Forum Replies Created
- Posts
I lived in Laurel for a while back in the 90s and worked at the track. Doubt I’d know anyone there stil though.
Was this not the filly offered to Network Racing previously? She looks very backward in that photo to me – appreciate its last year and much changes in that time. Love to see and uptodate picture.
I could have told you several to buy at the Horses in Training sale – some of which made under £5k. Sadly they got snapped up by foreigners but there were plenty of bargains to be had there this year.
Only just seen this so no real help!
I would have declared with the proviso that the horse wouldn’t run unless it rained.(Your trainer will need to ring up Press Association to get them to print this).
There should be in place at every racecourse a nominated local trainer who will inform you of the correct going. No use ringing the Clerk of the Course – they just say "what sort of ground does your horse want – good to soft? Then it will be perfect for Sunday!" I invariably rang the groundsman as well and they are far more accurate i.e. they will tell you that the anticipated 11ml of rain forecast will turn the ground to good to soft. Add to that hourly phonecalls to the Met office!
It is a very hard call though and I used to spend hours deliberating on shall we run/shan’t we run. Quite often I got it wrong and was really pissed off and quite often the CofCs did an appalling job with false watering and got it in the neck from me!
Adrians pretty much covered every road in Newmarket bar the Hamilton Road!
All I’ll add is that the museum is fantastic and well worth a visit:
http://www.nhrm.co.uk/opening.html
You should be able to get yard/stud maps from there as well.
There are tours of Newmarket too but I’m not sure about Sundays. Julia Fielden used to run Hoofbeats Tours which was worth going on.
Sorry I’m not still up there or I could have shown you round!Just like to echo the sentiments on here and wish him a long and happy retirement. (but keep us informed what hes up to!)
Haven’t watched the Zarkava vid but get your jockey to ask the stalls handlers to whack the horse on the bottom as the gates open. It should soon learn to ping them.
Deeply shocked by this – I knew him to asy hello to and I just can’t begin to imagine what he must have been going through.
But this has to be the best bit! Good for the Yanks I say!
From the RP:
Lynch hit with year-long ban at Philadelphia Park
By Graham Green6.56PM 20 JUL 2009
FERGAL LYNCH has been banned from riding for a year at Philadephia Park where he is the leading jockey this year.The decision was taken by the track’s management as a direct consequence of the disgraced jockey’s admissions to the BHA of a series of major offences, namely stopping a horse, supplying inside information for six of his rides, betting and associating with the disqualified Miles Rodgers.
On Monday trainer Karl Burke became the final recipient of sanctions resulting from the BHA inquiry, who banned him for a year.
Lynch, 31, had hoped to escape punishment in the United States after agreeing to pay a £50,000 fine as part of a plea bargain with the BHA.
The ban will be a severe blow to Lynch who has been working for his brother Cathal at Philadelphia Park since last August, and this year has ridden 99 winners with his mounts earning $2,340,934 (£1,445,021).
Justin Fleming, a spokesman for Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, said: "I can confirm that Fergal Lych has been ejected from Philadelphia Park racetrack for a period of one year. The ban started on Friday, July 17. The decision was taken by the track in relation to Fergal Lynch’s activities in Britain."
Very few I fear nowadays. Although I worked for a top yard in the late 80s/early 90s and the trainer had a habit of asking your opinion and then ignoring your reply! I would always listen to the rider commenting on how the horse is moving and its general well-being is. You gain so much from sitting on the horse – from discovering what sort of ground it will prefer/distance/type of track it will handle/whether it prefers being covered up or likes to bowl along. Surely if you suss this out at home – you are saving wasting having to learn at the races. I still can’t believe it took Fanshawe so long to realise Spacious needed to use that long raking stride of hers by running from the front.
I think some of these tops yards just got too big and don’t have time to ask their staff or know what lad/lass best suits what horse. Likewise I think its very important for a trainer to know how to do everything in a yard from breaking a horse in to putting it through the stalls – otherwise how can he see where the problems lie if hes never been in that position?
I think many yards are too reliant on ACP to calm horses down rather than the decent riders of old. And many feed way too much for the amount of work they are doing so consequently you do get behavioural problems. Certain horses though if they do have these problems would be better off being administered herbal/mineral calmers which have a very good efeect on many and do no damage.
I know on of the Disciplinary Ctte members, Lyn Williams. Always very fair with me but I never got on the wrong side of him. I got the feeling he was like a terrier with a bone – doesn’t give up. I was never up before the Disc Ctte but went up for something else and couldn’t believe what a load of t***ers they were to me. Despite sitting there and explaining things in concise English, they still ignored me and treated me like a small child. It made you want to stand up and scream abuse at them. I sat with a full file of facts and figures yet they ignored me and what I had to say.
No its only the grooms that are Dubaian. Riders are mostly from UK as are staff at pre-training yard which is based on Hamilton Road – I think its where Ed Dunlops yard used to be – now bulldozed & rebuilt rather than the 3 yards they had opposite – don’t know if they still have those although I see Pip Paynes yard they did rent is now no longer in use.
That’s all interesting to read Jinny, but what’s changed between now and 1999-2003, when Godolphin were the most feared stable in the world?
I do believe Crisford, bin Suroor, Cooper, Ferguson were still in charge.
Could it be the rise and rise of Coolmore/Aidan O’Brien?
I think in those days, you had far more input from the assistants such as Noseda & Albertrani. Nowadays, the Trio seem to control what goes on. Initially they employed the very best staff they could get with many ex-jockeys making up the rosta. However a couple of years ago, a whole bunch were "made redundant" and given a hefty pay-off not to talk. Seems some of these staff had tried to express their feelings about the horses they were riding but those at the top were not listening.
Others (including a good friend who had a senior position there) got sick of the way things were done and left. My friend had made alot of money in the early days and it was a fair salary he left behind but he said the job satisfaction had gone and he no longer enjoyed it.
Likewise their staff at the pre-training yards used to be of a high standard – now they take anyone – drug addicts inc. The pay is still one of the highest in Racing but you end up being one of a number where your opinion counts for little and it is more like factory work. So decent staff don’t go there anymore.
A sorry sorry demise to a once great operation.I think they need to seriously scale down their operation and change those in the managerial roles. They need to put in an assistant (obviously SBS remains due to being Dubaian) of the calibre of Noseda who can get things back to where they were. At present you have SBS – the puppet and the whole shebang being run by Crisford(brief assistant to Prescott then journalist), Ferguson (bloodstock agent)& Cooper (sheikh Mo’s PA) – NONE of whom trained! What does that tell you? The stories you hear from both staff working at Godawful & the pre-training yards are quite incredulous.
For example – At the pre-training yards – they feed the horses 16lbs of corn a day (this is maximum amount when in full-training for a 3yo colt, fillies need less) and then because the horses are too fresh, they bunge them full of sedatives as the riders are too scared to ride them. The basic levels of horse management are terrible. The horses are brought along slowly in fact so slowly they barely get out of a slow canter and then suddenly its off to Godawful and straight into full fast work. And they wonder why they break down so regularly? Added to that the horses at Godawful are rarely left in peace during the day so they just seem to be lifeless – watch them at the Horses in Training Sales in October – 3yo colts should be a handful to walk round there not ambling round with their heads on the floor, lean and no condition on them.
Sheikh Mo seems to really care for his horses so I just can’t see for the life of me why he can’t work out what is wrong. I feel like going up to him at the races and having it out with him!!!! (Think I’d be carried off in a straightjacket first though!)
I hate seeing good horses ruined and others not realising their true potential.
