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The new hurdles look better certainly. It is also true that they do not get as easily damaged and they may well encourage "better" jumping. However, when a horse "steps" into one (as they occasionally do) then the very fact that they are robust will be to the detriment of the horse…something has to give. On balance, I like them & support the trial but like most new initiatives, they will bring issues of their own.
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Someone I was associated with and who has spent thousands advertising with The Racing Post telephoned The Sportsman and e mailed them twice he was requesting the advertising rates. They never were sent.
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That was my experience too.
Better ground, a change of scenery and possibly being worked harder (ie he is fitter) would be my stabs in the dark but without knowing the horse either before or after the move, It is impossible to say.
Not without a chance on pick of his form either. Change of stables might provoke a return to that too.
Thanks Jeremy,Paul…no great secrets to Clemax. He has won 4 for us- 3 of them class 4 handicaps. He has only ever run in 3 class 4 handicaps & he has won each time.
So in acutal fact he not only unecessarily expended vital energy on Wednesday, he also incurred an extra 5lbs in the weights for Saturday – where he was beaten 2 3/4 lengths. Not Williams’ finest hour, and I would be surprised if the owners felt best pleased in the aftermath.
Though having said that, given that he got into the race as the last one in it is not too difficult to imagine why they ran on Wednesday. After all, he could have skipped Weds (and with it his chance to run off 111 rather than 137) only to find himself balloted out on Saturday without the prospect of a "soft" option as the handicapppers assessments kicked in.
What will be interesting is where he goes now…for a rest before being prepared for the Paddy Power would be my plan. As for the owners, they paid £6K in May & have won 4 races, been 3rd in the Plate, banked around £40K and have an horse that has improved by 40lbs in 2 months. I would say they will be delighted.
Jeremy – thank you for asking. Clemax is pretty badly injured. We will not know the full extent until we can scan properly but he faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines. The proverbial salt was rubbed in his wounds today with a 8lb rise in the handicap to 120.
Just checked back on entries.
He was indeed given a 5lb penalty (taking him to 126) for winning on Weds but as that was after the weights were framed, he was given a ballot mark as if he was still on 121. Thus his Uttox win had no bearing at all on him getting a run or not- I was incorrect.
He actually needed 1 horse above him to drop out to get a run. In the event Crossbow Creek did not run & so WB scraped in as the last horse to get a run.
Not quite correct. He already had one 5lb penalty before his Wednesday win at Uttoxeter & was therefore on 126 – would have scraped in I think.
What is important to remember though is that prior to Weds, the trainer would have not been sure of getting a run. He would though, know that a win would practically ensure WB got a run.
The £7K won at Uttox + whatever he got for 3rd in the Plate is not a bad return!
His new mark as of today is 137.
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Clemax okay after his Perth spin, btw?
gc
Yes he is sound thank you. He wasn’t helped by the downpour there. The Summer National is a possible target for him if it came up fast ground….though he was dropped 4lb by handicapper today so his 112 mark will leave him borderline to get in & certainly out of the handicap.
If everyone that doesn’t share your view is "stupid", you must despair of the world Wallace!
I made a reasonable argument as to the merits of the track but you simply retort that it is a "gaff track for low grade horses". Well, three horses that have run there in the last couple of months that I would love to own are Mr Jack Danniells (120 rated hurdler), Wee Forbees (sold for £85K in May) & Surface to Air (130+rated chaser). None are anywhere near "low grade" and surely trainers Ferdy Murphy, Howard Johnson and Chris Bealby cannot all be "stupid".
As regards "spam" , there are plenty of web addresses included on posts on here…and you don’t have to click on them.
In your opinion Wallace!
The discussion was about relative safety/suitability of the track and I simply replied from my own experience of being connected with 7 different horses that have run there 25 times in total.At least one of this years Cheltenham Festival winners ran there as did a horse that fetched £85K at the recent sales so it is not exclusively for low grade horses!
Fast ground aside, Sedgefield is actually a pretty good place to send novices as the fences are pretty straightforward. The camber discussed above provides for some "low" parts and the undulations ensure that the gallop is never too severe. The winter jumping ground and surface is usually pretty reliable too (though I do take on board some of the observations about the faster ground).We have run plenty there – Lucky Nellerie, Delray Beach, Deja Vu over fences and the last two named + Rich Lord, Nine De Sivola over hurdles. Perhaps I am influenced by geography and a decent record there but I like it as a track.
Can’t work as that would mean that horses would enter say a 0-140 race and end up being top weight in a 0-120!!
Thats the reason that the races permitted to divide are those run at level weights – they lend themselves better to dividing.
Fiona Needhams Huntingdon debacle would have been interesting had there been a 2 hour rule in place. she called it ON at 10.30 but had to backtrack at 12.30 when jockeys,trainers,owners and anyone with a hint of common sense pointed out the frozen solid track!
