I feel like generally it's a lot of people who like to sound like they know what they are talking about, but don't comment until they can see the number cloth. A few of the ex jock pundits have given decent paddock insights. Probably as they have been able to correlate it with performance over thousands of samples.

how many paddock watchers stood around as flockton grey went round the paddock,winking at everyone

Back in Sept. 1992 Barney Curley and Ken Higson organized what they called a protest against low levels of prize money. Their plan, they claimed, was to declare horses, take them to the start, but not let them race, thus disrupting the betting.

A selling hurdle one afternoon at Fontwell featured the Higson-owned, Charlie Moore-trained and Gary Moore-ridden Across The Card as favourite. Into the parade ring walked a fat, hairy, sweating beast which was saddled up as Across The Card, taken to the start, but not allowed to race when the tapes went up.

https://www.racingpost.com/results/20/fontwell/1992-09-28/48087

All this made quite a story at the time, of course, but it was the appearance of the horse which caught the eye of the NH propunters there that day. Across The Card was an in-form horse who couldn't possibly look like that.

Well, the next day we all moved on to Exeter, where, lo and behold, Across The Card was declared for the opening novices' hurdle, in which it was the obvious thieving each way bet against the odds-on favourite. Into the parade ring walked Across The Card, sleek, fit and trained to the minute. It duly went on to finish second in the race.

https://www.racingpost.com/results/14/exeter/1992-09-29/48097

Myself, Eddie Fremantle and Alan the Beard went straight to the Jockey Club's security man, Terry Allen, to point out the discrepancy between the horse being unsaddled at Exeter and the one who had been declared under the same name at Fontwell the previous day.

Terry Allen was excellent. He got hold of a camera, took photos of the horse, then tried to find whether anyone had pictures from Fontwell the day before. But inevitably he was hamstrung by the lack of cooperation from his employers at the Jockey Club. At first they just dismissed his concerns on account of them having arisen from punters. Allen pointed out: "These are pros: they go racing every day and know what they're talking about."

But still the Jockey Club refused to pursue the case. The horse hadn't actually taken part the day before at Fontwell, they said, so no harm done, eh? As we'd commented to Terry, this wasn't the point. It could have been a dry run to find out just what they could get away with when it came to switching horses. At the very least it needed investigating to discourage any such temptation. And if our eyes had deceived us and there was no case to answer, well, let's establish that.

But no. Like so much else that Terry Allen brought to his employers' attention at that time, it just got filed away and forgotten about in the Too Difficult or Too Embarrassing bin.

Thankfully the Jockey Club is now called the BHA, which is completely different, oh yes, so this sort of thing could never happen these days.

kjansch21 Jun 23 14:53Joined: 07 Jul 05 | Topic/replies: 1,135 | Blogger: kjansch's blog
a paddock judges job is to give an opinion on the condition of a horse.

and therefore a complete waste of time @ the biggest meeting of the year.

Hardly gunna pick out some in need of the race.

GOLD CUP
Yibir looks well
Subjectivist looks well
Both of O'briens look well
and Coltrane  looks well .

His itv cheque is a dole cheque. Money for going fluck all

Careful, you know who will be along shortly to call you ràcists.



The fact he is fckin useless is irrelevant!

Did Ken mention the 150/1 shot today?  Did he "tip it up"?

He had a column in race form for years,he’s been around a lot longer than people think,always been a paddock judge,so he’s not been parachuted in like people think.

People adding 2+2 and coming up with 5.

Like francome said,you get a bit bored with saying,a lovely looking colt,at least Ken compares previous turnouts with today,has he’s an expert,

We are getting a proper paddock watch today

Excellent stuff.

Horse by horse in parade ring.

Interesting because Ken put Swingalong up as well as his positive along with Little Big Bear

Ken has got the Paddock by the bollix

Hope you laying Cacique.. have you noticed his "tips" being taken down soon after they run..

Wasn't having a go at you cacique,just think she is the worst by far on ITV,nosebands and bits,legs and shoulders etc.She just spouts bull and cant't even put a horse to it's number until too late?

Francesca is different class,forgotten more than most of them will ever learn and as easy on the ear compared with the others you mention,they are like fingernails dragging down a blackboard!!

They have too many people on the panel.

The should have the anchor, the expert and the devils advocate. Chapman tries to be devils advocate...
But apart from the after party service why do they need all the women on the show?

What does she bring to the table?
To tell us how her father trained Denman/Kauto/Master/Neptune/BBucks.... might as well get Paul on and he tell us himself


Ken might get the winner today with Hukum a NR

Auguste Rodin for Ken there.  ffs.

Careful Glasgow.....Sparrow will be on soon to put you right