Gud luck guys i'm done today.


Had enough of watering** dopin** i'll try when i want**, i'm straglin today ** BHA slap on wrist**and racing media circus**

Did you miss an S of the end of those empty ? :)

Morning JJ, did you get my mail???

Cheers, Replied

This card at Newmarket could take some working out with the virgin ground, wait and see for the 1st, personally im saving most of my punting for 2 weeks time when i will know that there is a level playing field at Santa Anita

Goeff, its going to be hard to tell, the stalls are stand side for the shorter races and the fields arent massive, id personally watch the 1st two races and see if any of them make a turn to their right or stay centre

and to think i praised prosser at the start of the season

PONTEFRACT - Flat (Updated:17/10/2009 at 08:41)
Going
Good to Firm, Good in places
(GoingStick: 8.0 on Saturday at 08:30)

Stalls
Stalls inside all races

Weather
3mm of rain this week.
Dry and bright over the weekend with a chance of a slight ground
frost on Sunday morning.

Watering
Will water to maintain on Sunday (5mm) provided the forecast
remains for dry weather.


Watering to maintain a reading of 8.0 [insert shock emoticon here]

You have trainers being caught using drugs

Would these same trainers use dope to help run horses that maybe should not be running and thus increas the probablity of injury


You can bet on it.

Tokyo, October 18, 2009,


107 horses ran on the surface described as Firm

Not one had FF = Fail to finish at side of it's name

Excellent work Empty.

Proof positive (as positive as you can get at any rate) for me.

I personally, would not be in the least bit surprised Empty......
************************
MICKY HAMMOND, who gave a heartfelt interview to the Racing Post this week on the struggles of training with his best horse already sidelined, suffered a sickening double blow on Wednesday as the reopening of Wetherby was marred by four fatalities.

However, the Yorkshire trainer refused to blame fast ground after his representative, Divex, was one of two horses to die in the meeting's feature race, the Bobby Renton Chase. Two other horses died at the track and others returned home feelingly, leading the RSPCA to on Wednesday night call on the BHA to conduct an inquiry.

Referring to the loss of Divex, Hammond said: "It was nothing to do with the surface. We were just unlucky, the horse jumped the fence well and then his knee went, and it was just one of those things."

At the time of speaking, Hammond was also braced to lose Addison De Witt, a novice hurdle winner for the stable at Perth in July, who was injured in the first race at Uttoxeter.

"Addison De Witt has ruptured his suspensory and he is probably going to be put down tonight at the vets in York," Hammond added.


Wetherby's clerk of the course, Jonjo Sanderson, despite admitting to feelings of 'nervous anticipation' for Wednesday's first meeting of the winter campaign, had earlier received positive feedback from trainers and jockeys about improvements made to the track over the summer.

Yet he ended the day with very mixed feelings, after four deaths during racing on officially good-to-firm ground.

The Tim Easterby-trained Nut Hand was put down after pulling-up lame after finishing third in the maiden hurdle, while in the featured Bobby Renton Chase, Marrel, a winner of 11 races, suffered a fractured hind pastern in a fall and Divex broke a foreleg after jumping a fence.

In the concluding maiden hurdle, Miss Gibboa, trained by Patrick Haslam, broke a leg when falling at the second-last flight.

"It's very disappointing, it always is when you lose horses," Sanderson said. "I suppose, it's what can happen racing on quickish ground. But it's not what you want to see."

David Muir, the RSPCA's equine consultant, called for a full-scale investigation after describing Wednesday's events as "unacceptable".

Muir said: "I walked the course before racing, and the old part of the course I felt was pretty good, I had no real problems with it, but the new part that has been renovated, coming up the straight, was a little inconsistent, but to be fair, I didn't feel there was something so objectionable that they shouldn't race.

"But sadly the only way you can test a racecourse is by putting horses on it, and looking at all the different factors it may well be that they have to look at the whole issue once again, because the number of horses that have been injuredor died today obviously is unacceptable."

More than £50,000 was spent on summer remedial work at the course in a bid to improve the overall condition of the track and tempt back trainers such as Ferdy Murphy, who had given Wetherby a wide berth for much of this year.

The course had suffered problems since 2007 when sections of it were relaid after a realignment of the course, forced by the widening of the nearby A1.
*********************************************


THE BHA is to carry out a thorough review of the events at Wednesday's race meeting at Wetherby following the deaths of four horses at the track's first fixture since the completionof remedial work.

