- This topic has 72 replies, 48 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 8 months ago by
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Age: 33
Gender: Male (last time i checked.
Location (area/type): Lowton nr Wigan.
Occupation / Class: Assemble Cable Reels in a factory i have worked in since 1996 but only been Assembling since about 2004, Working Class and proud to be plus i have never signed on yet and if i did get made redundant i would have no idea where to go to (i am serious by that)Political views: Vote Labour Hate Tories but always respect someone elses Political allegiances
Relationship status: Single.
How often do you go racing?: About Two to Four times a month depending which month it is.
Favourite racecourse(s)?: Large- Aintree,Cheltenham,Haydock,Doncaster,Kempton,Sandown and Newbury.
Small-Hamilton,Bangor,Uttoxeter,Plumpton,Warwick and Wolverhampton.
How would you improve the racegoing experience?: Cheaper entrance fees,Limit on Alcohol a person can have on course,Racecourses that are a country mile away e.g. Kelso,Ffos Las,Sedgefield,Fakenham to put on Special Raceday buses so people who use public transport can get their and help with the Carbon foorprint.
What initially got you into racing?: Saturday afternoons when younger my Dad would be having his usual bets, always allowed 25p bets on the National so got into it from their.
Which other sports to you watch?: Football,F1,Rugby both codes,Cricket and Athletics
Flat or Jumps?: More a Jumps man but enjoy either code, also dont mind the AW as the community for it is nice and enjoy seeing the owners and trainers at the bottom end get their chance.
Favourite horse(s) of all time?: Desert Orchid,Kauto Star,One Man,Monets Garden,Big Buck’s,Sea the Stars,Frankel,Nashwan and Yeats.
Racing hero(s)?: Unsure about using the word hero, Racing has various characters and people who are all good in their own way.
Do you gamble? Not really a gambler, for me £10 is my limit, I love the sport but always have a bet in every race when on course even if i dont really fancy anything, Better to bet and lose than not bet at all!
What are your views on promotion of the sport?: Does a good job and now social media is being used it can only help tracks in getting people in and others watching at home.
What are your views on animal welfare?: We go all out here for animal safety, i do think that in NH racing that local hunts should be employed as outriders to help catch loose horses.
How would you improve the sport in general?: Get everything run under one banner called British Racing plc, make them responsible for fixtures,media,finance,stewarding etc.
Finally, is racing bent? When 17 runner races on telly become a 15 runner event then you do wonder, You can never say a 100% no i think, but proving it is another matter for the authorities.
Anything else?
Age
20
Gender
Male
Location
In my home town Bristol at the moment (suburban), but study in Liverpool. I live right in the middle of Liverpool town centre at university. I chose my uni purely by its proximity to Aintree.
Occupation/Class
Third year English student.
Political views
– From a safe distance! I am disillusioned with all of the main parties, but quietly like Respect.
Relationship status
– Taken!
How often do you go racing?
Not very much at all nowadays unfortunately, being a poor student and all. Summer night meetings at Bath are my most regular. I try to make Old Roan and Becher Chase days at Aintree too.
Favourite racecourse(s)
? Cheltenham
How would you improve the racegoing experience?
Make everything more affordable. When you consider travelling costs, entry fees and the price of food on course, it often puts a day at the races out of my price range.
What initially got you into racing?
My parents hate sport of all kinds, so definitely not them. I remember idly flicking through the TV channels when I was really young and being rather mesmerised by the racing. I have fuzzy memories of seeing a horse called Chewwit win a sprint that afternoon in a really close finish. I found it funny how he was difficult at the start, picked him out because he was grey too. I was hooked there and then!
Which other sports do you watch?
Football, Cricket, Athletics, Tennis… pretty much everything apart from Rugby, F1 and Golf.
Flat or Jumps?
I follow both but prefer the jumps for the more compelling races and horses returning year in, year out.
Favourite horse(s) of all time?
