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Interesting to see that one of my selections Riguez Dancer has gone from one syndicate to another and is now with David’s DPRP syndicate.
Yes, he looks a very nice horse. Rated 125 over hurdles, still only a 5yo and plenty of scope for novice chasing. We are very pleased to have him.
Am I missing it or is there no longer a way to identify unread posts?
Also, the "sticky" topics at top…can they not be in a different colour to identify them as stickys?
Slow loading speed is not an issue of old, outdated equipment. My PC is very new, has huge capacity & handles much more complex websites & databases than this one in lightning quick speed.
TRF is currently very,very slow and liable to "freezes" – I guess an old PC wouldn’t help but it is not the reason for the sluggish performance.
Design is good and I am sure new features are great and the ads don’t bother me BUT it is just painfully slow to use…so much so that it is just not usable.
I see the performance is better on firefox but I remember changing browser to solve another website speed issue (Racing Post I think) & whilst it was better in some areas it had problems in others (I think it had problems playing video from ATR & RP).
Not being a techie at all I don’t know the answer but it does seem to me that each time any website is revamped the consequent issues fall into 3 categories:
1) Issues of layout, font, colours etc which are just personal taste issues & often a simple resistance to change. A weeks usage closes the issues!
2) Menus & routes into certain features are different – again just a change issue & that one quickly dissipates.
3) Speed of loading etc. This is the big one & the one that has people switching off. In days of high speed broadband, we (perhaps unfairly) simply will not wait longer than milliseconds for the page to appear.
I understand that 1&2 can never be addressed to everyones satisfaction but why is 3 not priority number one when testing etc is done?
Not sure whether it was Monks or not. To my shame, I received brilliant service but can’t remember the name! I have the receipt filed so will check if I get a minute.
I find the 7x magnification more than ok for my use…though I think that is the point. "My use" may well differ from others. I tend to be watching one runner in detail and the others "en masse". I can check detail on others later, but in runnng, my focus tends to be on one horse. However, someone like yourself would demand quick identification of every runner at all points and so a higher magnification is presumably desired. Additionally, your likely mode of use/viewing point will more easily facilitate use of a tripod & so counter the increased "shake" that comes with higher magnification.This is always going to be down to personal choice & as such would say that best advice is to try several out. The guy that sets up his stall at various race meetings will be more than happy for you to try out on course.
In my view your biggest considerations should be:
Flat or jumps? – if its jumps its likely to be murkier conditions & as such you want something that gathers in as much light as possible. ie you want the second part of th 8×40, 10×50 formula to be large rather than small.
Steady hands? Only you know how steady you can hold the bins& in what environment you are likely to use them – packed grandstand or spacious infield for example. The higher the first part of the equation (magnification) the more susceptible to shake the image will be.
Cost? – Bins canrange enormously in price so unless money really is no object, decide a price then research the best fit in that range.
In my own case I knew very little about binoculars but sought advice from the man that sets up a stall at Perth Races. I wanted to replace my mini pair with something better as my race days were increasing dramatically.
I gave him the following brief:
– Work well in murky/dark conditions
– Decent range/field of view as it can be a long way across the infield
– Hardy ( I am a bit clumsy!)
– Suitable for use without having to remove my specs all the time
– I also gave him a price range.He loaned me two pairs to try out whilst actually watching a race. (I did leave him my credit card!).
On my return he asked which I preferred and I told him that the first pair were marginally better than the second but that there was not that much in it.
He then revealed the prices of the 2 pairs. The marginally better pair was priced at £390 and the other pair at £75. I was gobsmacked & I was more than happy to take the cheaper pair. I have used them ever since & they serve my needs brilliantly.
They are focus free too so never need adjusting…great for scanning back & forward through a strung out field at the end of a 3m chase!
They are by a manufacturer called Dowling & Rowe & they are 7x50s with a field of view of 116m/1000m. I just checked online & you can now get a pair for £60…bargain in my view. (though the case they come with is rubbish & will need replacing!)
An increasing amount of what I pay for as a computer timeform subscriber is being made freely available via ATR & Betfair…what incentive will there be for me to renew my (high cost)subscription?
I don’t agree that much of what you’re paying for as a subscriber is now given away free. The Timeform-specific information that appears on the free site or via Betfair/Attheraces/Telegraph (i.e. not trainer/jockey stats which are widely available) is not a replica of any subscription content. Perspective reports, ratings and Black Book comments are still reserved for paid for publications/subscriptions only.
The free site has been designed to appeal to a much less sophisticated audience than that which uses the traditional range of Timeform products. It would be surprising if anyone who currently relies on the wealth of detail provided by the Timeform Race Card, for example, finds the free information an adequate substitute.
All that said, we will continue to monitor our pricing as our free content grows and we’ve already introduced offers which we think are ahead of anything we’ve done previously. The online season ticket, for example, includes a Race Card every day plus 20% off any other Timeform shop purchase (amongst many other things which I’ll refrain from ‘spamming’) for £30 a month.Fantastic story…and what a great insight into ownership at a realistic level. Thanks to both horse & owner!
From his website:
I interviewed Alan King earlier this afternoon for One Jump Ahead. I have put together a strong team of trainer interviews with those already covered including Philip Hobbs, Nicky Richards, Willie Mullins, Howard Johnson and Donald McCain. Nicky Henderson and Malcolm Jefferson will, all being well, follow later in the week plus Champion Paul Nicholls once he returns from Galway. For the tenth consecutive year, leading bloodstock agent Anthony Bromley has kindly passed on news of around 30 new horses from France and Ireland who will be plying their trade in the UK this winter. One Jump Ahead should be published early September.
Thanks are due to the members who have troubled to read this posting and make a reply. Though I hope that just nine replies is not a true barometer of industry concern on this important subject.
I think that it is more a sign of weariness than lack of compassion. Responsible owners & their efforts will always be ignored as long as people can find examples of poor practice. Racing, like every industry, has its share of good & bad practice. All one can do is ensure that if one is the person in charge of a horse when it meets the end of its racing life that it is adequately & appropriately re-homed….whilst accepting that one bad apple will lead non supporters of racing to tar us all with the same brush.
Certainly a thorough judgement but for me 2 questions remain (besides APs excellent point):
1) A ban July to early Oct is largely meaningless (9 runners in Jul/Aug/Sep last season). Why 3 months…why not 6, 9 or 12? 3 just looks convenient.
2) The judgement makes it pretty clear that there are other cases where NH has knowingly used the same tactic & knowingly concealed such in his records. Which ones were they…are any of them the sort of runners/winners that have added to his "contribution to the sport" which was used to justify a moderation of his punishment?Whatever the relative popularity of cinema and racing it shouldn’t have been too much to expect a few minutes of professional racing coverage in a three hour programme.
I didn’t hear it so wouldnt presume to comment but I think that much of the issue lay in the attitude displayed by the above quote. Why is it that we (racing) EXPECT professional racing coverage. We need to EARN it & do something to accomodate it. Just because we love racing it doesn’t mean that everyone else does!
A theoretical scenario to illustrate the point….If the BBC had said " we will cover each race in its entirety, without interaction or interference from the studio BUT you must change the off time/running order to fit our schedule and hold the off until we are ready"…what would be our reaction. Similar indignation I imagine.
