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In the future, they might choose to roll the portable fences onto one of their two flat courses in order to produce the best surface and help ensure the Grade 1 race stays there
For me, the only issue about the race taking place at Haydock is how the fences jump, and three were trialled successfully last season on the back straight, although to my eye they were by no means as demanding to jump as their predecessors.
The provisional card that day sees all the hurdle races being run first, followed by all the chases, then the bumper.
I heard of a plan to resite the water jump on the current infield opposite the stands, but I didn’t spot any signs of progress on the television last weekend.
November 24th sure will be an interesting day at Haydock…
On a similar theme, it’ll be interesting to see Wetherby’s realigned circuit jumps and rides this month. On the map I saw recently, all four fences in the home straight have been resited- are these brand new fences? The big open ditch moves to 3 out and it looks like the water jump has gone…
I must give a mention to the 2m3f Custom Fittings Novices’ Chase at Doncaster in 2003. In a match, Nicky Henderson’s Tanikos departed at the seventh going away from the stands, seemingly gifting the race to Silk Trader. However, Silk Trader refused six out, unseated the jockey and ran loose across Town Moor. All this was going on the other side of Rose Hill and was unbeknown to Tanikos’s jockey Marcus Foley who slowly and steadily trotted a none-the-worse Tanikos the back way to the grandstands. As Foley got back to the paddock, a security guard had to run out on the track to inform him that Silk Trader was loose. Comically, he set off again at racing pace, weaving around the fences they had successfully jumped until they got back to the seventh where they recommenced the race proper. Meanwhile, a frantic search for Silk Trader was eventually successful and before Tanikos got to six out, Brian Crowley remounted and Foley’s 6 furlong detour had failed: Silk Trader won by a distance.
The winning time for this 2m3f race? 9 mins 2.80secs (a mere 262.80 secs slower than standard)
I find Ceefax the fastest, most reliable source for course inspection news in the winter mornings. It’s a shame as most of the analogue service had transferred successfully to the digital service on bbci. Meanwhile, Teletext on 4 on Freeview can be painfully slow.
The heart says Wetherby, the head partly says Aintree, for the reasons described above. I think it will stay at Haydock for the present.
I wonder what role jumping will play at the new Doncaster- now there’s a circuit that should own an Order of Merit race or two…
(Edited by The Judge at 9:15 pm on Feb. 28, 2007)<br>
(Edited by The Judge at 9:16 pm on Feb. 28, 2007)
Excellent points made by Lydia Hislop.
If the water jump is to stay, the width of the flat course at the finish is surely not going to be any wider than it is currently?
I accept that summer Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons are going to be more profitable, and I am well aware that National Hunt meetings are more costly than putting on flat programmes, but for the north’s so called premier dual-purpose course to reduce the area of ground reserved for jump racing by 50 per cent…
How many of the country’s dual purpose courses have their Flat racing subsidise their National Hunt racing? The vast majority if not all, I would guess.
Nottingham and Windsor grabbed the financial carrot in the 1990s and deployed the axe, but I think this is potentially more noteworthy and serious to the future of the jumping code.
Astonishing news. Why hasn’t more of a point been made of this?
The likelihood is that the major Saturday meetings will stay but there will be less jump racing overall. The quality of the spectacle will be greatly diminished if all the racing takes place on the current hurdles track. It will ressemble a larger-scale version of Southwell.
If the realignment is as discussed, then the Open Ditch in the home straight will have to be resited and there will be no room for a water jump.
Haydock was the first track I visited twenty years ago and I have been jump racing there regularly over the last few years. I’m really startled by this. I seldom go flat racing there, the atmosphere is often unpleasant on summer Saturdays and the entrance fee is even more expensive.
I only hope that the impending realignment of nearby Wetherby will not spoil that course and its demands…
Where did you get this information from Bear?
I was aware that there was going to be a late start to the 2007/8 jump season at Haydock because of alterations to the flat track, but it would be a travesty if chases and hurdles were to be run on the same course permanently at Haydock.
Why would "equine welfare" be an issue in taking such a decision?
Having given the portable fences a season, I think that by sight they appear less imposing and that they have been more forgiving than their predecessors.
There is still a relative dearth of top quality jump racing in the north of England through the winter- Haydock should fly the flag as the premier dual-purpose course.
An interesting, generally constructive thread.
From travelling around the racetracks, I am often surprised at how bad the angles can be for commentators at some courses. Off the top of my head, the Nottingham and Beverley commentary positions are a good 75 years before the winning post.
The low sun and fading light are other factors. Monitors and even big screens can be rendered useless if the position of the sun is low. Try identifying horses through binoculars at Windsor on a sunny evening. It isn’t easy. ÂÂÂ
Out of a generally strong and improving standard of commentators I voted for John Hunt, he is first and foremost accurate and strikes a good balance between giving detail and engaging the viewer/listener. These days, he uses the loud delivery only when it is required, and consequently, with great effect. I miss him on the big racecourse commentary gigs.
