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Whilst risking dignifying your facetious comment, dare I ask where you would draw the line in allowing ‘ordinary’ trainers to take part in the sport, and where woudl you deem that ‘above ordinary’ would commence?
Aside from the fact that you should, at the very least, check your submissions for spellling, I fail to see how my comment was facetious. We have a racing programme that is underpinned by dross, rubbish racing, rubbish horses, rubbish trainers – too many poor horses in training and greedy people prepared to train them. I’ve nothing against ‘ordinary’ trainers – providing that their raison d’etre isn’t merely to exploit that situation.
Grayson – I find your ‘jumpers for goalposts’ attitude equally tiresome.
"ordinary" trainers and jockeys are what make the game go on. Without them we have no sport. That doesn’t mean to say they haven’t got skills to provide a service to owners.
Where on earth would the sport’s attempts, in the UK, to reduce itself to a lowest common denominator be without such stalwarts? They’re the very life blood of the meaningless class 5 and 6 races that, from time to time, provide us with such entertaining results.
American racing is already in full flow at Newmarket – 15 races over two days this week and every single one of them run at distances of 10F or less.
Since 2005, on the Newmarket Rowley course, there have been (approximately):
58 races over 5F
168 races over 6F
201 races over 7F
181 races over 8F
64 races over 9F
154 races over 10F
118 races over 12F
36 races over 14F
29 races over 16F
13 races over 18FWhich, if my maths is correct, represents ~ 75% of races taking place over distances between 7 and 10 furlongs. Within a season, there can be the farce of the majority of races on a given card taking place over a single distance – often 7 furlongs.
The monotony is not unique to Newmarket. Why, for example, do Sandown hold only 2 races per season over 2 miles? Whilst recognizing the impact that the demands of the breeding industry have had on the structure of racing, the (on occasion) low grade of racing on offer at the Esher track would suggest that it could cater for unfashionable horses more often.
Amongst other ‘oddities’ that bemuse me is that we have an extremely fast 5 furlong track at Epsom that is capable of providing an exciting event for the spectator; yet there have been only 43 races over this distance since 1995.
I’ve watched the featureless uninspiring fare on offer from the USA and, in some respects, the UK does seem to be heading down that road.
In terms of flat racing in the UK we have an industry that fuels the needs of a number of self-interest groups. However, whilst seemingly offering a spectator sport, it makes little effort in that respect, beyond extracting as much cash from and offering as little value as possible to that particular group.
It’s all part of the clique. If your a ‘face’, you’ll have no trouble getting on. As an outsider, though, forget it.
For a horse racing fanatic,simulcasting is paradise. They don”t have Dan Marino going on about tomorrows match ups, or Barry Bonds talking about the Red Sox. No Playstation World Cups. It’s horses all the way.
It might as well be flies on the wall – no character, no variety, no nuthin’ – just so long as the 3 horse wins.
At a guess mostly class 5 and 6-calibre horses. Facetiousness aside, there would be no need to lay on so many fixtures of ordinary fare were there not a horse population so clearly capable of sustaining them. Ergo the Dascombe example quoted earlier.
The very fact that you can make such a statement is indicative of an industry that has long-since forgotten the plot.
I’d also suggest that the plethora of cards for class 5 and 6-calibre horses will continue to generate an appropriate level of interest in the sport.
With your preferred scenario there’s one thing for sure – headlines will be thin on the ground and media coverage will continue to shrink. Unless there’s a dramatic reversal in the current global economic climate, your impression of racing’s immunity also seems doomed to failure given that, for example, the plans for breeding horses will have been made well in advance of the current recession.
I’m firmly in the camp that wants no reduction in the volume of racing, too.
That’s a personal view, to which you’re entitled gc. However, I’m sure that many others, including those involved in racing in a professional capacity, would argue otherwise.
On many days, I’ll take a cursory look at the fare on offer and will venture no further. With over 30 years of interest in racing, the majority of cards now hold no interest for me whatsoever. Am I the only follower to be affected in such a way? I doubt it.