It said it will examine all the circumstances to establish whether there was any "common factors" and has already sought reports from its racecourse inspectors, vets and stewards at the Yorkshire track where more than £50,000 was spent over the summer improving the condition of the surface.


Paul Struthers, the BHA's media relations manager, said: "We have worked very closely with the team at Wetherby throughout the summer. As well as numerous visits to the course by our Racecourse Inspectorate, we asked them to produce a week-by-week plan of the proposed work to be carried out on the racing surface during the off-season.

"This plan was validated by an independent, professional agronomist and passed to both the National Trainers' Federation and Professional Jockeys' Association for their input.

"Wetherby had received positive reports about the ground ahead of the meeting and we are not aware of any complaints made about the ground on the day."

He added: "It is always desperately sad when a horse has to be put down as a result of injuries sustained during racing. In circumstances such as these it is our policy to undertake a thorough review and look into all of the circumstances - the course, the horses, the injuries and any other relevant information - in an attempt to establish whether or not there are common factors involved.

"We have already requested reports from our Racecourse Inspectorate, veterinary team and stewards, who were all in attendance yesterday. We will await receipt of the reports and our other findings and will then liaise closely with the racecourse, trainers, jockeys and the RSPCA."
********************************************

For me it would be good to find out now exactly where the RSPCA stands on the issue of watered ground & who the 'duty of care' buck stops with, trainers to run horses on suitable ground, or tracks to provide spongy surfaces in an attempt to pander to everyone?
Because whatever they say on this subject - I cant see the BHA arguing with them?
My own view is that if natural ground is unacceptable for summer jumping, then it should not be taking place, because loose roots & watered landing sides will (again just my opinion) be akin to putting down olive oil.
As I say, it would be hugely interesting to find out Mr Muir's stance on all of this stuff?

A lot will depend on whether the BHA's bosses in the high st bookmakers will allow them to look at things in a completely unbiased way as regards summer jumping though Zil?
I would imagine fairly low grade horses banging round Newton Abbot in fairly compressed handicaps has a fair 'margin'?

PONTEFRACT - Flat (Updated:19/10/2009 at 08:42)
Going
Good to Firm, Good in places
(GoingStick: 8.1 on Sunday at 11:30)

Another track that will get away with breaking the rules of racing.

would be interesting to know whether the good to firm going on NH tracks means good to firm with heavily watered take off and landing areas.

this could give a whole new outlook on NH going stats in relation to injuries.

AYR ground good?
GOOD (GoingStick 5.9) 8:27am 23 Oct 09


previous meets...
Good 7.2
Good 6.8
Soft 5.3
Soft 6
Soft (Good to Soft in places in home straight) 6.3

How are you supposed to bet in the first (2YO'S-sires-grnd-etc-)
with this?.............PAH!

I'd give her a ring pauloon, her number is on the bha going page.
If you remember earlier on in the season there were readings of 8 odd at hamilton when soft ground was given and now we have it the other way round at Ayr but same clerk. I'd ask her is there a problem with the going stick or how she is using it or whatever.
At hamilton there was 8 (soft/heavy in places)
same clerk and now Ayr 5.9 (good)
If there is a big difference between the official and the GS reading then there has to be questions asked to ascertain why.

S.H.A.M.B.L.E.S. ( n.a.p.)

No set time for stick reading = clerks do as they like & tell you what they like

No censure for clerks who habitually mislead = clerks do as they like & tell you what they like

BHA absolves itself of responsibility for hiring/firing clerks = clerks do as they like & tell you what they like

Press 'interview clerks' & tell them what a great job they're doing = clerks do as they like & tell you what they like

40k+ car, responsible to no one = clerks do as they like & tell you what they like.

150k for going sticks at all tracks = clerks do as they like & tell you what they like.....

The 5.9 reading was taken yesterday morning, the updated reading is 5.7, taken at 10am this morning apparently.

At least your campaign appears to have had some impact Zil, with BHA now including times of readings.

Figgis 23 Oct 12:00


The 5.9 reading was taken yesterday morning, the updated reading is 5.7, taken at 10am this morning apparently.
===================================
HA!
They must have sent somebody out as i was speaking to them...(10-10.30a.m.)


"Confusion will be my epitaph"