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But don’t forget that Tony also has a frigteningly competent and hardworking team supporting him; booking the rides, doing the driving, etc, etc.
Not taking anything away, but in some respects you could argue that the jocks in the mid ranks trying to break through work even harder.
I wonder if I can steer the thread on a slightly different course?
How does AP compare with Peter Scudamore? We seem to forget these days that he was ever a jockey (his shocking TV performances seem to cause that), but I’m rereading the 221 book, and I have to say I’d forgotten just how good he was.
There’s almost a level playing field, because AP and Scu rode for the same stable.
With respect to Scu, I feel that AP is miles ahead in every sense; raw ability, drive, determination, style, strength in a finish, tactical ability, the lot.
What do you think?<br>
It is the combination of the two. McCoy would not ride nearly so many winners if he didn’t get first pick of Pipe’s mounts; Pipe wouldn’t get so many winners if he didn’t have McCoy’s talent to call upon.
I’d refute the suggestion that anyone could ride for Pipe and get winners. Pipe is a difficult man, as all geniuses are; it takes a special and strong character to be able to spark off Pipe – look at the unease in the Dunwoody/Pipe combination.
Using betting as a yardstick with which to measure the jockeys ability is absurd – the level profit figures merely prove that there is less value to be found on an AP horse (look at the ridiculous Racing Post web page, where they highlight AP’s mount in the betting matrix!)
Sir Gordon also didn’t have to throw himself over at least 8 wooden obstacles in each race; he rarely had to propel himself into the ground at 30 miles an hour either.<br>
One that got through a few years ago was "Who Gives a Donald" – the owners named it so that the commentator would say something like "and the leader is… who gives a donald?"
I didn’t get the joke until I realised it was rhyming slang – but then I am very thick!
Lol@ Mary Hinge! I think that was Kenny Everet’s (and Barry Cryer, the writer) original name for Cupid Stunt back in the 80’s. <br>
Hanmer must have the shock of his life each April, when in the middle of a quiet Saturday afternoon he wakes up to find himself stood in the commentary box by the first fence at Aintree. Just as 40 horses have started thundering towards him.
He must think to himself "what in the name of arse am I doing here?". A thought mirrored by several million TV viewers.
I just don’t get it. He’s loaded and has a top job in racing. Why give him another job as well, and one that he patently cannot do at all? GG has his critics, but at least he can do his job. Hanmer cannot.
There, I enjoyed that. More in early April 2003.<br>
(Edited by RichK at 9:42 pm on May 18, 2002)
TV Commentators alternate between bins and TV monitor so they can be sure they’re talking about what the viewers actually see whilst still getting a full view of the action. Very difficult indeed.
I’m having a dogdy time too at the moment! 5pts down.
I can’t play every day – when I do play, the favourites bolt in, and… well you can guess the rest :cheesy:
I would say definitely sit out a race if you can’t get close to what you think the SP is going to be. I didn’t lay Cambrian Dawn at all, and felt very smug when he bolted in – only to have my smug grin wiped with the last result. Bah.
Smartbet is definitely a useful tool.
(Edited by RichK at 9:07 pm on April 25, 2002)
Dear Ihaventalight,
I’ve been following this system for a short while, and I might be able to help with a couple of the questions. I’m using Betfair, so all the answers are based on that, and I’m a true novice at working with P2P betting :
a) I’m running at a lay of 5 quid per race, and I started with a bank of 25, which was far too low. On a couple of occasions I can’t get on because the liability is too high, and the bank has nearly been broken a couple of times, even though I’m showing a nice profit. so I’d say at least 4 or 5 hundred pounds.
b) I’ve been laying quite close to the off, but through necessaity as I can’t get to a PC until about 5pm each day. The prices I’ve been laying at stack up with Larry’s odds that he’s posting though, so I think I’m doing ok.
c) You can edit all unmatched bets, so yes you can lengthen your prices no problem.
d) No, but you cannot be liable for more than your balance, and each time you offer a lay your available balance decreases – even if the bet hasn’t been matched. So you will need plenty in the bank on a busy day.
e) No. It takes ages and is a real pain given my tiny initial bank. I’ve missed several races waiting for the bank to be updated. About 15 minutes usually.
Good luck!
(Edited by RichK at 11:18 am on April 19, 2002)
Oh dear, looks like I’m the only supporter of Tanya Stephenson!
Give her a chance. She’s a new presenter, but an obvious lover of the game and will improve. She might look a bit nervous but at least she smiles, and when she gets into her stride, she’s fluent.
Not that I’m trying to get a date with her or anything… :biggrin:
Ok Merlin.
> which ONE do you like?
Tanya Stephenson. I should start a fan club I think. Not that I’m an obsessive stalker or anything! :cheesy:
> which one can you tolerate.
I can tolerate Tommo.
> which one for knowledge.
John Francome. He’s excellent. Funny and charismatic, backed up with supreme knowledge.
> which one for good commentary.
Has to be Simon Holt, but to be fair Aussie Jim is a safe pair of hands. Just get rid of Hanmer and O’Hehir on the Grand National!<br>
Pengamon! How can you!
Tanya Stephenson is excellent. A real shame they only let her out in the mornings.
Those times when she has stood in for the fat idiot have been wonderful – her betting reports are precise, intelligent and insightful. More Tanya!
I can kind of see why people don’t take to Derek Thompson, but I’m always amazed just how much he seems to be hated.
Is he really, genuinely, hated by his colleagues? You can certainly see his fellow presenters squirming with embarassment with him sometimes. Does anyone here know what he actually really is like in real life?
I sort of like him though. He’s professional on screen and I don’t think he’s as insincere as he comes across. I would certainly rather watch him than Willie Carson or Peter Scudamore. I’m also beginning to hate McCririck’s pseudo rants.
He has been inflicted on C4 on the commentary side. He did a Lingfield a while back.
Disagree about Graham Goode – I like his commentaries.
Agree about Peter Scu. I like the guy, but he is out of his depth on the BBC and should be given a quiet exit. It’s not as if he doesn’t have plenty of other jobs to do too.
Claire Balding saves the BBC, I think it would be almost unwatchable otherwise.
I think Peter Scu wins for me then. But I can’t wait for another hillariously incompetent Grand National commentary from Mr Hanmer next week.
Prefer jumping definitely.
What I really hate is the way the press and TV ramble on endlessly about Cheltenham, yet the second it has finished and Doncaster starts, all we will hear about from now until November is the flat. Jumping only gets any recognition when there is no flat racing at all (and now the all weather is threatening even that).
Things are better now Channel 4 have plenty of jumping.
What is most disturbing for me (whatever the rights and wrongs of NH racing) is that these days, the only times jumping makes the news, the reporter is always able to mention, in the first paragraph, how many dead horses there were in the race (although they’d never bother sending their poxy cameras to a Point-to-Point meeting, as any dead horses there are irrelevent of course).
How long can this go on before non-racing people start asking serious questions that we are unable to answer? For the first time ever, I’m dreading the Grand National this year.<br>
…erm sorry to ramble. I forgot my main point.
… whether I’ve had a bet or not, I don’t like seeing dead horses, even if they would have beat the horse I’d backed.
DJ, you may be right. Gambling and Sport don’t go together.
Although I had a financial interest in all the races today, really, I couldn’t give a damn about the results as long as I enjoyed them. Which is why, although I backed Landing Light, I would have still cheered Istabraq all the way home. Becuase I don’t really care about losing my few quid for the sake of the thrill of seeing a great winner.
But I’m not a gambler. I wasn’t risking anything. Your mileage obviously varies.