Early favourites were See More Business, useful staying chaser Call It A Day, Ei Ei and Flying Instructor. More recently, Rooster Booster, Persian Punch, Material World, Mister McGoldrick and Kauto Star. I also love rogues like Challenger De Luc, Ouninpohja, Roman Villa and Harchibald.
Racing hero(s)?
Tony McCoy – that drive to win every day for so many years is inspirational. Journeyman jockeys I respect a lot too.
Do you gamble?
I used to play the horses a lot, but drifted away for a while. I lost familiarity with recent results and haven’t really got back into it since. Most of my attention has turned to poker in the last year or two.
What are your views on promotion of the sport?
I am very much for it, so long as it promotes the sport first and foremost. Booze, music and other festivities are good at enticing people in, but should never surpass the racing as the main marketed attraction.
What are your views on animal welfare?
I felt the recent changes to the whip rules were too harsh and believe 8 strikes in a jumps race is a little too restrictive. 10 or 12 I would like a lot more. What does worry me in racing is the amount of ‘wastage’ and I wonder what happens to every horse that does not make the grade on the course, or isn’t good enough at home to even get that far.
How would you improve the sport in general?
Make racecourse admission cheaper and have more 4 mile handicap chases!
Finally, is racing bent?
No. A few individuals may have been/may be, but I believe in the integrity of racing overall.
Do you gamble?
I used to play the horses a lot, but drifted away for a while. I lost familiarity with recent results and haven’t really got back into it since. Most of my attention has turned to poker in the last year or two.
Perhaps irrelevant and off-topic, but i also gamble on poker reguarly and see it as a potential "career" choice. Despite it being unsolvable (Well, theoretically it’s plausible) and having many variables like horse racing, i believe betting on horse racing is a significantly poorer choice.
I am a similar age to you, and find that the majority of my age group ; if they do gamble, gamble on poker or football much more than horse racing.
I enjoy Cheltenham ante-post betting, but never intend on betting regularly and do not see the appeal of betting on-course.
I know of a couple of people who regularly play in small poker tournaments, and it is definitely an area where if you know your stuff you can make it pay. It’s all about percentages and value, and unlike horse racing there is a concrete answer rather than just an opinion. I only know the basic percentages such as the odds on completing a flush with a flush draw after the flop being roughly 2/1. Obviously that is the the most basic of examples but it’s about as far as my knowledge goes I’m afraid!
The concept of value and percentages was made for one particular forum member: GT, ever try your hand at it?
I agree with you J17 and THM. If you have a very solid grounding in the probabilities, you can make a steady stream of money from poker. If you can get your head around ICM theory and make good equity judgements, you’re going to establish a healthy ROI in poker tournaments. Mine is not bad but I am too much of a chicken to move up to stakes anywhere near high enough to consider making a career of it.
You’re right about Gingertipster too! I bet his value-oriented cyborg mind would let him crush Sit N Gos, if he doesn’t already!
I know of a couple of people who regularly play in small poker tournaments, and it is definitely an area where if you know your stuff you can make it pay. It’s all about percentages and value, and unlike horse racing there is a concrete answer rather than just an opinion. I only know the basic percentages such as the odds on completing a flush with a flush draw after the flop being roughly 2/1. Obviously that is the the most basic of examples but it’s about as far as my knowledge goes I’m afraid!
The concept of value and percentages was made for one particular forum member: GT, ever try your hand at it?
I wouldn’t say there are concrete answers to poker. There are styles that are considered to be much more preferable, but there are many situations were good players fundamentally disagree on the correct player on a particular street. Understading math and equity is important, especially in degenerate games like Pot Limit Omaha, however they aren’t neccessairly required to win.
Poker should be an easier game to be profitable at because we have a defined opposition group ; a group that is largely inferior to oneself and has very little understanding of how the game works. We do not have such theoretically easy money laying around in horse racing gambling.
Fun!! OK here goes….
