Chapman rubbishing Racing again

He hasn't been showing Aussie racing crowds singing Sweet Caroline again has he

He's more and more proving himself to be a true racing snob. He yearns for a world where every race is Group 1 class.

cant stand the man

It would be useful to know what he has said, but if it is that the vast majority of racing on a daily basis is rubbish he has hit a rare nail on the head. I know it might upset those who like watching, and losing money on rubbish, but he is for once just stating a fact.

Another one knocking the game, dd. People supporting Racing spending thousands a year and keeping thousands employed and all some can do is criticise the sport.

If what he is criticising is related to the PJA he has my support.  A totally worthless, impotent and useless organisation as far as I can see.  If he is critical of the way that racecourses court the "binge boozer" pound he has my support there too.
I have rarely seen him do anything other than support racing and true racing people, like owners, trainers, jockeys, breeders, investors etc.  racing very much needs someone like him in my view.
You're so hot against him sparrow so please give us some specifics to consider and debate.

What did he say?

I've no idea and that is my complaint.  No specifics have been offered.

If you don't know by now Honcho then you never will.

I am hugely critical of his attitude towards lower grade racing as I have mentioned above at 1449 and on nemerous other occasions. We should support our sport instead of attacking the parts of it we personally dislike.

*numerous.

I don't really share his opinion of low grade racing. But I think he is entitled to his view.

He is not paid to knock the sport, barton.

No, he's not. But is he paid to praise every element of it? I would argue not.

100% agreement with sparrow , as on other numerous occasions on this topic.

Only my opinion of course but i'm of the view that any punter drawing a line through low grade racing but falling over themselves to get involved with festivals is , to their detriment , a far too one-dimensional punter.

Where there's a will there's a way with a bit of lateral thinking.


Good luck today all 

Of course he isn't paid to praise every element but his constant putdowns of Class 5 and 6 races are bang out of order and an insult to owners who spend fortunes every year to keep the show on the road.

You're right in that keeping horses is expensive, they all cost the same to train and feed and the current racing model is reliant in keeping a lot of (mostly low-grade) horses in training. But speaking as an owner myself I think if you have a horse that isn't much good and someone in the media says as much you have to be able to shrug your shoulders and accept it is their right to be negative about him/her should they wish!

I'm afraid he goes much further than the odd horse not being much good but as prosniper said earlier he is a "racing snob".

Well what does he think we should do with all this low grade stuff and where does he think all these horses should go to?

I haven't heard him say anything worse than describing races as very poor/bad or bottom grade. Nothing overly offensive but maybe I have missed him putting the boot in! James Willougby once used the phrase "dustbin grade" to describe a 0-50 at Kempton which I did think was going a bit far.

Give me a 0-55 card at Wolves over one single "team" event any day any time.

Fair enough sparrow.
I like him, I think he is good for televised racing and I also agree that he on occasion makes himself look stupid.
Don;t we all.

Ok, honcho.

A few years back when they introduced banded racing,it commonly became known as "bandit" racing,and many of the gravy slurpers referred to it that way.

Chappers is ok, I like him,even though sometimes he gets carried away.

A lot of movement and high pitch with veins like stocks of rhubarb….calm down Matt…he reads the forum imo..

The point I'm making is that although there are some types of races I personally don't like such as handicap chases but I do appreciate that others do and a presenter unlike myself is actually being paid to do this. I suggest that many that defend him rarely hear his snide remarks as they will not be interested enough in the race to be even watching. At wolves this week he said he couldn't understand why connections of horses in these races actually gambled on them!

Like it or not, our beloved sport is on a slow march to the knackers yard on its currently trajectory, for various reasons.
Don’t attack those that call it out, it’s the sports only hope imo..

Like it or not, our beloved sport is on a slow march to the knackers yard on its currently trajectory, for various reasons.
Don’t attack those that call it out, it’s the sports only hope imo..

fairweather 19 Aug 23 09:11 
Like it or not, our beloved sport is on a slow march to the knackers yard on its currently trajectory, for various reasons.
Don’t attack those that call it out, it’s the sports only hope imo..





So Chapman is doing this for the good of the sport is he?

Aug 19, 2023 -- 9:11AM, fairweather wrote:

Like it or not, our beloved sport is on a slow march to the knackers yard on its currently trajectory, for various reasons.Don’t attack those that call it out, it’s the sports only hope imo..

Very well put. I dislike Chapman as much as anyone but the likes of Chamberlain and Hammond and Lynch are worse with their everything is always great nonsense.

Sparrow, your mob are playing on ITV4 atm (26).

.... Pitch looks like a ploughed field.!!

Thanks glasgow. Just starting to record it now on ITV4 +1

It is true about those others you mention MJK but Chapman will never criticise anything above Class 5 level and just concentrates on lower levels. Group 1 trainers, Group 2 jockeys, Johnny G and the rest of his name dropping act being shouted at us.

Yeah that's true. And as for his embarrassing fawning of Oisin Murphy ...

He’s the post race interviewer today. Inane questions like what’s it feel like to win. However relief from this tedious man is offered in the form of rounders in pyjamas on BBC2 or Transformers -The Revenge of the Fallen on C4 —-both of which are far more interesting than Billy Whizz…and I hate both cricket and sci-fi films!

I remember David Ashforth appearing as a guest on the old racing channel when he had a book to plug. When asked to preview a low grade staying maiden handicap he said something along the line of ' in this grade it's a case of should you race them or eat them.....'

David Ashforth was a great supporter of Brighton and lower grade racing as shown in this excerpt from an article ..........."Along with that Ashforth was also the joint sponsor is one of most famous races at Brighton for several years with well-known journalist Ian Carnaby with the Ashforth-Carnaby Selling Stakes, a race which gave the headlines to horses at the lower end of the racing spectrum".

dont think its run anymore but on an evening card at bev they once used to run a 2 mile maiden handicap, a horse had to put the hard yards in to qualify for that

The TV companies appear to believe we need sensationalism in our sport to get viewers. The 'greatest in the world' this and the 'greatest in the world' that. It is because they do not understand our sport they only understand hype. It doesn't happen in other sports from what I can see and while they believe hype is a necessary ingredient we will have to suffer the Chapman's of this world. I do have to some of the points he makes are too ludicrous for words.

*have to say

as i posted last month yesterday on itv as for every other festival alll about promoting york instead of yesterdays racing and when we get york,nothing aqbout york all about starting to promote leger,champions day ,ayr gold cup etc ,

What exactly could they have done to promote yesterday 1st tp ? Pointless considering the audience were already watching, PT Barnum didn't put up posters when his circus left for for a good reason, maybe did advertising his next visit and things have never changed for a reason.

but it happens all season, festival starts and is forgotton about just as quicky as all eyes /adverts turn to next one