There was a time, not so long ago, that Easter Saturday meant Kempton, on turf of course, with the Masaka Stakes, The Easter Stakes, The Queens Prize and a couple of other strong 3yo hcps.
Then Easter Monday, you'd be back at Kempton again for the Rosebery Hcp and the Magnolia Stakes, or if you were with the wife and kids, there'd be about 10 different nh meetings to choose from.
What do we get now? Saturday - Kempton aw (admittedly better fare than the usual there), Haydock, N Abott and Carlisle. Monday - Yarmouth and Redcar, and 3 nh meetings.
No terrestrial coverage at all today (who can blame em?) Where did this all go wrong?
The staggered start to the flat has been getting progressively worse over the last decade,the Lincoln handicap used to be a very important betting race with the betting public,noe it hardly get a mention.
As you say the Kempton Easter meeting used to be a good class flat meeting,now replaced by an AW meeting which should have been held in the AW season,then at least it might make the AW season a bit more interesting.
They have also crucified the Epsom spring meeting,now only a 1 day meeting.
Also race planning is a joke,you only have to look at 19/4 2 night meeting,Kempton and Windsor,the race planning committee are useless and should be sacked.
The staggered start to the flat has been getting progressively worse over the last decade,the Lincoln handicap used to be a very important betting race with the betting public,noe it hardly get a mention.As you say the Kempton Easter meeting used to
i remember on a bank holiday there being about 15 to 18 meetings and trying to keep up with all the results in my Sun Newspaper. The sun would have the cards over about 3 or 4 pages and gawd knows how many times i threw the paper on the floor in frustration trying to find who won the 4.15 at Fontwell and then quickly flicking over 3 pages trying to see who won the 4.10 at Catterick and then back 2 pages to see who won the 4:20 at Leicester
great days
i remember on a bank holiday there being about 15 to 18 meetings and trying to keep up with all the results in my Sun Newspaper. The sun would have the cards over about 3 or 4 pages and gawd knows how many times i threw the paper on the floor in fru
I have said it before and will say it again. AW racing which is merely designed for bookies will kill the sport. The same happned to Greyhound racing with BAGS on sand.
Turf, dogs or horses makes it a spectacle for people to go and have a day out. Not to go and see some donkeys running along Blackpool sands with the tide out.
As for this Eastes's cards. agree with other posters, absolutely shocking . Where the hell can I take the family if I live within the M25 to racing on a bank holiday Monday?
I have said it before and will say it again. AW racing which is merely designed for bookies will kill the sport. The same happned to Greyhound racing with BAGS on sand.Turf, dogs or horses makes it a spectacle for people to go and have a day out. No
What gets me id theres very little other meaningful sport on today in UK, no prem football, no rugby or cricket... Kempton on a BHM used to be jam packed, as busy as boxing day.
What gets me id theres very little other meaningful sport on today in UK, no prem football, no rugby or cricket...Kempton on a BHM used to be jam packed, as busy as boxing day.
well Ekky, if preferring those days out at Kempton to discussing the top 10 bad tasting herbs on here makes me a luddite, then ill happily plead guilty!
well Ekky, if preferring those days out at Kempton to discussing the top 10 bad tasting herbs on here makes me a luddite, then ill happily plead guilty!
With the poor AW racing combined with the advent of betting exchanges,I am afraid that the sport of kings should be renamed.
1MO there has never been a greater opportunity to make money by the very people we in fact place our faith in when backing horses,**ing has always gone on ,but with such a high % of the lower the class of racing the more need to make ends meet as the prize money for winning barely covers the trip to the races, and the less trustworthy some of the individuals whose living depends on the racing become. With the advent of the betting exchanges there is far more to be gained by losing than winning and that is now where the problem lies,I for 1 rarely bet on AW racing,I stick to the grade 1 tracks and the better class meetings.
With the poor AW racing combined with the advent of betting exchanges,I am afraid that the sport of kings should be renamed.1MO there has never been a greater opportunity to make money by the very people we in fact place our faith in when backing h
Just impossible to still beliee that Kempton has turned itself into the shower of shyte that its AW track is. You even get a cute '***** in the straight to offer a horse the chance to go to a part of teh track that no-one ever wins on.
Just impossible to still beliee that Kempton has turned itself into the shower of shyte that its AW track is. You even get a cute '***** in the straight to offer a horse the chance to go to a part of teh track that no-one ever wins on.