Age 53
Gender female
Location (area/type)Leicester
Occupation / Class – sales assistant/secretary
Political views – hmmm can’t be arsed
Relationship status – married
How often do you go racing?not as often as I’d like: about half a dozen times a year
Favourite racecourse(s)? Leicester
How would you improve the racegoing experience? More undercover areas!
What initially got you into racing? Not sure – been a fan since childhood
Which other sports to you watch? Any and all
Flat or Jumps? Jumps!
Favourite horse(s) of all time? Hard to say – probably Comedy of Errors
Racing hero(s)? AP McCoy
Do you gamble? (if so to what extent, if not why not) Hardly ever. I love following the horses, not interested in losing money.
What are your views on promotion of the sport? Too dumbed down – get rid of Big Mac.
What are your views on animal welfare? Feel very uncomfortable about the deaths and injuries, but not sure what can be done to improve the situation
How would you improve the sport in general? God knows!
Finally, is racing bent? Some of it, got to be.
Anything else? NoAge – 49
Gender – male
Location (area/type) – Newmarket racing town
Occupation / Class Builder – working class
Political views – On what?
Relationship status – single
How often do you go racing? – occasionally
Favourite racecourse(s)? Rowley Mile
How would you improve the racegoing experience? – I’ve no idea
What initially got you into racing? Having my first ever bet (10p EW.) on Crisp in the National/ Growing up in Newmarket/ working for the Equine Research Station as a lab technician from school/ having a pound each way at 40/1 on Ben Nevis in the National/Working on the building of Dalham Hall Stud/
Which other sports to you watch? Football mainly
Flat or Jumps? Flat
Favourite horse(s) of all time? Frankel/Dancing Brave/Desert Orchid
Racing hero(s)? Sir Henry Cecil/ Lord Oaksey
Do you gamble? (if so to what extent, if not why not) Yes. Quite a bit when I think I’ve been given good info
What are your views on promotion of the sport? I don’t really have any.
What are your views on animal welfare? All animals should be treated with respect
How would you improve the sport in general? Stiffen up some of the betting rules and practises
Finally, is racing bent? Of course to an extent
Anything else? NoAge
– 37
Gender
– Male
Location
– Deep in The Black Country
Occupation
– Customer Account Manager in manufacturing
Political views
– True Blue
Relationship status
– Married with 4 kids
How often do you go racing
– I’d prefer more often but about 6 times a year
Favourite racecourse
– Cheltenham, Chester
How would you improve the experience
– Fine as it is for me
Flat or jumps
– Flat, the jumps revolves too much around one event a year for my liking
What initially got you into racing
– Always had a passing interest but a trip to Cheltenham really set the fire burning
What other sports do you watch
– Cricket, Rugby (both codes), Football, tennis, Golf, pretty much all sports really
Favourite horses
– Best Mate, Denman, Hurricane Fly over the jumps, Paco Boy, Frankel, Goldikova on the flat.
Racing hero
– Non really, fave jockey’s Ruby Walsh & Richard Hughes
Do you gamble
– Yes, was a gambler before a racing fan, bet on all sports, mainly stick to Group races when betting on racing
What are your views on the promotion of the sport
– Think it’s a losing battle trying to persuade non racing fans to convert, it seems to be a love it or hate it sport
What are your views on animal welfare
– Think race horses are traeted very well in general, the whip rules are far too strict imo
How would you improve the sport in general
– Reduce the number of fixtures considerably and would like to see better cards in the UK on Sundays
Finally is racing bent
– Yes it’s bent like every aspect of human society is
Anyhting else
– Too much negativity around regards racing (especially on this site at times), just enjoy the special horses (Frankel, Black Caviar, Camelot, Sprinter Sacre) that are strutting their stuff at the moment
Age
: 26
Gender
: Male
Location (area/type)
: Wrexham
Occupation / Class
: Sales / class? Such an old-fashioned concept these days, I guess you could say I was either upper working or lower middle, if there were such things?
Political views
: Apathetic
Relationship status
: Getting married in Aufust!
