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27 Apr 13
21:57
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Date Joined:
12 Mar 07
in uk/ire we have just 3 trainers (henderson, nichols, mullins ) mopping up the majority of the big prizes . most are french bred horses bought at huge expense...some are seen no more than 3/4 times in a season if lucky; once in nov, once dec, then twice march/april.
i am looking forward to seeing some old friends from 5/6f sprints soon. and some 4/5 y o middle distance runners .
i've been racing some 30 years plus and never thought this would cross my mind.
i am looking forward to seeing some old friends from 5/6f sprints soon. and some 4/5 y o middle distance runners .
i've been racing some 30 years plus and never thought this would cross my mind.
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Replies: 29
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Sadly you are right.
Its a disgrace that great races like the charlie hall, Hennessy, tingle creek etc are just stepping stones to Cheltenham. I love Cheltenham but its just become too big. When you have some tw@t like Nick Luck telling us in September that there's 'only 6 months to cheltenham' it makes it just ridiculous. |
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And what needs to happen is
1) Abandon the idea of summer jumping. The last NH race should be run in May then no more until September. 2) Make it a 5 week gap between Cheltenham and Aintree. They are by far the biggest festivals so what is the point in having them so bloody close? |
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and where does Punchestown fit in if a 5 week gap between cheltenham and Aintree?
You'd need to bring cheltenham forward a week, then 28 days to Aintrre an same again for Punchestown. Cheltenham is not the only story. |
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Punchestown is a bit of a farce when compared to aintree and Cheltenham.
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Cheltenham IS THE ONLY STORY in NH racing........any other "Festival" is a poor copy and ALWAYS will be...ditto "Nationals" and "Ladies Days".
FFS Japan could start their own World Cup and buy the Maracana Stadium to stage it.Aintree is ONE race............end of. |
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Running all the NH festivals in March/April isn't ideal. The situation could be made a bit better by moving Cheltenham forward to the first week in March.
As for summer jumping, it is mostly garbage and should be either scrapped or greatly reduced. |
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Moving forward to the 1st week BB? (in march)
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Why not?
Just because it has always been the second week in March doesn't mean it is essential that it stays that way. |
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No problems with that BB,just that my clock etc would be moving back as would most imvho?
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Hard enough to beat the frost as it is without moving it back a week i would imagine.
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BB?
Still recovering from that KG fall?   |
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I'd like to see some really valuable graded handicaps to mix things up a bit, like the Chandler at Ascot when I was a lad (I'm not that old).
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Blame the courses,not the Calandar.
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[i]1) Abandon the idea of summer jumping. The last NH race should be run in May then no more until September.[/i]
 that is where some of us make money! small nh courses, summer evenings... some of us love it But I agree NH racing is now dominated by money... as is flat racing, football and pretty well all sports nowadays it is the way of the world now just my own opinon |
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it is not just about the horses at the top
although I love Cheltenham and I prefer backing a C5 winner than a C1 loser personally |
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Instead of moving Cheltenham just scrap Aintree festival. By all means have the national but leave it at the one day. The remaining races are a waste of time. Cut Cheltenham back to 3 days. So many races there now everybody with a bumper winner aims for Cheltenham in March to the detriment of the seasons other meetings. Cheltenham should be for the elite. Some of the **** we see turning up there year in year out shouldn't be even entertained.
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Stack it high and sell it cheap has destroyed British Racing......and I do not mean for lovers/followers/attendees of courses.
Ascot has been the Mother Of ****s for years,Newmarket is even worse. Who could blame Godolphin if they chose to pull out? |
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Irish Jumps racing is a serious state. It is simply a one horse race now with Mullins dominating. You knew when he won the Charity race today how bad its gotten.
British racing is nowhere near as bad. Fair enough Henderson and Nicholls may win their fair share of Grade 1s but at least there is competition. In Ireland Mullins has more wins than Elliot, Hughes, Meade and Martin put together, a 32% S/R.....is ridiculously high a sure sign of lack of competition. |
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Ascot...........Putana...............Putani.
Madre di putani. |
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Stack it high and sell it cheap has destroyed British Racing......and I do not mean for lovers/followers/attendees of courses.
agree Moley  I am only asking for one NH meeting a day through summer...not umpteen and with the flat on us...ther should be only one AW meeting a day in summer just keeps these variants going for followers but yes there is a big risk of overkill for racing |
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when I was younger I worked in a bookmakers for a while
We would have 5 meetings on Saturday... but for the rest of the week there would 2/3 meetings and betting shops were quite busy now we will have 5/6 meetings a day over the summer.. to largely empty betting shops... ...I cant think that this is progress tbh  |
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of course we have had the internet revolution since..
and home racing channels... but surely it still has to be managed for the long term health of the sport otherwise we could risk no racing along with no cod |
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Ah yes, roll on those horses getting boxed in, given too much to do, drawn on the wrong side, Fallon, AW, toff Ascot, not riding out for a place, educational rides because of 'inexperience', Prescott, Ahern, Kelly. Thank God that awful jumps racing is over
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Not to mention doping scandal,ridiculous entry to see racing with added "party"drivel afterwards,jackets on in high summer,bored football fans causing carnage,the draw bias lottery,etc. Roll on October.
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totally agree
Getting back to OP, the problem with top class NH racing, is that the whole season revolves around Cheltenham.. everything is decided at the festival meeting So what we have is a season with one big peak at the festival, with a couple of minor ones with the King George and National The flat season is a series of peaks..starting with the guiness, derby,Ascot,King George......Leger,Champions Day Arc, etc.... This is the way the sports have developed historically Aintree and Punchestown are an effort to try and spread the Cheltenham peak, but tend to be ..will Cheltenham form be confirmed or not? Taking this to its logical extreme, NH only needs one meeting a year, the Cheltenham Festival Unless you dismantle the festival and spread out its various championships to other tracks or throughout the season I am not sure what can be done about it ...I dont think this will happen Some of us like the charm of NH racing at smaller tracks...gets closer to its grass roots...but of course has nothing to do with Cheltenham horses just an opinion |
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one way would to follow the Aintree and Punchestown examples and expand some of the meetings
to three day festival of their own...but dont know if this will work...I am not sure Aintree works? Most if the early season big races, the Hennessy, whatever the Mackeson is now, Schweppes is now ,etc tend to be Saturday only meetings...we could perhaps extend them to Fri - Sun three day meetings???? or perhaps we just have to live with it as it is now |
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I used like the flat but find it totally boring now. Don't know what I'll do for the next six months but it is possible to make a bit of money at the smaller NH summer meetings. There is some very good summer festival racing especially in Ireland with large crowds/turnover although I am not a fan of Galway but it is a very successful meet. Listowel I like.
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I used like the flat but find it totally boring now. Don't know what I'll do for the next six months but it is possible to make a bit of money at the smaller NH summer meetings. There is some very good summer festival racing especially in Ireland with large crowds/turnover although I am not a fan of Galway but it is a very successful meet. Listowel I like.
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I agree Arkle..
what would do rather, go to the races on a warm summer afternoon/evening or go on a wet,freezing afternoon in winter...and courses have to make a profit It largely depends on wether the courses can keep the going well watered enough to keep the very firm going away imo otherwises races can cut up to nothing 2/3 runners.. and summer horses are not Cheltenham horses, they are what they are.. just an opinion |