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Haha, agree Broadsword, the winner’s interview for the Race of Champions took place before the race happened! Great to see Bob Champion in such good form, and remarkable to think how long ago his and Aldaniti’s exploits were now. Seemed a good tactical decision to keep Red Rum out of the field if they wanted an Aldaniti victory.
The probability of a horse refusing early in the race or while still in with a chance seems rather too high at present. But hard to criticise the programming based on past results, and the graphics are excellent.
I’ve no issue with Tiger Roll being run in a Grade 1 chase, but putting him in what was clearly not the optimal choice of race just to make some misguided point leaves a bitter taste. And the point about his handicap mark being “too high” has not been proved as the types of race he has achieved this in are vastly different to the task he was set on Thursday.
Tiger Roll is a wonderful horse whose achievements should be cherished, and who should have been given the chance to go down in history as a triple Grand National winner. Sadly I can’t help but think I’d have enjoyed his exploits more if the behaviour of his connections had been more sporting. Tiger Roll, you deserve better.
A magnificent preview as always VTC; this has become a pre-Grand National tradition!
Here you go RubyLight:
An enquiry was held into the running and riding of TIGER ROLL (IRE), ridden by Jack Kennedy and trained by Mrs Denise Foster, which appeared to be tenderly handled throughout to stay on to finish fourth, beaten by 92 lengths. The rider was interviewed and shown recordings of the race and the Veterinary Officer reported that a post-race examination of the gelding failed to reveal any abnormalities. The rider stated his instructions were to make the running, but felt the gelding was never really travelling due to the fast early pace, a fact which he reported at Scales, and following a mistake at the third fence, where the gelding may have lost confidence, he was never able to hold its position. He added that he had continued to nudge and squeeze the gelding along during the final circuit and that the gelding had appeared to only stay on as the race in front of him had fallen apart. The rider further stated that he had ridden the gelding to its best advantage and in his opinion had obtained the best possible placing. The trainer was interviewed by telephone and confirmed both the instructions given and also that TIGER ROLL (IRE) may have been unsuited by the fast pace. Mrs Foster further added that today’s race may have come too soon after the recent run at Cheltenham. Their explanations were noted.
Minimum ratings exist for most Grade 1 races already as per this link https://www.britishhorseracing.com/press_releases/minimum-ratings-group-grade-1-races-introduced/
I think this was to prevent owners entering markedly inferior horses into prestige events in order to have a “day out” or hoping to sneak some place money if a small field arose.
I can see some justification for barring a horse that is totally out of its league, but think setting the cutoff point too high is not a good idea for many of the reasons given above already.
Cork All Star, you are correct – the West Wales National was moved to April in 2017.
One more to add to the ever-growing list of Nationals is the Ladies National held at Fairyhouse, the most recent running being last Saturday. It appears to have started in 2017 and been held over a range of distances in its brief history. The most recent running was over the furthest distance yet, 3m 1/2f.
Cork All Star, that was a very timely question about the West Wales National!
A lot of these Nationals are quite new, but an older one that has disappeared sadly is the Warwick National, known back in the day as the Brooke Bond Oxo National. It was last run in 2000. The Classic Chase is a similar modern event at Warwick, first run in 2004.
From what I can make out, “National” is an informal term that seems to have evolved into a signifier of an area or course’s most important long-distance chase. The term isn’t defined in the BHA’s Rules of Racing.
For me, a minimum distance of 3m 3f would seem appropriate, and that’s being generous!
Others I can think of are the “Grand National” (Cork) and the Norfolk National (Fakenham). Suspect there are quite a few obscure ones now.
The ones I always find strange are the Munster National (Limerick) and Kerry National (Listowel), both over 3 miles. That seems much too short to be a National!
There used to be a Summer National at Uttoxeter, but that is now a shorter race called the Summer Cup.
The Eider Chase at Newcastle was rebranded as the Northern National for a while, but has thankfully been changed back.
It will always be “The Derby” to me. I’m sure what most people call races is heavily influenced by names that have applied for a long time, or what the name was when they first became interested in racing. Similarly I’m rarely a fan of races changing venue; the Rehearsal Chase should be at Chepstow, the Temple Stakes at Sandown etc.
I am interested in who is sponsoring the big events though, and am always pleased to see non-industry sponsors in particular.
One other aspect I’d be interested to know more on is how much impact these sponsorships have on the prizemoney of the race in question.
Seeing as Ascot has the royal procession, perhaps Cazoo could come up with a rival version at Epsom that showcases some of their current offers.
Good to see the Derby has got a new sponsor though; can’t be easy to find them in the current environment. Cazoo certainly seems to be pursuing sports sponsorship as a way of raising their profile as this is following on from forays into football and snooker. Good for them.
Thanks for the replies re my query about the insurance.
I have huge sympathy for Tylicki, but agree with FiftyP that the risk has to be accepted as an inherent part of participation. There’s only a hair’s breadth between bold riding and careless riding, and it’s inevitable that lines will be crossed in the heat of competition. Unless there is a blatantly reckless act such as riding while drunk or pushing an opponent off their horse, I think the risk of competition has to be accepted. That said, this is very easy for me to say as I’m not in Tylicki’s situation, and can see why he is testing the waters.
Freddy Tylicki is suing Graham Gibbons as he’s claiming Gibbons caused the fall that left him wheelchair-bound.
This was the race in question https://www.racingpost.com/results/1079/kempton-aw/2016-10-31/660663
Will be following this one with interest. Does anyone know if jockeys have liability insurance?
There’s more than a grain of truth in that previous comment. To some extent, I think a jockey is giving a good ride if they don’t actually do anything particularly memorable!
Despite having watched racing for a long time, I still couldn’t tell you much about what constitutes a particularly good ride from a stylistic viewpoint. However, with a bit of experience, it’s easier to spot good rides from a strategic viewpoint e.g. where the jockey has judged the pace of the race well or how they have positioned their horse. Some of Rachael Blackmore’s rides at Cheltenham were good examples of this.