How often do you go racing?
: Twice a year,( money’s tight!)
Favourite racecourse(s)?
: Ascot
How would you improve the racegoing experience?
: Lower admission prices, reduce amount of alcohol available as there’s nothing worse than drunken louts at the races!
What initially got you into racing?
: My loud mouth mate from uni who used to give me a few tips, now I’m hooked!
Which other sports to you watch?
: Football, snooker
Flat or Jumps?
: That’s like deciding who you love the most, your mum or dad :-s guess it’d have to be jumps
Favourite horse(s) of all time?
: Imperial Commander, Big Bucks, Denman, Rakti, Sergeant Cecil, Zarkava
Racing hero(s)?
: Twiston Davies
Do you gamble? (if so to what extent, if not why not)
: Yes, but only very small amounts
What are your views on promotion of the sport? : Racing is a unique sport and shouldn’t be thrust onto people, I think one is either naturally drawn to it or notWhat are your views on animal welfare?
: racehorses are generally superbly treated but falls are the nature of the business I’m afraid
How would you improve the sport in general?
: Lower admission prices!
Finally, is racing bent?
: Some of the corruption cases in recent times must have some sort of substance, the concept of laying horses has meant that some of the people in the sport can be lured by greed unfortunately
Age – 37
Gender – Male (Katie is my better half)
Location (area/type) – Currently Watford, originally from the West Midlands (Lye/Stourbridge – not too far from Pants)
Occupation / Class – Financial Services (no I’m not a rich Banker) / Class – Average Handicapper?
Political views – Left of Centre, although agree with those that think 90% of politicians are in it for themselves!
Relationship status – Married with children (aka Al Bundy)
How often do you go racing? – Currently a couple of times a year as I have two young children, previously averaged about once a month.
Favourite racecourse(s)? – Cheltenham. Of the small tracks visited Ludlow & Fontwell were my favourites.
How would you improve the racegoing experience? Educate people about the beauty of the horses and the skills of jockeyship, training, form study (I think I need some of the latter). Think of how F1 positively prides itself on the technically geekery of the Engines etc.
What initially got you into racing? Being a small child in a council flat about five floors up in mid winter when left in front of the TV on a Saturday afternoon (remember there was only three channels then with the main meeting on BBC and then the ITV7.
Which other sports to you watch? Now rarely watch other sports. Would rather pay £20 to RUK, then subscribe to Sky Sports/ESPN.
Flat or Jumps? Prefer Jumps as the old favourites come back year after year, but like the Globalisation you can have with the Flat.
Favourite horse(s) of all time? Desert Orchid, Denman, Kauto Star, See More Business, Looks Like Trouble (you may sense a theme here)
Racing hero(s)? See above
Do you gamble? (if so to what extent, if not why not) Rarely. I find it funny how many people can’t understand how I love the sport but rarely bet.
What are your views on promotion of the sport? While the likes of RFC are trying hard (and some of their ideas are – being polite – bizarre), Racing currently faces an uphill struggle with a media obsessed with Football, F1 (both of which are reported in “soap opera” style by the media – why do we have weeks of back pages where we get pages and pages of “analysis” on whether Carlos Kickabout (copyright Lord Sugar) will/won’t sign for/leave Man U/Man City/Chelsea etc, while a big race will barely get a paragraph if lucky (unless horses get killed in which case we get a double page spread!).
What are your views on animal welfare? I think welfare for racehorses in the UK (while actually racing) is very good and has benefitted from it’s open dialogue with the likes of David Muir of the RSPCA. However, new blood at the head of this organisation (Gavin Grant?) seems to be more of an sensationalist “Animal Aid” style sympathiser.
While on the subject of “Animal Aid”, they are the Al Qaeda of Animal “welfare” who worryingly seem to have a direct line to some of our major media outlets for their anti-racing propaganda.
