Forum Replies Created
- Posts
Nobody’s trying to ban riding crops in showjumping or working hunter classes (or just regular riding), so why would they ban them in racing? The crop serves a similar purpose, after all, and riding crops aren’t even cushioned!
The "problem" is nonexistent. There’s going to be idiot jocks who go overboard with whipping, and they should be punished individually, but the vast majority of riders use the whip only as necessary.
Jay Trump, for sure. After languishing in the lowest claiming ranks on the flat, he was bought for cheap and trained to be a jumper.
In 1962 he won the Radnor Hunt Cup.
In 1963 he won the Maryland Hunt Cup, the most prestigious and testing timber race in America, and was 2nd in the Maryland Grand National to his longtime rival Mountain Dew. Mountain Dew finished 2rd in all 3 of Jay Trump’s MHCs, in addition to winning the MHC in ’62,’65, and ’67.
In 1964 he won the hunt "Triple Crown" (My Lady’s Manor, Maryland Grand National, Maryland Hunt Cup) in the spring, and then shipped to England, where he won the Autumn Trial Chase and was 2nd in the King George.
In 1965 he won the Harwell Handicap Chase and was 3rd in the Grand Steeplechase de Paris in addition to his Grand National win.
In 1966 he triumphantly returned home with two more wins, including his 3rd Maryland Hunt Cup.
All together Jay Trump won 12 times and was second 4 times in his 16 starts over fences. An amazing animal.Living in northern Virginia, still technically the south, I haven’t experienced many harsh winters. Typically there’s one or two real storms, nothing major. This season, Mother Nature has decided to exact punishment upon the mid-Atlantic.
First, the Blizzard of ’09: December 19th-2 feet of the white stuff.
Once all of that had melted, which took several weeks: February 3rd-6".
Then the Blizzard of ’10 aka Snowpocalypse aka Snowmageddon, February 5th-6th-30".
DC got 21", parts of western Maryland got 40", breaking all sorts of records. My street still isn’t plowed, and they’re actually running out of salt for the roads.
Just when we’re starting to dig out, here comes another: February 10th- at least 8" is in the forecast, with up to 20" possible. It’s already snowing pretty heavily where I am. And of course, high winds.
(pardon the imperial measurements)This is all wreaking havoc with the racetracks. Just look at the list of cancellations-http://www.equibase.com/premium/cancellations.cfm. All the training tracks/gallops are covered in snow, so there’s plenty of incredibly anxious Thoroughbreds who are tearing down their barns right now.
I suspect they are leanign towards the Guineas, if only to make him a more valuable stallion prospect.
As it stands, racing in the UK is too expensive to be considered a form of weekend family entertainment. People would rather go to a movie or football game. Tracks that have offered free admission have almost always increased their revenue, because more people=more people buying food/souvenirs/programs=more people betting.
You have it backwards. Racing in UK and Ireland is much better attended than racing in the US where admission is either free or just a couple of bucks. Outside of the boutique meets, the only people you see trackside at most US tracks are middle aged "capper" dudes who bitch about the price of a hot dog. People don’t go because it’s seen it’s seen as cheap, and therefore worthless, entertainment (of course it doesn’t help that most US tracks have all the charm of an industrial estate, and little variation in the races offered).
You get a much more varied client el on the other side of the pond, and more families too.Maybe we’ve been to different tracks, but I see plenty of families and college-age kids. Particularly in the summer whe the weather’s nice.
As it stands, racing in the UK is too expensive to be considered a form of weekend family entertainment. People would rather go to a movie or football game. Tracks that have offered free admission have almost always increased their revenue, because more people=more people buying food/souvenirs/programs=more people betting.
Going back to the original subject, I can’t find a good reason to change the starting procedure for jump races. Besides the fact that quite a few horses hate the gate or can’t even fit, if it ain’t broke, why fix it?
How will they get Rachel ready in time for April 3rd?
Gives Oaklawn plenty of publicity but don’t you think it will turn sour for the fans if they can’t pull it off?
She’s already working, if Jackson’s ego is big enough it’ll happen.
Saratoga cards a steeplechase as the first race each Thursday in August, probably out of tradition more than anything. There’s always complaints from other handicappers that it’s "cruel", "barbaric", impossible to handicap (mind you, very few American race fans have even seen a jump race in person, let alone try to wager on one), the horses are all too slow for the flat, it takes away from the obviously superior NY-bred claiming turf sprints, and according to one racing commentator, steeplechasing is a completely different sport.
That said, mixed cards have worked at many other tracks, and would probably pique the interest of casual fans.
Jonathan Sheppard-greatest American steeplechase trainer of all time,
John Nerud-HOF trainer who turned 97 yesterday, has witnessed more great races than just about anyone alive today
Janet Elliot-first woman trainer in the Hall of Fame
John Campbell-legendary harness driver, well over $250 million in career earningsOkay, we’ve had Starspangledbanner’s trainer banned for 6 months, and a Hayes horse setting a course record, and Denman going for the soft option, but I know that this is the story that my public want to read . . .
Cockies turn out the lights
ANDREW GARVEY
February 4, 2010A FLOCK of around 2000 cockatoos that decided to make a stop at Moonee Valley racecourse this week have munched their way through power cables, forcing tomorrow night’s meeting to be switched to twilight times.
The damage to cabling in over half the 60-plus lighting towers was discovered on Tuesday. An audit showed the lighting was still operational but wiring was exposed, and with rain forecast for tomorrow, any moisture coming into contact with the wiring could cause the lights to fail.
The meeting will start at 4.15pm, with the afternoon meeting at Pakenham brought forward to start at 11.54am.
Moonee Valley Racing Club will use falcons to disperse the cockatoos.
Harness Racing Victoria has been assured the harness racing lights have passed inspection and the Hunter Cup meeting on Saturday night will go ahead.
Thank God the cockatoos didn’t charge during a race!
All American turf courses in the Midwest/Northeast lay dormant from November-March. Most trainers move their stock, regardless of surface preference, to Florida, Louisiana, Arkansas, or California. Unfortunately UK trainers can’t just move their horses to warmer climes.
This is another reason why summer chasing makes sense, seeing as the lovely Palm Peach Polo Grounds aren’t an option.
Saluter’s 6 consecutive Virginia Gold Cups
Flatterer’s 4 consecutive Colonial Cups
Flatterer carrying 176 pounds to victory in the National Hunt Cup
McDynamo’s 5 consecutive Breeders’ Cup Grand National Steeplechases
You can’t "force" a horse to do anything. In a battle between a man and a horse, the horse wins every time, whip or no whip. It’s incredibly easy for a horse to dump a rider at anytime, no matter how good the rider is. That’s just the nature of working with a half-ton animal.
Ginger leaving the whip debate aside for a second I completely agree with you with regards to summer jumping I too would ban it. Winter good to firm I can cope with but summer fast ground is a different thing and I don’t think it is right to subject horses to innevitable falls on that sort of ground.
In the USA the jumps season is March-November, and I don’t think there’s any higher rate of injuries.
Nicholls is one of the best today, that’s for sure. There’s a good deal of antagonism against Dickinson in the states (at least the mid-Atlantic region) due to the A Huevo fiasco (wins with a fast yet lame old gelding off a 4 year layoff, continues running the horse to the ground until he fatally and gruesomely breaks down in front of a huge crowd in a major stakes race).
DC got 21", parts of western Maryland got 40", breaking all sorts of records. My street still isn’t plowed, and they’re actually running out of salt for the roads.