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One of my real bugbears, just update the post-race notes with the grisly news, out of respect to the horse. The RP comments are typically euphemistic (“…..when hung left and pulled up quickly”).
Another awful week in this regard, made worse by the lack of mention of most of these in the RP write-ups (at least there wasn’t when I checked earlier). That’s unforgivable, even if you have to update the notes once further news has broken. Makes me sick.
Going back to an earlier post I made in the Podcasts thread, another shout out to the “On The Hunt” podcast. About a fortnight ago, Ryan tipped up Diego Du Charmil for this race, ante-post, before it ran at Plumpton a few Sundays back. I took the 28/1. Although it won, it wasn’t quite the stated plan as the favourite was withdrawn, so the ante-post odds were only trimmed to around 22/1 and 25/1. However, with the final entries, it’s now as low as 7/1 and generally 8/1.
TTC – maybe I’m reading too much in to it but it seemed to me that for Hoiles to be able to bring it up again at the end of the broadcast – having made a few in-race comments live – it had to be done as his “eyecatcher” feature. As you say, he was still being polite but I almost felt as if he had to be a little guarded in what he said, either from his own mind or by ITV. Cumani’s comment, on the other hand, seemed more throwaway and off-the-cuff, hence was more candid. That comment is 1:52:26 in here: https://www.itv.com/hub/itv-racing/2a4397a0416
I’n no fan of Francesca Cumani as a broadcaster, but she said it was a “bizarre ride” on ITV yesterday. Fair play to her.
Thanks all for the contributions. Have enjoyed reading them and my knowledge is now far greater on this subject.
I have mixed emotions on ITV Racing. On the one hand, as someone who doesn’t have SKY, I can’t complain in any way at the amount of meetings they broadcast terrestrially. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you etc. It certainly feels more than C4 or the BBC ever did, demonstrated in no better way than that 5-day period of consecutive live racing between Christmas and New Year. I’ve really enjoyed their coverage from Ireland in recent times and am seemingly in the minority on here in that I quite like Jerry Hannon.
However, on the other hand, I do find the coverage to be very “cloying”, in particular from Chamberlin and Plunkett. To be fair, I think he is a good front man but his nods to the establishment really grate after a while. I’m not a fan of Plunkett in any way and her paddock commentary adds nothing to my enjoyment or knowledge. Unlike Luke Harvey, McCoy is not cut out for broadcasting. Some of his “jokes” are cringeworthy. I don’t mind Fitzgerald but would prefer Simon Holt on commentary to Hoiles. The programme would be a lot duller without Chapman too.
Thanks all for the informative answers. On the point around flat racing, although I’m only a fan of the jumps, I have noticed races at Southwell being 4F 214yds. Just seems odd.
Thanks everyone for the replies. I’d heard of almost all of them, feel stupid now that I didn’t list them. I wasn’t familiar with the North Yorkshire at Catterick though. Also just remembered the Leinster National at Naas. On the point above around the Munster National and Kerry National, is there any loose criteria for calling a race a National? I guess not, within reason?
Interesting point around “poorer horses running to mop up the prize-money at the lower end”. I’m sure there have been others but I remember Dr Phil Pritchard specialising in this on several occasions back in the early 2000s, especially in the more lucrative Saturday TV races. He had a few horses in his string but one was Blazing Batman. I recall Francome laying in to him at the start of one C4 race, saying it made a mockery of the grade of race. I actually admired Pritchard for being opportune. He wasn’t breaking any rules and it wasn’t his doing that the number of declared runners in the races he “targeted” were so low. Anything can happen in a jumps race, so if it pays the bills and the horse’s welfare is not at risk, then why not?
No link to Dr Phil at all but the other point you make about not pulling up horses to stagger round and pick up the lower-end prize money is a valid one, again more relevant in the longer jumps races. You just hope that a jockey would make the right call in these circumstances. No debating the answer in a choice between a pulled-up horse returning in one piece, as against one pushed beyond its limit to pocket £700 with horrific consequences.
Thanks all for the replies. I don’t have either of the racing channels, so tend to catch up with the replays in the evenings via the ATR and RTV apps. Also listen to WH Radio most days, if and when work allows.
I can’t see it listed on here, but my favourite by far is the On The Hunt Podcast. The lads on there know their stuff when it comes to jumps racing and it’s the right mix of banter, insight and knowledge. I especially like the “anything else” segment at the end. You get some great shouts on there, especially from Ryan.
Thank you. Like others I’m sure, I’ve read the forum for a while without taking the next step and registering. Thanks too for the update. Selfishly I’ve had Nothing Man in my tracker for a while and he was well backed on Monday, although that went out the window when I heard the commentary.