How would you improve the sport in general? I’m no politician, but somehow more money needs to come into Racing, but as the big gaming companies (they are no longer traditional bookies) are only concerned with Profit, Profit and Profit, alternative revenue streams need to be sourced in order to boost prize money.
While, early days the Chester/Bangorbet experiment could be interesting to see how that goes – even if the odds are skinnier then Victoria Beckham on a cabbage soup diet.Finally, is racing bent? Like anywhere where money can be made some will try to beat the system. The further down the food chain the further the scope for skulduggery.
Anything else? Better cards on Sundays/Bank Holidays.Age
58Gender
GeldedLocation (area/type)
Mid Essex.Occupation / Class
semi retired, do not want to be an employee anymore.Political views
I have no faith in politicians.Relationship status
I have a partner living 280 miles away. That suits me.How often do you go racing?
Rarely.Favourite racecourse(s)?
Newmarket Rowley Mile, I feel at home there.How would you improve the racegoing experience?
Provide better ale, and better food at a reasonable price.What initially got you into racing and how old were you?
I was 50, I went to Newmarket and after asking myself why was Beat Hollow better than the others in the race, have been obsessed with the breeding of the thoroughbred ever since.Which other sports do you watch?
none.Flat or Jumps?
Flat.Favourite horse(s) of all time?
The ones that made me a profit !!Racing hero(s)?
Tesio, MVOB, John Magnier, Aga Khan, Prince Khalid.Do you gamble? (if so to what extent, if not why not)
I attempt to invest in the Group 1 races that colts and horses can enter in England and Ireland. I do not back Fillies,Mares,Geldings,or Greys.What are your views on promotion of the sport?
I have no viewsWhat are your views on animal welfare?
Racehorses that do not go to stud should be looked after properly when they can no longer race. Maybe a small percentage of prize money should be put into a fund to help with this, also maybe bookmakers and others that profit from the sport should also contribute.How would you improve the sport in general?
I have no views.Finally, is racing bent?
Well, a friend once said “to win a handicap, first you have to lose”. I think that says it all.Anything else?
Not tonight.Age – 42
Gender – Female
Location – Huntingdon
Occupation – Unemployable
Political View – Disillusioned true blue
Relationship Status – Not married, 2 children
How often do you go racing – Averages out about twice a month
Favourite racecourse – Huntingdon
How would you improve the experience – Better food (NOT more champagne and seafood bars) and more seating. Big screen at all meetings.
Flat or jumps – Jumps, I have little interest in flat racing
What initially got you into racing – Always loved horses
What other sports do you watch – Cricket
Favourite horses – Desert Orchid, Kauto Star plus a number of fairly useless handicappers that turn out frequently – Kinkeel and Galley Slave for instance
Racing hero – None
Do you gamble – Very rarely – it’s all about the horses for me
What are your views on the promotion of the sport – Not sure
What are your views on animal welfare – Think in general the welfare of racehorses is excellent.
How would you improve the sport in general – More and better cards on a Sunday.
Is racing bent – possibly at times.
Anything else –Age: 46
Gender: Male
Location (area/type): Dublin
Occupation / Class: Clinical Scientist
Political views: Mixed, but dislike extremists
Relationship status: Married
How often do you go racing?: About 30x per year
Favourite racecourse(s)?: The Curragh and Punchestown
How would you improve the racegoing experience?: No more than 30min between races, ensure that all horses go at least twice around the parade ring before the jockey is on
What initially got you into racing?: House share when 25 with someone working for the Jockey club, prior to this no interest at all
Which other sports to you watch?: Rugby, triathlon
Flat or Jumps?: Prefer flat
Favourite horse(s) of all time? Fame and Glory, Lochsong, Hurricane Fly, Await The Dawn, Big Zeb, Montjeu (as a sire, never saw him race)
Racing hero(s)?: Can’t say have hero’s but admire Aidan O’Brien and Jim Bolger
Do you gamble? (if so to what extent, if not why not): Only at course and minimum bet on the Tote
What are your views on promotion of the sport?: In Ireland think it is good
What are your views on animal welfare?: Welfare for race horses is good, but do wonder what happens to many when they retire
How would you improve the sport in general?: Promote it as sport and not a betting exercise
Finally, is racing bent? Generally no, once money is involved there will always be an element of bending the rules.
