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Byallmen,
Good to read of a positive outcome for your equine recruit as opposed to some of the doom and gloom painted by others.
It’s a shame that racing doesn’t make more of its history and heritage.
The horses that give their names to these races like Bula typically have a good story to tell and it’s often a missed opportunity in my opinion.
Not everyone that goes racing is there for the betting or the booze remember. Take my inlaws for example. They bet small stakes on occasions, they will maybe have one or two drinks. What they do enjoy is the sport and the occasion. So much so they have decided to take a share in one of the partnerships I run. Never in a million years did I think that would happen!
So what does attract them to racing? I’d say the race as a spectacle, the beauty and power of the thoroughbred, and the history of the sport.
It’s the wrong move IMO to standardise the sport and omit a large slice of the history.
Kasparov,
Can I suggest you focus on a small band of trainers you like and have had some success with in the past? Maybe a group of say 6-8 trainers, a couple of the largest yards, a few middle range yards and maybe 4 smaller yards.
Understand why you’ve had success with them in the past, maybe certain races or courses spring to mind. That should give you some confidence as you will be that bit clearer on their methods and targets for their horses.
Avoid your yards if they are out of form, pay special attention to them if are flying.
Look for horses from your yards that you feel are over priced for whatever reason (stable been in poor form previously, horse been running over wrong trip / ground etc). I’d look in the 4/1 to 16/1 range and avoid the shorter prices.
Good luck.
CP,
Some legends mentioned there! As a relative youngster I have vague memories of World of Sport and Grandstand. They were wonderful must see TV on a Saturday afternoon / tea time.
Every 2nd weekend I’d be sent to my grandparents on a Saturday afternoon and we’d catch the racing then the football results at 4.45.
Some great memories – keep them coming!
Good morning,
Whilst I only post on occasions I do like to read the threads on a daily basis.
With regard the whip debate I have come to the conclusion that a number of contributors only wish to "win" the argument rather than debate the current status and potentially find some common ground. At the end of the day I just want to see what’s good for the jockeys, horses and racing in general but the debate has moved away from that to individuals trying to find shreds of evidence to support their position. Hence why I take a back seat on that debate.
With regard to Pinza I found his contributions eloquent, entertaining and informative if a little cutting on occasions. I must give the man credit for the huge amount of time he has given the forum, particularly in the last few weeks. I didn’t always agree with his language and how he came across but everyone is different.
Cormack, it was apparent to me that he was trying to stir things up on that final thread. If I had been you I would have simply ignored him and starved him of a reaction.
At the end of the day he wanted a reaction and he sure got it.Hopefully the BBC news will give some air time to today’s race in 30 mins.
A magnificent performance and one that should get racing on the front pages for the right reasons……Well done Kauto and all connected!
Anyone remember Tikram winning the MIldmay of Flete in 2004? I was on at 20’s and can recall how he came from miles back to win going away. A masterful ride!
Ever Blessed in the Hennessy another big win that springs to mind.
Moehat,
Just catching up with this thread and was beginning to draw similar conclusions to yourself. If the whip is such a bad thing we really need to remove the fences first. Surely they cause more horse welfare issues than the whip ever will.
As for the BHA it’s clear they have made a pigs ear of the whole issue and done no end of negative publicity to the sport. Then again have any of your work colleagues who don’t follow racing mentioned the W word these past few weeks? None of my colleagues have. That’s tells it’s own story IMO.
I would have thought the BHA and PJA would have liked to put this issue to bed once and for all but K Darley’s statement suggests there is still a fair gap between both parties.
This issue will rumble on and on and it really is a joke that it takes the dawn of a major meeting for change to take place. I said a few weeks ago that once the bookies have there say then changes would be implemented. I’ve no doubt Paddy Power have had a word in the BHA’s ear as they simply don’t want their sponsored meeting overshadowed.
I wonder how Ruby Walsh is feeling. Correct me if wrong but has he not just served a five day ban which if the offence were to occur tomorrow would now result in a two day ban?
Ricky,
I don’t blame the jockeys for delaying any strike decision as it would play right into the hands of the BHA. A case of "if you won’t play by our rules we won’t play at all" is a serious concern for the jockeys. Then the jocks look the bad guys in the eyes of the general public. In addition they lose out on vital income. Remember winter is just around the corner which no doubt result in meetings being lost to the weather and jockeys income reducing even further.
