Cheltenham Festival
There is currently 1 person viewing this thread.
These 211 comments are related to the topic:
Time for a new rule i think to combat monopolisation of a sport we all love
Time for a new rule i think to combat monopolisation of a sport we all love
sort by:
Show
per page
Replies: 211
|
By:
DO - i dont think i explained myself very well - i only mentioned the douvan / faugheen thing solely to illustrate that how many match ups we miss in a given year will be circumstantial unless they change their strategy - so the fact we are not missing many this year is not because of a change in strategy but just circumstance - and a change to circumstance (for example Douvan not taking to fences would mean another missed match up if the strategy stays as is) - Also because we are not missing many match ups this year doesnt mean we cannot have the foresight to recognise the potential to miss match ups in the future if the strategy doesnt change - (or the rest of the racing calendar for people that dont think chelt is the be all and end all of racing). The wpm /rr strategy imo is to win as many races as possible - so if douvan had failed to take to fences they would have had a decision to make this year re douvan. If they kept to their strategy - i.e. to win as many chelt races as possible the only way they could have done that would be to run one in CH and one in WH. Anything other than that would require a change of strategy which many of us are hoping for but not expecting.
Yes he took to fences so they didnt have to make the decision - many of us think (obviously dont know) that if they had this decision to make, based on their track record to date that they would have avoided each other moving forward. It is imo not a difficult scenario to imagine as not all excellent novice hurdlers take to chasing so it is not a leap of faith to imagine these connection having the same sort of decision on a regular basis in the future. i was going to respond to your other point supposed good things OP e.t.c. but i have already rambled on enough and seem incapable of getting my thoughts down with clarity. |
|
By:
should say 'some' not 'many' as i have no idea how many
|
|
By:
I don't know Miltons. Running with your hypothetical situation....... Douvan looks an out and out two miler to me and in no way suitable for the WH. Faugheen is different, but as the defending champ and potentially the best 2m hurdler we've seen in 15 years, perhaps longer, it would be a stretch to think that he wouldn't be given the opportunity to fulfil his expected legacy. I'm guessing, as are you, but think in that situation they would've run against each other.
Hypothetical scenarios aside, you've acknowledged that there isn't too much of a problem this year and other than the two (just two) previously mentioned cases, one in each of the last two festivals, I don't see a huge weight of evidence to suggest that the festivals status as the pinnacle of the sport from a fans perspective is in too much danger. Besides, it'll pass. If history shows us anything, dominance in any sport is short-lived, competitors raise their game. |
|
By:
DO - you possibly have not read all posts on this (and i wouldnt blame you
 - but more than two previous examples on different posts and on different threads have been raised by people not just ap and uds missing ch - and if you think of this on a rate basis rather than a volume basis things can look a little different. In other words the opportunity for really exciting match ups is very rare - so just missing out on a fairly small number can mean a lot on a rate basis.I have been paid by my employers not just to focus on how things have been done in the past or on the here and now but to be future focused and try and anticipate / predict future events, pit falls/ opportunities - not only is it how i am wired but also how i have actually executed my reality. It has been proven that approx 45% of people focus on the past as the basis of their current reality, approx 40% on the here and now and only 15% are future focused. I constantly find myself in a position where i am told thats not been a problem before or i dont see thats a big problem now - often when you touch a nerve people can get quite defensive and hit out - but occasionally, just occasionally people that are more future focused can extrapolate to the future quite successfully and prevent problems and alter what the future looks like. When i read the OP's opening sentence this resonated. Sometimes, often even, nothing comes of it but my experience is that even the contemplation and debate can lead to changes that minimise future risk or unlock future opportunity. On something like this - the future of racing, chelt e.t.c. people like us can do nothing constructive at all, i think it is this sense of helplessness that means I end up extroverting these thoughts in a medium like this where lets face it, nothing is going to come of it. Some might agree some might repectfully disagree and some might send a few insults my way - whatever nothing significant will happen. I would love to understand how the likes of WPM, Giggi, RR, JP are thinking about the future of racing and how they align this with their own personal ambitions within racing and i would love to see the real power people in racing help us understand how they plan to use their power to safeguard or improve the future as well as enjoy the here and now. And if i have offended or angered anybody in this post in any way i apologise, its not my intention |
|
By:
I've had another flick thru Miltons, and aside from UDs in the Champion Hurdle (at length) and AP in the same race, the only other quibble was Vautour not running in the Arkle - which was by me!
On the other side of the coin we have WPM running his three best 2m hurdlers against each other at the weekend and the increasing likelihood of a Gold Cup to savour. Which suggests that it's not a strict policy at all, perhaps just a preference in certain circumstances? Which wouldn't be limited to WPM/RR, by the way, plenty of trainers have dodged horse from other yards that they didn't think they could beat - perhaps its as simple as that, particularly as being in the same barn can afford connections a clearer indication of the relative merits of the beasts in question. I don't doubt your credentials, by the way, and have no particular affinity for Mullins and Ricci, other than the assumption that their charges are already home and hosed provides value elsewhere - long may that continue! I also agree that griping on here about it is probably futile, so hope that time proves me to be right, rather than you! |
|
By:
The issue will become more and more obvious year on year, as the amount of race options remain the same but his stock pile of talent grows.
|
|
By:
They don't hang around for ever Duffy, particularly these French breds. A couple of seasons out of novice company and then the downgrade starts.
Besides, if the number of races remains the same (probably won't happen, 5 days anyone?), then he will have to run them against each other - whether he likes to or not. Also, you never know how long a RR will stay in the game. He might be worth £100m, but I bet that's taken a kicking these last few months and that's certainly not a bottomless pit if you're spending £5m -£10m a year on new horses, plus all the ancillaries. Maybe someone else with deep pockets will come along, or someone else will start getting lucky and buying the right horses? I'm pretty sure the Festival will still be going strong long after Messrs Mullins and Ricci have drawn stumps. |
|
By:
agree DO but one of the phrases that always resonated with me is hope (or maybe) is not a strategy - which comes back to the futility of it. Hey ho despite everything i cant wait for march and like you am hoping we wont just see great individual performances but also MANY epic battles as well
|
|
By:
agree DO but one of the phrases that always resonated with me is hope (or maybe) is not a strategy - which comes back to the futility of it. Hey ho despite everything i cant wait for march and like you am hoping we wont just see great individual performances but also MANY epic battles as well
|
|
By:
what would be interesting is if connections start campaigning for a 2 1/2 mile senior championship hurdle race at chelt.
|
|
By:
if or when it goes to 5 days that race is almost a certainty
|
|
By:
STS
Good thread,got people talking about racing. |