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Rook – I’d forgotten about the Point to Point on TRC. I remember watching one of their presenters at Tweseldown – it was amazing, he was doing all his work on his own, with just an automatic camera pointing at him!
The end at about 3pm today was quite sad really, I felt very sorry for the people there. Richard Pitman was wibbling away as usual, and a few minutes from the end he inexplicably put a wig on.
At the end he whipped the wig off, said "goodbye" and the screen cut to black, and then a caption saying "The Racing Channel has Ceased Broadcasting" came up, together with some moody classical music. A real shame.<br>
"At last year’s Scottish Grand National meeting there were a lot of complaints about overcrowding …."
I doubt that will be a problem this season…
I noticed that the chap on the door of the weighing room (who was really quite nice compared to the rest of them), was badged as a "raceday casual", and he clearly didn’t have a clue what was going on – and he was in charge of access to the weighing room! Once we’d been handed the badges he said "well, at least we’ll know for the next time". Unbelievable that "racecourse of the year" doesn’t employ staff who know what the procedures are.
I dread to think what would happen if something serious had to be organised.
The woman who finally handed us the badges was a grade A snooty madam.
I certainally won’t ever consider going to the festival – a beautiful course ruined by the idiots in charge.
DL, I didn’t know about the 4 in the bar at any one time business – crikey I’m suprised you didn’t deck them – I wonder if that is official cheltenham line, or they were another pair who didn’t know the rules?<br>
I think the whole idea of a fourth day at Cheltenham is greedy, ignorant and likely to completely devalue the whole festival. Perhaps we should have a thread to discuss it? I know we did it last year, but we know more now and we have more members.
I’ve tried to imagine what the fourth day would look like – I’m stumped! What would be the championship race on day four? I don’t think a 2.5 miler would be appropriate, as you say Rob. I think the only option would be to yank the Arkle on to day 4 as the feature – but that would devalue Tuesday.
Don’t even get me started on the idea of a Saturday gold cup :grrrrrrr:
It’s a great event, I look forward to it every year. I wouldn’t want a serious bet on it, but it is good fun.
Another question altogether though is : would you want a cross country race at the festival?
Jim,
On your point about doping – the programme did go on to say that doping has largely been eradicated in the sport. Not sure that’s true, but you have to admit it would certainly be easier to put up a jockey who is happy to take a pull than trying to administer the right dosage etc.
Not ONE of the claims put forward by the witnesses were cross examined. That’s an important point. For example, when Buffham said "a whole generation of NH jockeys are implicated in organised crime", the questioner should have said "how do you know this? what proof do you have". But it was all accepted as fact. Whereas the people on the other side were doorstepped and made to look foolish on the spot.
Some of them deserved it. Bradley in particular look a complete prat in his "interview". And don’t forget the bum hole licking Carson crawling in the background.
But isn’t that what happened a few years ago when Bradley, Gallagher, Brookes etc were arrested in very public raids? But at the end of it all, nothing could be done because at the heart of all of this are some very serious criminals (not the aforementioned racing people). If we really are talking about triads – and we’re certainly talking about a very dangerous man in Brian Wright, then we are trasnscending racing.
These people need to be put away for the good of humanity, and that they might have rigged races or shoved their hands up a few bent jockey’s arses is a secondary (important to us, but secondary) concern. But if international police can’t control them, then I’m not going barrack the ruling body of a little sport for not doing so either.<br>
(Edited by RichK at 12:12 am on Oct. 7, 2002)
Venusian , good points.
1,3,5) Yep.
2) I disagree with this, strongly. Any of us reading this forum could be secretly recorded, and once the recording is editing down to a couple of minutes, I guarantee you could be caught saying some salacious or criminal things. He looked a total prat, but as I say, the editing helped alot. The programme said nothing of substance about him either way.
I’m desperate to know why Buffham went too. Wasn’t it a clause in the settlement between him and the JC – the JC weren’t allowed to disclose the reaosn? Surely all bets are off now?
4) The point buffham was making was that all NH jockeys have enjoyed, in some way some of Wright’s hospitality (eg golf tournaments). I bet that’s 100% accurate. That doesn’t make them bent of course, but that’s why they can’t sue.
