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<br>In sporting terms it’s the worst day of my life, I’ve had a couple of deaths in the family during the last five years and I thought I must be strong emotionally as I never shed any tears then, therefore it shows how much the horse meant to me as I’m not ashamed to say I shed some today.
I was working today so I set the video and avoided the result all afternoon but when viewing I thought something was different as soon as the race started, he just didn’t seemed to travel in that effortless fashion that we knew so well but nevertheless I was impressed at halfway with how he was laying up with the speedy 2 milers.
When he was suddenly swamped by horses I thought "Oh no he’s burst again, they’ll have to retire him now". As soon as Luke Harvey on ATR said that the screens were up I just knew what was coming next.
Being only 19, I’ve only seen archive footage of the likes of Arkle and Desert Orchid so this was the definitive horse for me and after starting to follow him after his Cheltenham Nov Chase win almost exactly 5 years ago, I could not believe the crest of a wave I was on with him taking days off work etc. to watch him race:)
I’ll certainly never forget that 2nd Gold Cup win, I’ve never had a bigger buzz than that from horse racing and the letters & correspondence I have shared with Jim & Henrietta over the last few years has made this a very special era for me.
I really regret not seeing him in the flesh, I bought a ticket for the Gold Cup this year and he burst a blood vessel the day before my ticket arrived and then I just e-mailed Haydock yesterday about Betfair Chase tickets so I guess it just wasn’t meant to be for me:(
After reading this forum tonight, I remember why I first joined it in the first place, some really kind and poignant posts compared to what I’ve heards been posted elsewhere.
<br>Luckily I put Racing UK on last week and they were showing Rooster Booster’s race at Huntingdon live free-to-air so I don’t know what the situation is but anyway good luck tomorrow RL and irisgift1 if you’re still around, as Aidan says perfect conditions for the horse tomorrow and I want him to win every race until he meets Best Mate.
<br>Unfortunately there’s no way I can pull a sickie on Wednesday- I’m trying to plan next Tuesday though lol;)
On the subject of TV coverage, did anyone see a story a few weeks ago about Racing UK linking up with Corals meaning that Racing Replays from top-class tracks like Cheltenham, Newmarket and Newbury are shown free-to-air?
If so, has this started yet and at what time- Straight after each day’s racing???
Just can’t wait to see this horse back on track on Oct 9th. I’ve followed him right through his career beginning with a small novice hurdle he won on Channel 4’s ill-fated Lunchtime show so I was delighted when he won the Stayers and equally disappointed when he had the setback at around this time last year.
After seeing the way he jumped at Lingfield at Grade 1 pace I am certainly thinking about having a ‘fun’ ante-post bet on him for the Gold Cup. He’s had a lot of setbacks with various things but if he hacks up first time out he’s sure to halve in price especially with no obvious challengers to KK & BM being around.
Btw irisgift1, are you a connection of the horse or just a fellow big fan???
(Edited by PAULCS at 10:18 pm on Sep. 13, 2005)
<br>An absolute tragedy, I went to the betting shop to watch the race and he was in third halfway up the straight battling on as usual and then you saw him look as though he’d slightly lost his action but then the shot cut away to the runaway winner so I just presumed he’d blown up and finished well beaten.
After telling you the result SIS then went to greyhounds I think it was so I left.
I could not believe it when I got home and flicked on Ceefax and it said "Racing mourns Persian Punch".
He’s probably given us more amazing memories then any other horse ever flat or jumps and I’ll always remember last year’s Goodwood Cup and Dwyer parading him past the stands after the photo result was announced.
Just a magic moment along with so many others, so RIP old chap you were flat racing’s brightest star
<br>I hope he goes to Punchestown but next year I don’t think he will go for the King George, it will most probably be the Lexus Chase in Ireland again.
<br>Just as an afterthought, I remember in the past when Jair Du Cochet was going to be sold a couple of times but he failed the vet on both occasions, so was that because of worries about his leg(s)/general physique or a totally different problem?????
<br>A real tragedy this, I couldn’t believe it when I came in and flicked on Ceefax to see this.
Like Katy said, he wasn’t my favourite jumper but the style and flowing action always made him great to watch and I’ll always remember that brilliant Juvenile Hurdle win at Cheltenham where he won by about a distance I think it was
Best Mate is the horse for me and obviously this makes his task a little easier, but that is no consolation and even if he wins next week the gloss will be taken off for me and a lot of other people.
What a waste- all those arguments about Ricou’s riding, the King George flop, the Huntingdon victory etc come to this with all our questions unanswered and I just hope that this does not put Macaire off bringing more challengers over to England in the future:( <br>
rory,
Its the Cheltenham New Year meeting next season that is being cut to 1 day is what I meant
Maybe it isn’t the fault of regional racing that these meetings are being cut but why are we losing top class fixtures and seeing more of this stuff………It’s definitely got something to do with this sand
<br>apracing,
I admit the races that you mentioned are decent but it is still too infrequent for me<br>At least when you are watching this dross on turf you have the big meetings to look forward to whereas when the centrepiece’s of the season are two £75,000 contests it doesn’t say much……….
Until I see classy group class horses running often or maidens with lots of potential from the top stables maybe, I will not be following the all-weather. <br>An example is when Castle Gandolfo ran a couple of years ago at Lingfield I took an interest as he looked pretty classy unfortunately in the end he had problems and didn’t make it but still it got me interested…………
As for this regional racing, I would not mind if it were replacing a lot of the dross that we see on turf but you have situations like the Guineas meeting being cut from 3 days to 2……The Craven meeting down to 2 days……..The Cheltenham New Year meeting down to 1 day etc
<br>Personally I don’t really have an opinion on the all-weather but surely when Newmarket’s is completed this would be the perfect place to have a couple of real quality meetings with a few group races and listed contests.
The fact that it is Newmarket and a new track would attract horses from many of the higher ranked stables IMO
Why is the all-weather just constantly used for a lot of run of the mill stuff????
<br>Falbrav for me with his consistency and being on the go all year, I can remember first seeing him finish 3rd in an Arc Trial on TV in 2002 and thinking what a specimen he was and this year he of course fulfilled all promise.
I think Luca deserves more credit than he is getting, I hope he wins that C4 personality of the year
<br>Best Mate<br>Desert Orchid<br>One Man
These are the 3 I come up with but there are many others just behind like Teeton Mill, Limestone Lad, Dubai Millennium etc
<br>I just wish that Pipey would let us know if Westender IS going novice chasing or not.
Copeland starts tomorrow against Non So btw
<br>I bet that Jonjo’s wishing he entered the Cowboy as a precaution now after Specular’s setback.
<br>I can’t believe that Jonjo’s asking him to concede over a stone, over a trip which is probably going to be well past his best on his seasonal debut also
Also for the Bula I can’t see past Rooster:biggrin:
I think that once the jumps season finishes at Sandown there should be a break of around 6 weeks taking in the whole of May and upto mid June.
It would be better to take the whole summer off and come back on September 1st but with summer jumping being reasonably popular with decent attendances especially on Bank Holidays etc, this will obviously not happen now
As for the schedule debate on the jumps, one thing I’d love to see sorted out and I know a lot of people feel the same on the forum, is to stop the feature races off times clashing on a Saturday.
The Reynoldstown going off around 2 minutes before the Kingwell being a prime example last year.<br>-Just as Keen Leader was crossing the line in the Reynoldstown, the leaders were entering the home straight in the Kingwell so it was just as well that Jair Du Cochet departed early on.
Also I would move the start of the flat to mid April with the Lincoln happening the Saturday after the National and the Craven following on later that week.
