about time we got more synthetic tracks in the UK...

in fact she won the September Stakes TWICE at Kempton...

on a SYNTHETIC surface.

What tracks do you have in mind hibb ?

Here’s my list

None..

Fine as it is…..

i just told you...

Newmarket Rowley Mile could easily have a synthetic track...

and keep the turf track also...

are you telling me APOB would refuse to run COT on the synthetic track if the turf track was waterlogged / heavy ?

obviously it won't happen coz the UK isn't a forward thinking place unfortunately...

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as i said aceform...

too many backward looking folk in this country...

which is a pity.

That was one run hibb the rest of her career was grass…..

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so you got that one wrong aceform ?

an apology perhaps ?

I think there will be an all weather in Newmarket at some point Hibby.

hope so honcho...

racing needs to look forward...

not backward...

that's why the country is in such a mess imv...

too many naval gazers.

Lingfield Derby trial…….AW or turf  ?

Why would you want to disturb the history of racing at Newmarket ?

When was Newmarket called off regarding waterlogged ground…..

They already killed champions day by moving it to Ascot……

I think they should be more concerned about affordable checks for the fodder…..that could be more damaging than rain….imv..

City of Troy's father (Justify) ran on nothing but synthetic surfaces from what i can see...

has that stopped top owners buying his stock or breeding from him ?

of course it hasn't...

he's one of the top stallions in the world now i would suggest...

that argument is for the birds...

laughable imv.

Lots of horses in Newmarket. Sensible to have an AW for them in the winter.

Well Hibby, if Newmarket comes up soft or even worse on Guineas day and gets COT beat, all these plonkers that have been betting him at even money over the winter may well end up agreeing with you.

there is an AW gallop in Newmarket tbh honcho...

the vast majority of horses will train on a synthetic surface at some point or other...

top trainers run their horses on it regularly...

it's just backward thinking to go down the 'it's not how we do things in the UK' road imv...

it's just daft.

i just don't see ANY downside tbh honcho...

the only issue is funding imv...

which is a big issue tbh...

but if i was running a track it's definitely a road i'd be going down tbh.

There may be an AW gallop but you still have to travel horses to Chelmsford, Kempton etc in the winter. Far more sustainable and sensible to have a track where the horses are.

Just put it to the top trainers and breeders hibb,and of course rides,past and present regarding classic races on the AW

Jesus!

City of Troy could be beaten if it hasn’t trained on ……

i couldn't agree more honcho.

How many promising Type will run on the AW this season…..

Answer on a stamp please…..I mean classic/group potential……

you appear to be being a bit snobbish here tbh aceform...

times move on...

and i ain't just talking about tracks where classics are ran...

Nottingham...

Catterick...

Hamilton...

if you want classics or even classic trials ran on bottomless ground then fine...

same at the end of the season when 2yo's are running on gluepots...

i don't.

So we are not creating AW tracks because 1% of the horse population wont run on them?

How many promising Type will run on the AW this season…..


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might have something to do with the FACT that most flat racing during the 'flat' season is ran on turf aceform ?

i notice you have refused to respond to the Enable FACT (the one you got wrong)...

that's fine.

Snobbish no,just being honest with an opinion hibb….

AW might be good for the punter but check some of the attendance at these everyday tracks…

Imagine Hamilton being turned into AW…..it wouldn’t work in a million

As for Musselburgh,right hand on the level I see the point……

The Muddle brothers tried it at Lanark and got knocked down…

Imagine Hamilton being turned into AW…..it wouldn’t work in a million

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why not ?

Yes hibb,introduced at Newcastle and two canters round Kempton……

Apology…..

Snobbish no,just being honest with an opinion hibb….

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your opinion is based on the old 'we've always done it like that so why bother changing' aceform...

that is 100% backward thinking imv.

Night Raider as short as 10/1 for the Guineas,ran twice
both @ Southwell.

Should be 100/1.

Hamilton downhill undulated track hibb…..too much cost involved….they would probably go Ayr or Musselburgh…imv

penzance 03 Apr 24 11:23 
Night Raider as short as 10/1 for the Guineas,ran twice
both @ Southwell.

Place lay

that's fine aceform...

apology accepted...

so you would accept Gosden is happy to run his horses on a synthetic surface then ?

only exception possible being a mudlark.

Sometimes things in life are best left alone hibb…..classic example football,Var ffs…..utter shambles

Racing is fine imv apart from the affordable checks…..

There was something  comfortable about the established loop when the backend few weeks of the flat were concluded with a November Handicap in the mud, signaling time to switch into jumping mode, with momentum for the next Flat season building up when the Lincoln weights emerged ( the Sporting Life used to run that competition where you had to predict the weights). I suppose one advantage of the AW programm is that it allows a yard to get a run into a juvenile that otherwise they would have kept wrapped up, not wanting them to be exposed to a testing ground Nottingham or Leicester maiden.

so today's card at Catterick will be a cracking watch will it aceform ?

watching backend 2yo maidens over 1m at Newmarket's Rowley Mile or Newbury are a great watch when it's oxygen mask time on bad/chopped up ground ?

not for me...

i'd rather watch horses bounce off a surface and actually finish their race off.

