fall out of love with the game ?
The flat doesn’t really start till the Craven meeting. The Lincoln meeting is just thrown into the peak of the jumps season when no-one really cares about the flat. Next big meeting is Aintree then after that attention turns to the flat.
One by one as we lose household names through either retirement and sadly death we are well and truly coming to the end of arguably a golden era for flat racing – it also doesn’t help when the Powers That Be needlessly meddle with the fabric of racing so they can provide a ‘racing narrative’ for the flat season.
They love to extoll the heritage/history angle of British racing as a major selling point on the one hand whilst in the very same breath consign many of our traditionally famous named races to a mere ‘registered as’ afterthought.
Then they render Doncaster’s Lincoln and November meetings (the traditional start and end of the flat season) along with the Racing Post Trophy (not only one of the big 2 yr old races but also the last G1 race of the flat season) as redundant with regards to counting towards the Jockey’s Title race as it didn’t fit their all brand new shiny ‘racing narrative’ plan.
Therefore, they move all the goalposts so that races only count towards the title from the Guineas meeting up to Champions Day where we have a nice big didn’t we do well pat on the back party ignoring the fact that it is most likely that whoever wins the title will spend most of their day sitting in the weighing room because they can’t get any rides (outside the one handicap on the card) in the big group races at the meeting itself – thus stopping them from actually doing their job and earning additional riding fees elsewhere.
I think once Frankie retires from the saddle that is when the proverbial sh*t will hit the fan for them as they will no longer have their Franchise Player (a well used American sporting term) and biggest draw to promote the sport for them.
Old guy ‘it’s not how it used to be’ rant now over….sorry
Well Coggy, times are changing. Francome, Peter Scu, Woody, Charlie Swan, Steve Cauthen, Lester, Pat Eddery, Sir Henry, Major Dick Hern, Josh Gifford and so on are no longer part of the game. We want **** instead of quality. Racing every day, no break on a Sunday, loads of summer jumping, new so called group races especially for juveniles, a NH Champion Jockey who struggles to get proper rides at Cheltenham, trainers like Oily Morfee entering 60 horses at one meeting, stupid journalists who start talking about the 2020 GC instead of SAVOURING THE MOMENT (that’s what O’Leary said after Samcro’s win) and a lot more. But no real focus on quality.
Whatever happened to racings human superstars ?
There’s never been any. Just jockeys and trainers, some of whom have been fortunate enough to ride and nurse a superstar
Jesus Christ!
Jesus Christ!
Was he a superstar.?
Can picture him in the Lloyd Webber silks
The new championship of handicap tripe on a Thursday night F1 style will focus on the human side of the sport, perhaps the horses could ride them.
The FOBT’s seem more popular than racing these days, perhaps we could tune in and watch the human superstars of the sport play them at £100 a spin, the bookies could sponsor the championship and we could bet on who wins.
4/6 player 1
4/6 player 2Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
The new championship of handicap tripe on a Thursday night F1 style
I’d only be interested if it was a premiership of handicap tripe
You’ve lost me here Nathaniel, what are you on about?
Jesus Christ!
Was he a superstar.?
You betcha!
Every year, around about Grand National time, thoughts would turn to the Jockey’s title and he would be considered “Nailed On”
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
“I’d only be interested if it was a premiership of handicap tripe“
Tripes à la lyonnaise would surely have top weight. Unquestionably the Arkle of tripe dishes.
The new championship of handicap tripe on a Thursday night F1 style
I’d only be interested if it was a premiership of handicap tripe
You’ve lost me here Nathaniel, what are you on about?
I was referring to this junk, the concept being to promote the human side of things ahead of the horse
https://theracingforum.co.uk/forums/topic/championship-horse-racing/
Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
I was referring to this junk, the concept being to promote the human side of things ahead of the horse
https://theracingforum.co.uk/forums/topic/championship-horse-racing/
Ah right, the vanarama national league of handicap pickled tripe ‘n’ chips, the Quixall Crossett of tripe dishes
Ssssshhh….!!
The mere mention of Quixall Crossett and Sir Jeremy Grayson will be on the forum quicker than a Thursday night 5f F1 style tripe handicap run downhill with the jockeys holding sticks with tripe tied to the end of them and dangled in front of the horses nose
Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
Quixall Crossett was a legend. He once outran his odds of 500-1 with the bookies (pre Betfair era) and finished a gallant 4th to Unguided Missile.
To be honest jumping is so much bigger nowadays that’s it’s only after Aintree,Ayr,Punchestown and Sandown does the Flat take centre stage.
Since you mention “superstars” then do not be surprised if they do not turn up with the regularity of a Number 47 bus. If you were looking for superstar jockeys of the class of Piggott then the only Cauthen is in the same class as far as skill goes, and only Dettori is in the same class as far as charisma is concerned. If you think that Carson and Mercer were superstars then there have been any number of recent champions and current jockeys who are in the same class as jockeys, with Ryan Moore and Kieren Fallon at the same level as Pat Eddery.
As for trainers, it depends what category of superstar, you want. The patrician martinets have all but disappeared, but the loveable nutter superstars like Ryan Price still have their modern counterparts in trainers like Mick Easterby and Mick Channon. The really talented trainers of the past like Paddy Prendergast, Vincent O’Brien, Sir Henry and Dick Hern, have their modern counterparts in Aidan O’Brien, John Gosden, Mark Johnston, the superb in every sense Sir Mark Prescott, and the bridge over the last half century – Sir Michael Stoute. Richard Hannon has the potential to be even better value than his dad as a chat artist who can get the best out of 200 horses a year. My vote for the best of the current bunch of racing people has to be Sir Mark; put a camara and a microphone on him, wind him up with the right buzzwords, and sit back and be educated and entertained by a master.
Everyone is entitled to their view.
But really comparing Mark Johnston and Mark Prescott to Sir Henry or M V O’Brien ?
Eddery was a far superior jockey to Cauthen , despite what some on here believe, and to compare his achievements to Moore and Fallon , well , I am surprised. Just look at his career stats.
I note that many of the top owners were competing to get Eddery’s services, even after the Wildenstein issue.
In my view, this is currently, a pretty dire group of top jocks too, and my response over the trainer comparison, is mentioned above.
Each to their own though.I’d rather have a yard full of good horses myself. I don’t really care who is training them.
If you want to sit and listen to Mark Prescott that’s fine, but take Marsha out of the yard and there isn’t much to get the old jam tart pumping. Maidens with barely perceptible handicap marks waiting to make hay in 14F handicaps.
Each to their own though.
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.