Anything else? Interested in the breeding angle and follow particular sires and how first and second season sires fare.Age:
37
Gender:
Male
Location (area/type):
Split time between my place in one Yorkshire city and the current Mrs Column’s place in another.
Occupation / Class:
Chartered Librarian / No idea – whatever being a farming village-raised, comprehensive-school educated triple graduate with all his own teeth and an 05-reg Nissan Micra works out at.
Political views:
As of last summer, to all intents and purposes a liberal without a party.
Clegg, Clegg, Lama Sabachthani?
Relationship status:
Tolerated by the new Mrs Column for five months, eight days and counting.
How often do you go racing?:
30-35 times per annum in recent years, but that figure is likely to be smashed out of the park in 2012 (Trecoed and Bratton Down this weekend will already take the tally this year to 40 visits).
Favourite racecourse(s)?:
Cartmel, Fakenham, Southwell, Market Rasen, Hexham, Dingley, Hackwood Park, Lower Machen, Ripon, Pontefract.
How would you improve the racegoing experience?:
* Further experiments with weeks of free-entry meetings to serve as initial enticement of newbie racegoers (whilst at the same time accepting the (nearly always) free entry model of Towcester wouldn’t necessarily suit the business model of every last venue).
* More guides to racing around the parade ring (in essence expanding on the very handy bluffers’ guides to horse conformation provided at Southwell).
* An absolute ban on all types of beer sale bar that of real ale – no trouble has ever kicked off at a Great British Beer Festival of my patronage; nor is it actually physically possible to chug down in an afternoon’s sitting anywhere near the same volumes of such stuff as one could the nitrokeg lager and bitter abominations that currently abound at racetracks.What initially got you into racing and how old were you?:
Copious TV viewing at a young age. What-I-did-at-the-weekend type entries in my primary school exercise books (yep, the parents kept them) suggest I was hopping between
The ITV Seven
and
Grandstand
for fixes of the racing from the 1980-1 season onwards, so in effect from the age of six.
There was absolutely no family precedent for this. Great Aunt Column used to regale us with tales of how Dawlish racecourse backed on to her back garden and how she’d watch the action from her window on raceday; but as that course ceased operation several years before her birth, she was either mistaking it for a local hunt or was just nuts.Which other sports do you watch?:
Live – mostly cricket. Televised – most things apart from boxing and rugby of either code.
Flat or Jumps?:
A three-day period next week will take in live action at Uttoxeter (NH), Umberleigh (P2P) and Salisbury (Flat). Enough said.
Favourite horse(s) of all time?:
Quixall Crossett, Xaipete, Chesnut Annie.
Racing hero(es)?:
Anyone who remains dedicated to the sport through thin and thinnest, when all the moneyed fly-by-nights have lost interest and gone away.
Do you gamble? (if so to what extent, if not why not):
Only on races analysed or prepped to the absolute Nth degree – whether that be in a professional / industry capacity (i.e. newspaper and radio tips) or a personal one (i.e. following recent ex-pointers back under rules – Superman De La Rue and Pretty Penny would be my biggest punts of any description in the last six months or so). To do otherwise would be to throw good money after bad.
What are your views on promotion of the sport?:
I rarely get the sense that attendance at some of the country’s most urban racecourses is that strong, considering the number of potential racegoers within each of their respective catchment areas. Competition for the leisure pound with so much else is presumably one of the main concerns, so racing needs to fight those other competing attractions at their own game.
