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reet hard
All they have to do is go to the outside of the H marker in hurdles races. How much easier do you want it? You only have the choice of two ways to go, and the route is signposted in a standard recognised way.
This is not just a tiny sign, it’s a great big ‘H’! The jockeys come across the damned things every day. If you want to treat them like a bunch of eight-year-olds then fine, but they are professionals and should be expected to do their job on that basis.
Rob
Maybe they should go for a clothes line, would make for a comical unseat, or better still, employ John "Bradshaw" Layfield to deliver a clothesline from hell for any jockey seen to take the wrong course
Whilst I’m all for cones/picket hurdles showing the correct route (and I think this is become necessary on some courses) I don’t like the idea of an immovable tape as often this gap onto the other course allows loose horses to escape away from the body of the field.
Jason had no choice to apologise because he rode in the previous hurdle race so what excuse can you give
Adrian, what’s "immovable" about a tape?
I seem to remember one being used at Cheltenham.
Colin
Adrian, what’s "immovable" about a tape?
I seem to remember one being used at Cheltenham.
Colin
I seem to remember a tape being kept up in error at Cheltenham some years ago, causing Carl Llewellyn on Rufius to run out.
The rail will just stop them taking the wrong course in that situation, provided the last hurdle is near enough level with the last fence.
The reason the last hurdle isn’t ‘near enough level’ with the last fence is because of the need to omit the fence or hurdle due to injured horse or jockey on the track. If they were close to each other there wouldn’t be room for the horses to go through.
Rob
Clerk of the course James Armstrong had earlier said: "It’s not the first time we’ve had the rail there – weput it there to protect the inside ground on the chase track.
"Sometimes we’ve taken the rail right back to the fence, but there was a big H on the end of it so they should have seen it."
Sorry, I made a silly comment. The hurdle doesn’t have to be near enough level. All that needs to happen for my idea to work is to have the last hurdle before the last fence. Then run off areas are still possible on both tracks.
All I’m saying is that, for all it’s unforgivable what the jockeys have done yet again as they should be more professional, every possible thing has to be done to ensure this doesn’t happen, and clearly the idea of taking the rail back to the fence should mean there is less chance of the jockeys taking the wrong course.
Seabird, if the tape is held by groundstaff the that would probably work OK as they could react to loose horses. However if were fixed from the inside running rail across the inner course then it would stop loose horses escaping. I think those wooden picket hurdles they use to doll off ground at some courses would probably work best as they are clear and substantial but allow gaps for looose animals.
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reet hard
All they have to do is go to the outside of the H marker in hurdles races. How much easier do you want it? You only have the choice of two ways to go, and the route is signposted in a standard recognised way.
This is not just a tiny sign, it’s a great big ‘H’! The jockeys come across the damned things every day. If you want to treat them like a bunch of eight-year-olds then fine, but they are professionals and should be expected to do their job on that basis.
Rob
Rob
Your (and the racecourse’s) plan obviously doesn’t work, despite years of education, so why fight a simple, practical, and permanent solution. Half a dozen cones, 2 minutes work – sorted.
Will anybody listen; no, they’d sooner wring their hands, and moan a bit more the next time it happens.
The complacent attitude of the authorities to such incidents really does beggar belief (note Silvoir’s response on the Geraghty, Wetherby thread)
I’ve no reason to believe the average jockey is really that much thicker than say the average TRF forumite, as for the big H or big C signs, ask the average racegoer what they mean, they wouldn’t have a clue and no wonder. I’m puzzled by their use myself, why is there sometimes a big C on top of a big H(possibly the other way round) and sometimes there isn’t?
Funnily enough before the incident at Newcastle I noticed there lots of cones scattered along the outside of the running rail down the far side, what could they be possibly for?
I’ve no reason to believe the average jockey is really that much thicker than say the average TRF forumite, as for the big H or big C signs, ask the average racegoer what they mean, they wouldn’t have a clue and no wonder. I’m puzzled by their use myself, why is there sometimes a big C on top of a big H(possibly the other way round) and sometimes there isn’t?
The ‘average racegoer’ doesn’t ride races all week, the ‘average jockey’ does and it’s his job to take notice of the C’s and H’s.
If there’s a C on top of an H then I would suggest it means that all races are to go outside the marker.
Rob
The complacent attitude of the authorities to such incidents really does beggar belief (note Silvoir’s response on the Geraghty, Wetherby thread)
That is utterly ridiculous. Were changes made after Wetherby – yes, minor amendments to the layout to improve it. Will changes be made to Newcastle? Yes, as James Armstrong acknowledged in his quote to Chris Cook (Guardian) today.
It is totally impractical to have railing everywhere and it’s imperative that Clerks move railing to manage ground, particularly at this time of year, nor is it needed. On the rest of the hurdles course at Newcastle there was no railing on the inside between the hurdle and chase course – are you suggesting, as Steve Dennis does in his Racing Post blog – that it should be? It’s a simlar case at most courses, for both practical and safety means (emergency sevice access, pulled-up horses etc).
What would be complacent is if we said "oh well, it’s the jockeys fault, it happens, nothing to see here" but we don’t, and never have, said that.
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