For me, there are just too many days of betting shop fodder and direction has been lost. For example, the ludicrous all-weather cards of an allegedly Listed or Group contest surrounded by class 5 and 6 races. Who is that aimed at? Similarly, at some courses, the majority of races on a given raceday being over a single distance – perhaps most ‘racegoers’ are too pissed to notice the monotony.
Reverting to my original point, I believe that a complete, European-wide, overhaul of the flat racing programme offers a way forward – unlike a recent domestic initiative. There are too many Group 1 races being contested by horses that are nowhere near to that class and which do little to promote the sport outside it’s own little clique.
Madame Eva Fists-Petulante, world famous clairvoyant, invites you to share her secrets.
Amongst the stars of stage and screen to benefit from her knowledge of the ‘other side’ are Anita Harris, Jimmy Clitheroe and 3 members of the Black and White Minstrels.
At an early age, Eva Fists sat in a car with J.F, Kennedy but, awakened by loud bangs, she realized that she wasn’t on the number 63 to Bacup and made a hurried exit (unfortunately leaving her pork chop behind on the passenger seat). Were ‘they’, however, really out to silence Eva?
Her most succesful prediction, though, came with her annoucment that Lady Diana was to marry Big Ron Atkinson, TV football pundit and cotton plantation owner. Yet, within hours of tragic events unfolding in Paris, she announced to her followers – ‘oh no she won’t, she’ll be killed in a road accident and I bet she wasn’t wearing a seatbelt’.
Yes, pay now and if Eva isn’t accurate to within 10 percent after the event you can have your money back.
With respect to Paddy Power, specifically, Ireland and the Island are signatories to a tax agreement that might offer a glimmer of hope, although I’m not sure how easy it would be to ascertain how much of their revenue is generated from betting on horse racing in Ireland. The danger would be, perhaps, that PP would just up sticks and relocate elsewhere – a problem that we face here now in other areas of business, having been given a clean bill of health at G20. White definitely isn’t the new black, when it comes to the finance sector.
I wonder how easy it would be to block access to specific sites, as opposed to a complete ban on internet betting? Organisations with offshore centres who are engaged in online betting could be given a fixed length of time in which to sign up to an agreement that would see them contribute a levy to the sport. Failure to do so would see access to their websites blocked. Sounds like a lot of work would be involved initially and I’ve no idea what the legal implications would be but, from a moral standpoint, is does seem wrong that profit is being made from a product without any contribution being made to the health and development of that product.
I have registered as "Fist" to eleviate any confusion but as of yet the account has not been activated.
If you’re having some trouble with your moniker, can I suggest an alternative? How about Walter Mitty?
Now I understand your viewpoint. On a similar tack, I presume that Victor Chandler is operating in a similar fashion with his Gibraltar operation?
I was being ironic scallywag, (something completely lost on you obviously)
Obviously. The attempt didn’t leap off the page and it came across, to me at least, as a cheap shot at the Island due to it’s association with some online gambling outfits. We take enough ill-informed comment and criticism as it is.
However, if your comment wasn’t intended in that spirit, I apologise for my respsonse.
Could you expand on that a little scallywag76
I wouldn’t have thought that it needed it but:
While most Irish people will have sped past the blue signs along smooth new roads up and down the country, indicating that "This project was co-financed by the EU", fewer people will be aware of the extent of change that the EU has helped initiate in Ireland. Since joining in 1973, the difference between what Ireland paid in and what the EU paid out is about €55 billion euros.
EU funding has gone into into every aspect of Irish life: building the economy; improving transport and communication networks; increasing trade; creating employment; promoting cultural diversity, peace and understanding; cleaning up the environment; restoring tourism amenities; sustaining a country life and protecting human rights.
Source: http://ec.europa.eu/ireland/general_inf … dex_en.htm
And it’s still not uncommon to be accosted on the streets by children asking for money.
So your reference to ‘Isle of Man scroungers’ seems a bit rich!
Bunch of Isle of Man scroungers.
And what exactly are your lot? You’ve soaked up God knows how much in EU funding / subsidies – and you’ve still got kids begging on the street!