Therefore another stakeholder group may need to force the issue. The one I think of is owners who can simply instruct their trainers not to enter their horses. However with prize money so weak the opportunistic owner will spy an opening and take advantage of small fields.
All in all a difficult issue for all stakeholders.
We all contribute to funding the BHA in some shape or form. If anyone, pro or against the new whip rules, can argue they are handling this matter well then I’d love to hear the defence.
If the Gold Cup or Derby were to be won a short head by a horse whipped 9 times (as opposed to the runner up that sticks to the current rules) the whip debate will overshadow everything else about the race doing racing untold bad publicity and put more people off the sport in the long term.
The BHA got racing into this mess. As the governing body it is their duty and responsibility to sort it out but the silence is deafening.
Surely the answers lie in more flexible rules regarding number of strikes, less stringent rules for going over the limit AND throwing the book at any jockey that uses the whip excessively and continues to flout the rules. Give the raceday stewards the authority to deal with serious and repeat offenders.
Slightly off topic but…….
The 7f handicap at Ascot tomorrow is capped at 18 runners. Similarly the 7f h’cap on 3rd September had a field of 15 runners (1 n/r). Both are decent purses in their own right.
Normally Ascot can take up to 28 runners on the straight track but they are saving ground for the 15 October and field sizes have been reduced in the run up to Champions day.
We’d have loved to run our horse at Ascot in these handicaps but unfortunately he’s missed the cut both times due to the field sizes being reduced – as have plenty other horses that would love to take their chance for decent money. A smart idea might have been to run a 2nd division of the handicap which I’m sure would have attracted a near max field of either 16 or 18 for horses rated from say 95 to 85.
Therefore I’ve little sympathy if Champions Day has problems, whether that is getting a crowd in or the risk of wet weather in mid October.
£3m of prize money when the industry is pleading poverty and goodness knows how much is being spend on marketing the event. Once I’m convinced of the benefits for racing as a whole I’ll be more supportive of the event.
Eddie – agree 100%. Mr Fallon says the same, so does Hughes, Johnston etc etc.
Has anyone seen or heard any response from the powers that be – BHA / RFC? It’s a shambles but if they can justify their strategy then fair enough perhaps….I’m not sure they can though. Change is needed and fast. We need guys in charge that can look at the bigger picture.
I have tweeted Rod Street this morning on same subject, hopefully he’ll communicate back to me.
I’ve never really seen the harm in pop concerts post racing. In fact we went to Carlisle on 2nd July this year. Our horse came 2nd, the weather was brilliant as were Texas after racing. It really was a cracking evening and I’d be confident the vast majority of the attendees would agree. I’m sure Carlisle racecourse viewed the evening positively also.
Where I would have an issue is if the admission price is increased due to a concert taking place. I don’t think that’s fair on anyone that’s along for the racing and not the music.
Re the Shergar Cup I’m a recent convert as it’s clear racecourses need to diversify in order to attract better crowds. Given the number of entries from trainers, the decent prize money on offer and the manageable field sizes for punting purposes I don’t really see what the fuss is. It’s a one off annual event and I’m sure Ascot would argue that today was a success. The only downside that would put me off attending is the Ascot clientele and the viewing facilities but with 30k today as opposed to 60k at the Royal meeting I’d don’t think that would be an issue either.
In summary, if you don’t enjoy the Shergar Cup just put a line through it and I’d suggest using the time to study the form for the Ebor meeting which is upcoming in a couple of weeks.
Tuffers,
Can’t answer your question but I’ll certainly be interested if Ian Williams sends a runner to Thirsk before the end of the flat season as I’m sure he’ll be keen to complete the set.
I did think of Peter Easterby but I’m not old enough to know if he ever sent runners down to the likes of Newton Abbot or Exeter…and he’s not a current trainer!
Thanks for that info AP.
As expected massive prize funds for these races.
Racing is putting itself in a difficult position by increasing the prize money for these races whilst holding out the begging bowl for the other 364 days of the year. If I was the casual observer I’d think that racing must have plenty of money if it can increase prize funds in this way for Champions Day.
As a small owner (in partnerships) in horses that operate in classes 2 to 5 I question if it is worth me investing in ownership any more. Whilst my slice of the pie is dwindling the big boys slice would appear to be getting ever bigger.
Does anyone have any stats on % prize money by class of race for the last few years, especially on the flat?
