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I don’t like the 4-day format myself, but I’ve stopped whingeing about it. It’s here to stay, the clock will not be turned back. We all have to accept it, and move on.
I agree. the corporate guests who couldn’t give a stuff about the racing are the only people who matter to racecourses now.
Don’t see what’s disgraceful about it. The ground, while very wet, looks perfectly safe. The horses are finishing quite well, unlike the dreadful spectacle which we witnessed at Ayr on Saturday.
I say well done to the Plumpton management for giving the go-ahead.
Ok Yeats. I was talking from the perspective of my own personal experience and the situation which I believe would apply in 95% of equine insurance cases. Quite a few years ago I was involved in a horse which cost us £60k at the sales. The horse only had 3 runs in novice hurdles, received a rating of 101, and sadly was killed on the gallops. The insurers offered us £25k, based on his form, potential, etc., They used a firm of independent valuers to arrive at that figure, and it was basically take it or leave it. Despite the fact that we put our "valuation" of the horse as £60k in the application and thought we were insuring him for that amount, we had little choice but to accept. I’ve spoken to several owners since who have had a similar experience.
Of course it should be possible to find an insurer who would offer insurance to the sum of £340,000, in the same way that a concert pianist can insure his hands for £1m, but this would not be the standard form of equine insurance and, as you say, the premiums would make anybody think twice.
And I expect that you, TWW, are the very epitome of sartorial elegance.
I find this thread quite distasteful. Criticise the guy for his opinions if you wish, but rushing to judgement on the basis of someone’s appearance, using words like "chav" and "scruff" is, frankly, childish.
Very sad news indeed. Yeats, if by "full value" you mean the absurd sum that the owner payed for him at the sales then no, that’s not the way equine insurance works. The insurers will have the an independent valuation carried out based on recent form, BHB rating, etc. and make their offer accordingly. There are mechanisms by which the owner can challenge this if unsatisfied, but that will incur extra costs as lawyers get involved. Either way, I’m afraid that the owner of The Grey Berry will end up out of pocket in a big way.
Runandskip, I cannot believe that the Cheltenham Gold Cup has ever been run on a Saturday. Do you have any documentary evidence to back up your assertion? Maybe my memory is playing tricks on me, but I distinctly remember skiving off school so as not to miss that unforgettable race in 1964.
Equivalent to a twisted ankle in humans. The severity of it will dictate whether or not he runs in the GC.
While it’s quite possible that I’d be entertained by a film based on the Gay Future affair, I simply could not bring myself — under ANY circumstance — to buy a copy of the Daily Mail.
And of course if you had backed the winner, you would be praising the Stewards for their wisdom.
In fact there was a considerable element of doubt as to whether the runner-up would have won, therefore the Steward’s decision is the correct one.
Cornelius Lysaght on Radio 5Live gave a predictably gushing, saccharin-laden account of the afternoon’s events. Strange how he completely failed to mention that "this wonderful result for racing" was only achieved through the most ugly and cynical example of whip abuse and that the perpretator received the maximum penalty. Ah well.
And that includes PJ Brennan, who I know and like, but would never consider his responses as measured.
The funniest thing is when trainers say (and they’re all guilty of this)…"He’ll tell me when he’s ready".
As if!
Yes SwallowCottage, I’ll say it again. To the vast majority of racegoers, the downhill fences and hurdles are what makes Cheltenham Cheltenham.
I attach much more weight to the measured responses of McCoy, Hobbs and Henderson than the often knee-jerk reactions that I read on this and other internet forums.
Here was I, opening this thread, thinking you were going to be talking about the number of injuries and fatalities incurred by high-profile horses performing on the NH stage.
But no, it turns out that you’re whining about your lack of success as gamblers. I would venture to suggest that this sort of topic is better suited to the Betfair forum than TRF.
I’m sorry to strike a discordant note here.
Alan, and others, do you really want to see the Old Course emasculated? The second-last fence, IMO, is the epitome of what Cheltenham is all about. The fence has been signicantly modified in recent years, as Simon Claisse has said, and now is actually an uphill fence. If you want to see Cheltenham retain its position as the home of the "equine Olympics", then you must accept some unique challenges for horses and jockeys alike. And the second-last on the Old Course, without question, provides such a challenge.
I think the comments of AP McCoy, Philip Hobbs and Nicky Henderson provide some thankful perspective.