A few gongs:
to Ian Bartlett, Richard Hoiles and Simon Holt for their sprint handicap/ cavalry charge work: really outstanding broadcasting.
to Iain McKenzie for his National Hunt work; descriptive, entertaining and refreshingly free from clichés
to Doug Fraser, Martin Harris, Mark Slater for unsung accuracy
to John Hunt, Richard Hoiles and Lee McKenzie for only turning up the volume when it is really warranted
to Malcolm Tomlinson for best newcomer
(Edited by The Judge at 7:21 pm on Feb. 19, 2007)<br>
(Edited by The Judge at 7:23 pm on Feb. 19, 2007)
An interesting, generally constructive thread.
From travelling around the racetracks, I am often surprised at how bad the angles can be for commentators at some courses. Off the top of my head, the Nottingham and Beverley commentary positions are a good 75 years before the winning post.
The low sun and fading light are other factors. Monitors and even big screens can be rendered useless if the position of the sun is low. Try identifying horses through binoculars at Windsor on a sunny evening. It isn’t easy. ÂÂÂ
Out of a generally strong and improving standard of commentators I voted for John Hunt, he is first and foremost accurate and strikes a good balance between giving detail and engaging the viewer/listener. These days, he uses the loud delivery only when it is required, and consequently, with great effect. I miss him on the big racecourse commentary gigs.
A few gongs:
to Ian Bartlett, Richard Hoiles and Simon Holt for their sprint handicap/ cavalry charge work: really outstanding broadcasting.
to Iain McKenzie for his National Hunt work; descriptive, entertaining and refreshingly free from clichés
to Doug Fraser, Martin Harris, Mark Slater for unsung accuracy
to John Hunt, Richard Hoiles and Lee McKenzie for only turning up the volume when it is really warranted
to Malcolm Tomlinson for best newcomer
(Edited by The Judge at 7:21 pm on Feb. 19, 2007)<br>
(Edited by The Judge at 7:23 pm on Feb. 19, 2007)
Rumour was that the shuttle bus was being axed after yesterday’s fixture. I am mystified by this as it appeared to be doing good trade yesterday… :(
Flat : Chepstow (apologies to local racegoers!). Its jumping output is far better than its flat racing, which is pretty insignificant in comparison; too many straight course races and too few round course races.
Jumps: Stratford. How NOT to design a new grandstand; Worcester is often maligned but at least you get a decent view and adequate protection from the elements.
AW: Southwell, if you pressed me, though I like the comfy sofas!
Time will tell as to exactly what impact there will be, if any, on the field sizes of the two races. To me, it doesn’t seem right that there should be two big races over almost the same distance and obstacles on the same day. Surely a valuable 2m- 2m4f handicap hurdle would have been a better option that weekend?
I would guess that Exeter are happy with a Tuesday for the Haldon Gold Cup as it guarantees them the spotlight on that day; note how the Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon now shares big cards at Ascot and Haydock.
There are hints that Grade 1 courses are getting the thick end of the wedge as far as weekend fixtures are concerned. Notice how Cheltenham have moved a midweek fixture in October to Friday / Saturday next year.
 For the first time in a long time, (with the exception of the Giant Causeway Eclipse), I could say that Saturday was vintage Sandown. A cracking card, full of drama: let’s hope after a few trying years the place is back at the very top of flat racing in this country.
 Hi RichK,<br>   I fully take your point about the difficulties in identifying coloured caps- and I was about to suggest coloured number cloths until The Rook stole my thunder!<br>My understanding was that wearing the coloured caps was a stipulation of the entry into the Lunchtime race. Perhaps I was wrong or perhaps it has quietly been swept under the carpet. I thought it a step forward as far as the Lunchtime Race was concerned, providing you are not aiming for races with mammoth fields. But the idea of putting the coloured caps on the graphics and in-running looks plain daft now the jockeys don’t wear them.    <br>  Rest assured, RichK and Mesh, my life-long passion for the game would cease forthwith if people started shouting numbers instead of names.<br>  <br>  Hi The Rook,<br>  I’d be very surprised if ATR took up point-to-pointing, because their drip feed of interactive betting revenue could not be operated on PTPs because of the lack of vital technology- photo finish cameras, scout cameras etc. A shame- as many people want to watch the racing without the betting issue.  ÂÂÂ
 What will happen in the summertime, what will get shunted- the American or dare I say it, the evening racing?<br>  The "Racing Review" segments on Attheraces, particularly over the jumps, seem to be getting thinner and thinner, more so now the American racing has kicked off.<br>  And what has happened to the coloured caps during the Lunchtime races? Such a simple yet effective idea out with the washing already.
