Forum Replies Created
- Posts
My interest in horse racing always stemmed from gambling and I always loved the RESULT rather than the protagonist. I could wax lyrically about the beauty of a well-planned coup regardless of location in Cartmel, The Curragh or Cloyne (p2p).
My regular travelling partner to Cheltenham would always be blown away by the three annual Champions (and he’d inevitably buy me all the prints on the way home) – my reaction to the level of my “enjoyment” related to how well all my hard work had paid dividends, or not. I followed that Maurice Camacho horse over many, many a cliff.
Give me Charles Byrnes (Mask Of Darkness) over a Denman any day.
So we are all motivated in this game by different factors but I will admit to a serious romance with the Tom Foley’s and Danoli’s of this world.
The present scene of ownership and domination, especially in Ireland, leaves me utterly cold I must say. Ruby’s performance on New Year’s Day when not in the spotlight was abominable and I have ZERO interest in MacManus, Ricci’s, Potts or Gigginstown successes as money is now the sole arbiter. They used to say you had a chance in the NH game but those odds are now entirely stacked against you too and you will be unable to turn down stupid offers because they can and you can’t.
The domination of Mullins and now Elliott is a blight on the sport in Ireland and it is a shame how many trainers – many of whom I know – are struggling without the big four/five in their yards. can you tell me that Eddie O’Grady, Pat fahey, Michael Hourigan, Pat Flynn etc etc have suddenly lost their inherent ability to train a good horse? I thought the Mullins/O’Leary divorce offered some sanity but it has, if anything, now made matters worse by promoting Elliott as the (virtually) sole competitor.
I would prefer to watch a 7yo adjacent maiden in a (literally) ploughed field in Dromahane than offer any view on the likes of Douvan, Annie P & Faugheen. The fact that these great horses are cotton wool- balled and avoid competition is an insult to this great game of yore.