<br>(Edited by RichK at 11:57 pm on Oct. 6, 2002)<br>
(Edited by RichK at 11:58 pm on Oct. 6, 2002)
Jim, you’ve hit the thrust of the programme on the head – but what the hell can the Jockey Club do anyway? The police in this country don’t have the teeth to investigate anything other than the most major or the most trivial crimes – what chance does the governing body of a sport have?
Didn’t they attempt to do something about it, under the direction of Buffham, when they arrested Bradley et al – and where did that lead? Collapsed cases.
Similarly with Brian Wright. The police can’t touch him – why should we lampoon the Jockey Club for failing to do anything about it?
Another undercurrent in the programme was "oooh look at the Jockey Club – a load of unelected upper class toffs!". So an elected body of people from all classes would solve the problems highlighted? I very much doubt it.<br>
They could have made a deep and shocking programme on the Brian Wright/Triads links into racing; now that would have been worth the air time. Instead the frightening stuff was interspersed with trivia. No lose accounts indeed? Who gives a monkeys?
I thoroughly enjoyed the doorstepping of John Brown. The same John Brown who was lecturing us on the legality of exchanges just a few weeks ago. Although I enjoyed it, still unfair – and hardly a very serious allegation to level at him. He and his board decided to hold back betting information to Buffham’s investigation into Man Mood.
The programme tried to throw a lot of sh*t. Wonder how much will stick?
Totopoly was superb. I can’t believe that the makers of it have stopped. I loved that game, I used to play it for hours and hours.
Fact fans : the names of the horses in the game were the winners of the Lincoln in the 1920’s (when it was run at Lincoln); Dark Warrior, Flamenco et al.
I’m still developing one, a national hunt one. I will set up a web page soon describing progress. I keep stopping to due work etc, but it is coming along quite well. At the moment, the races are not very convincing at all, and they are very boring – usually the front runner wins by a distance, with another distance to the next, etc.
The graphics will be poor – it will be for anoraks really, a bit like Championship Manager is for football.
Should have something ready for release by the end of the year, and it won’t be commercial at all, so I’ll put up a free download link.
My ten pence worth; worth about halfpence:
Start with a large bank (not accrured through betting in the first place).
Have an understanding partner who won’t walk out if you have a bad run (ouch). Cut back on your lifestyle, if you have one at the moment, so that a bad run won’t cause mortage difficulties, kids without Christmas presents etc.
Have a level headed staking plan; don’t chase your losses
Forget a "system"; the only system is your own judgement, and looking for value. Certainly forget your £25 win on favourites system.
Learn how to use exchanges wisely and sensibly (optional this one, I guess). Practice with a few £1 bets and lays if you haven’t tried before.
Don’t bet on every race! Most races you just can’t win – specialise in your own area of expertise.
Learn from the pros. Read Alan Potts and whatever else you can find.<br>
I’ve always been in the Hawk Wing camp, but yes, the coughing excuse aside, I’m afraid I’ve conceded defeat now. He could and should have won easily; the moment when he should have flown was obvious and he clearly looked like he bottled it.
I think that proves the point.
Many more of Pipe’s horses are odds on, as you say, 18% as opposed to 6% for other trainers.
BUT, in the shake up the percentage of odds-on winners is the same for pipe as other trainers. (59% vs 64%. statistically not a significant difference).
I think we can infer from this that people BELIEVE Pipe’s horses to be better, hence the lower prices, but there isn’t that much differnece.
Or something.
While I’m in a bad, ranting mood, I’d like to see all this bull turd written in the Racing Post et al about him not "reaching out to the general public" stop. When will people realise that not since the war has racing had a mass appeal, and it probably never will again, and nor does it really matter, as long as enough new recruits enter the sport to replace the dead ones.
I mean – who cares? Racing seems to be in rude enough health to me, and no amount of Tony McCoy leaping off horses, answering questions about crown green bowling to Sue Barker, and selling Ice Creams, Pizzas or Chips is going to make apeths of difference to the sport.
I remember Peter Scudamore, circa 1989, being wheeled out on Question of Sport and Wogan, and racing insiders bleating on "innit marvellous, he’s reaching out beyond the narrow confines of our sport, squawk squawk" – but what difference did it really make? Zip. Who remembers him, outside grand national day, now? Noone.
Don’t know what the point of that post was, but I enjoyed it :biggrin:
