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The issue with Haydock often has a lot to do with which tracks they are racing on and hence using correct standard times etc.
As the chase fences were wheeled onto the same ground the hurdles were on they clearly cant produce massively different going allowances and having walked it before racing there is now way after 16mm of overnight rain it was good to firm anywhere.
As lots of official distances are about to be adjusted for the remeasuring results it will be messy for a while sadly.
It is because the current list is just officials of which the commentator is not one, although the information could, as has been pointed out, be sourced from elsewhere.
Happy to let you know my roster eddie so you can head elsewhere if necessary !
For me the debate around this is only whether the ban for such an offence (whether amateur or pro jockey) should have a discretionary ban period say 15-40 days for losing first place through not riding out rather than the current 28 or nothing.
Some like Ballinger Ridge and the Culhane Ponty horse would clearly be at the 40 end whilst others like the one Richard Quinn got away with at Newmarket (stewards not certain cost him race even though clearly stopped riding)or the Royston Fffrench at Redcar which he did get 28 days for but was marginal, especially compared to the first two mentioned.
Still having watched it again feel the exhaustion explanation doesn’t really fit but to be honest hard to comprehend what was going on, so have no real issue with the 28 days she got as it does send the right message that it we wish the sport to be seen as professional (?) but have an amateur element then those undertaking to participate need to be aware of not just the riding requirements but the fitness ones also.
Similarly there should be cautions and then bans for not pushing out hands and heels to line irrespective of whether costs a position or not as instances like the Spencer 2nd at Newcastle the other day where he just held on for second having looked over the wrong shoulder should not go unpunished just because of a millimetre the right way in a photo.
Finally a couple of little things, please I am no celeb just a lifelong fan of the sport who was lucky enough to get to work in it, and yes the pro bit was tongue in cheek Burrough, though I would have thought Laura might make a very good model especially for portraits as she can clearly sit very still.
One of the most bizarre races I have ever commentated on and it was hard to work out in real time what she was or wasn’t doing.
Having seen the replay her actions don’t really seem to signal exhaustion which presumably is what the stewards felt.
The reason for the post however is that the current rules offer the stewards no discretion in the ban length. Any horse that does not win because jockey is deemed not to have ridden it out gets an automatic 28 day ban (changed after the Culhane Pontefract case).
As she is an amateur the ban only applies to flat race days when an amateur race is held which is why it takes six months for it to be completed.
Presunably the best thing she could do is turn pro and then it would be used up quicker but I think that is probably not going to be an option !
Said with your owners hat on TDK – well done with Dianes Choice the other day nice to call home a winner for you lot after you have been pretty patient.
Unless things have changed recently (which they may have)aren;t trainers the ones who specify whether they want horses who have spread plates to run or not? Certainly on bottom of decs sheets there used to be a list of WISP’s (withdraw if spread plates)which determined which were reshod or allowed to run in three shoes versus those who were automatically withdrawn.
With the Lingfield delay think the point was that there was no point delaying Lingfield unless delayed Muss as well. Whilst that can lead to spending all day catching up in this case it would not have done. Certainly don;t want to overplay the marginal cases though until the obvious ones are sorted.
DJ,
Think that is a fair assumption that this was an instance where terrestrial TV was the cause of such tight initial scheduling as Uttox could not be moved forward.
As you say in the circumstances Cheltenham should have been delayed if at all possible but I wonder if without anyone policing this at weekends whether they were even asked or aware.
Am finally getting off my soap box on this. Life appears to be too short !
Paul,
If that was aimed at me I have no problem acknowledging the fact that terrestrial TV does have a major impact on Saturdays.
It did not however avoid an easy solution to the Boxing Day issue (move Huntingdon back 15 mins) or to the Lingfield debacle the other day when a clash was actually due to poor scheduling as the races actually kept to the correct time.Recently there have been some improvements especially having the 5 minute gaps with four meetings – three NH and Flat, following the Flat one. Hopefully it is a sign that this waste of money is moving up the agenda.
Long may it continue and I for one make no apology for trying to keep this in the arena for debate so whoever is responsible for avoidable clashes can be taken to task.
We all learn from mistakes and the main lesson surely is not to keep on repeating them.
Paul you’ve got the job.
As raised many times before this is not thought worthy of being centrally controlled apart from being a part of someones job from Monday to Friday (and presumably not Xmas or Bank Hols either)
Wincanton overlapped with Huntingdon at least twice and Huntingdon with Kempton at least four times with a huge impact on turnover in the shops and then dead space of up to 20 minutes before Wolver got going.
