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Said this for a while but if you want to be competitive for Cheltenham, then get over to Ireland and compete. Okay, it was against some of their lesser lights but it was nice to see a number of different trainers having runners and winners. Lets continue this for Leopardstown at Christmas and the DRF.
Why did you start talking about team sports? My whole argument about meritocracy was that every competitor has to have talent to get on in sport. Man City can spend money galore but whoever they buy had to have the initial talent to play the game. Yes, money talks of course it does and it has a bearing on things but my initial argument still stands, namely you need talent and ability to participate in sport, hence meritocracy.
Zanybody, Meritocracy exists in both individual and team sports. In order for participants to compete in any sport they initially have to have the talent to make the grade. I could have come from a rich background and have pots of money, doesn’t mean I’m going to lead the line at Wembley. Yes money is a factor in all sports but you still have to have the ability first.
And Le God as we refer to him achieved both his goals, to play for Southampton in the Premiership and win England caps.“Sport has never been a meritocracy”. Then please explain how the likes of Maradona, the Williams Sisters, Lebron James, George Best to name just a few have succeeded in their chosen fields.
Some unbelievable comments here. I’ve said it before that sport is basically the only meritocracy left these days and other trainers need to pull their fingers out. I suppose we should ban Nicholls, Henderson and Skelton from having runners at Plumpton today because they’re not normally there are they?
I’d like to be proved wrong but I can’t see this happening. If at his peak Constitution Hill didn’t go to Ireland then why now when they have doubts. Now with the unbeaten tag gone (it has Nicky) it would be nice to see him campaigned differently next season but again I won’t hold my breath.
Typically CAS i was composing my thoughts whilst you had already posted, please do not think it was a case of plagiarism!
Agree with a lot of what’s been said here but for the sake of the sport we love, Jockey’s need to be educated and have some common sense where the Grand National is concerned. I’ll watch the race again to conform the in-running comments are correct but just these two from irishracing.com
Stumptown – dropped to rear 21st, tailed off 24th, pulled up after 3 out
Idas Boy – struggling when blundered 22nd (Beechers), tailed off 4 out, pulled up before 2 out
What are these jockeys thinking? Keith Donoghue has ridden a number of festival winners but you’re tailed off and decide to continue and jump a further three fences before finally making the decision to pull up.
The other area to look at (and it’s been touched upon), is the likes of Royalle Pagaille for example, running in the race on inappropriate ground. I think horses should be able to run on all forms of going and shouldn’t be wrapped up in cotton wool by their trainers but there were twenty non-runners on the day but none in the National. So all 34 runners would have loved and been suited by the ground then trainers? I hate it when the old phrase is rolled out that the horses welfare is paramount and the best is done for them, is it? I totally agree with the sentiment but it looks like a case of “well it’s the National, we’ve got to give it go”.Over the last thirty or forty years Willie Mullins has put the hard yards in and is reaping the rewards, congratulations to him. Sport is a meritocracy and it’s up to the other trainers to pull their fingers out. Said in a post a long time ago that British trainers need to enter and race their horses in Ireland more and not wrap them up in cotton wool. Go and race against the best during the whole season and you might learn a thing or two.
That’s positive news about Broadway Boy. I honestly thought he wasn’t going to get up after fall.
That was awful fall by Broadway Boy, which will probably be part of the narrative on the news later.
Just googled it and got the following (it was a horse called Commercial Flyer)
For someone that has won the race three times in the last seven years and having only the one runner in the race today, it has to be Wendrock.
Slightly off tack but i put a football bet on with Ladbrokes yesterday and one of the matches was shown as void, so they settled this as a non-runner; i then used some of these to put some bets on for Cheltenham. I now find that the match is taking place today and because of that Ladbrokes have now taken back my returns and it’s left me in the red. I now just have to hope that this match goes the way i want it, otherwise i’ll have to have a painful conversation with them because i don’t think i can deposit anything for Cheltenham with a negative balance.