Some venues already do, and not the most obvious ones. If the executive behind the Hackwood Park point-to-point, for example, has the presence of mind to place platform-side posters for its forthcoming fixtures at Basingstoke railway station weeks in advance, can it really be beyond the wit of their opposite numbers at more rules racecourses to do likewise? Does every southern London tube or interurban rail station within, say, a 10-mile radius of Sandown Park carry posters for the Esher track’s forthcoming fixtures as a matter of routine – ones that can occupy space alongside (or even muscle out) promotions for whatever gig or theatre production? If not, why not?
Attendances at many racecourses also remain rather heavily stilted towards white British ethnicity, yet the presence within many bookies’ shops is the diametric opposite. What continues to stop, dissuade, or whatever the best verb is, the almost exclusively Afro-Caribbean and Indian-origin usership of the turf accountants I used to frequent in Birmingham from popping up the road to Dunstall Park – awareness of the local meetings until the day of racing itself, the absence of sufficient incentive to go (money-off coupons in the local press, etc.), or something else again? I wish I’d asked them more at the time.What are your views on animal welfare?:
Some people will never be reconciled by a lower or lowering number of equine losses from one year to the next – it’s the taking of a life, however indirectly, and for them that represents an insurmountable ideological / moral impasse.
British racing’s energies are not best spent trying to convince those that cannot be convinced that its product is quite likely the safest, most self-critical and best vetted of its kind on the globe, but instead on countering the fact that there has never been a time when the broader TV-watching populace has been so racing- or equine-illiterate as it is now. It’s leaving too much to chance to hope that a viewing public that doesn’t get served up half as many horse-based sports via the most popular channels as was the case in the 1970s and 1980s will automatically be as empathetic / inured (delete as applicable) to the sport’s more tragic elements when they bubble to the fore onNews at Ten
or wheresoever else.
As regards the w-word, one point that wasn’t given half the consideration I’d have liked when the whip furore was at its highest was that even if the whip isn’t heartless, its deployment is to a greater or lesser extent artless – a very definite difference.
Although not in any hurry to suggest the thing shouldn’t at least be carried to serve as a visual aid / deterrent, I’ll never understand why hands and heels races are still the preserve of just amateur, conditional and apprentice riders. Surely fully fledged professionals have at least as much to gain from participation in such races, showcasing as they would their talents for motivating / galvanising animals by means other than smacks? Why press to uphold levels of use of the one tool of the job that masks your artistry the most?How would you improve the sport in general?:
ABSOLUTELY NO reduction in the number of meetings, but perhaps more thought into providing rolling programmes of continuous racing from day into evening more often (as a counter to the insidious creep of FOBTs and the like) rather than the blithe – and frequently obfuscating – allocation of three or more meetings at exactly the same time of day (e.g. a winter weekday schedule comprising a 10.30am-12.30pm artificial surface meeting, followed by a 12.45pm-3.45pm jumps meeting, and rounded out by a 4pm- however late floodlit artificial surface meeting).
Finally, is racing bent?:
Not half as much as is purported by some of its more jaundiced observers. When it comes down to it, even the most carefully orchestrated coup, perhaps predicated on months’ worth of running a given horse below full fitness, in a style contrary to that which represents its optimum, etc. etc., is still as reliant on the whim of a far from 100% predictable wild animal to pull off successfully as any other bet. I’d suggest that most people in the sport do realise that as reason enough not to entertain anything too underhand or nefarious. More fool me?
Anything else?:
Racing is still a sport to treasure and hold close – I’d brook very few arguments to the contrary.
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
I can see that Jezza and others have given a lot of thought to their replies. I’m waiting on a reply from Gamble, which I believe would make for good reading. But not holding my breath.
Sorry, couldn’t help but notice that three respondees quote their age as 37. (Pants, GC and myself).
GC also mentioned about the plethora of racing (ITV Seven / Grandstand) dominating 2 out of 3 available channels at that time.
Fast Forward to now with hundreds of channels to keep your kids occupied while you are doing housework/DIY etc…
No wonder people (other then those of a horsey background) show no longer show no interest in this wonderful sport.
We are now a niche sport.
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