Go back ten years and name classic winners that were introduced on the aw,apart from Enable…

Need a track that will stand alongside the great AW racecourses of the world, the top American tracks, Meydan... and it's already built, it's called Ascot. The jumps tracks often has small fields, national hunt racing on the way down and maybe out... dig it up, and with a bit of tweaking make it left handed as per the top AW tracks w, to attract the world's best. Make Champions day a weekend, one day turf one day AW, and if the ground is heavy on the turf, transfer to the all weather. Challenge the Breeders Cup... dream. In midsummer at the Royal meeting, the jumps track is often straw coloured in any case, so the once a year celebs won't notice in any case.

you are obsessed with this 'classic winners' nonsense aceform...

i know plenty of good horses have started their career or won their maiden on a synthetic surface aceform...

don't ask me to name them coz i ain't got the time or energy to do so...

but you are suggesting top trainers don't want to run their horses on a synthetic surface...

utter poppyc0ck imv.

Racing on all types has been the norm since day one

1980 Ayr Gold Cup…..p!ssing down tatties and turnip heavy ground….

November handicap backend of the season mainly in the rain on soft and heavy….

Ghanaati,1000G wnr.

Long stride and daisy cutters,softish…..good ground….good to firm

Bath was always hard until they bowed to the anti brigade….

Enable also ran on the aw at Newcastle on her debut so 3 from 3 on the surface .


The Barry hills filly a few years ago won the 1000 guineas after running at kempton


Wetherby would make a great aw track

cant hibs and F4rty move in together Ffs..yapping on all morn nowt better to do in their inconsequential lives..

Trainers will run at Catterick hibb if the horse wants/likes heavy ground….doubtful they will bottom the horse early doors

Remember the owner has a say….

i agree jimnast...

about Wetherby.

aceform...

where was the 2019 Futurity ran ?

Ace Impact's debut was on the AW.

The Group 1 Vertem Futurity Trophy at Doncaster Racecourse on 26 October attracted an unusual five-day entry of twelve, with Kameko matched against eleven colts from the O'Brien stable. As a result of heavy rain at the already waterlogged Yorkshire track the race was abandoned and rescheduled to take place six days later on the synthetic Tapeta surface at Newcastle Racecourse, with entries being reopened. In the new race Kameko started the 11/2 third favourite behind the unbeaten Kinross and Mogul, the winner of the Champions Juvenile Stakes and the best fancied of the five O'Brien runners. The other eight contenders included Verboten (representing Godolphin), Innisfree (Beresford Stakes) and Tammani (Prix Isonomy). The race was the first British Group 1 contest to be run on a synthetic track.

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so with the Doncaster race being abandoned due to waterlogging...

Balding / APOB / Beckett / Mullins / Gosden / Haggas and Bolger ran their horses on a synthetic surface..

so it would appear these trainers (top trainers some would say) are happy to run Group 1 horses on a synthetic surface aceform.

HappyHibby 03 Apr 24 11:32 
i know plenty of good horses have started their career or won their maiden on a synthetic surface aceform...

ENABLE.

penzance 03 Apr 24 11:47 
Ace Impact's debut was on the AW.

UK ?

and the 2019 winner has it's first crop of 2yo's out this season...

https://www.racingpost.com/bloodstock/news/thinking-caps-on-but-keep-it-clean-competition-to-name-trio-of-qatar-racing-two-year-olds-by-kameko-aO9Hj0L98HHj/?_sgm_campaign=fcs_ac017b2e36000&_sgm_source=N196300%7Cproduct&_sgm_action=search&_sgm_term=kameko&_sgm_pinned=false

France but AW.

Yes hibb but that was unforeseen circumstances

a) the original race was abandoned due to waterlogging (which is what is happening more and more)...

b) TOP trainers were happy to run their very good horses on a synthetic surface...

so that ends the argument that top trainers won't run their horses on a synthetic surface...

well it does in my view at least.

Emily Upjohn,Wolves debut.GP1 horse.

so that ends the argument that top trainers won't run their horses on a synthetic surface...

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and it also ends the argument that top owners won't run their horses on a synthetic surface...

and top owners where breeding is a huge part of their overall operation...

fox shot.

good work penzance btw...

They were all untapped material hibb……nothing to do with trainer’s not running their horses they run them everywhere everyday almost

Fortunately they ran some that turned out to be classic winners…

Will climate change ever bring trainers asking for the Dewhurst to be run at Newcastle…..or maybe Southwell…..

Loads of runners at Catterick hibb…..one or two pulled in each race….I’ve seen five or six in one race NH….

Going back to Enable,do you honestly believe they thought classic winning potential let’s head to Newcastle……

https://twitter.com/irishracing/status/1770503309213725029

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right at the start of the video...

what do you see ?

a synthetic gallop perhaps ?

Sent off a 7/2 chance that afternoon.


Stating the obvious but really did achieve plenty.

We can agree to disagree hibb…..have a good punting afternoon….coffee time….

Going back to Enable,do you honestly believe they thought classic winning potential let’s head to Newcastle……

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i have no idea what was going through Gosden's head aceform...

late November...

turf season finito...

so they probably wanted to get a run in to her before her 2yo days were over and give her something to think about over the winter...

my guess would be that they didn't want to bottom out a potentially nice filly on bad turf ground tho...

but you would need to ask John Gosden about that...

coz he was there making those decisions and i wasn't.

nowt wrong with disagreeing aceform...

it's the tone of the disagreement that is slightly annoying at times tho.

Does anyone have the actual number of abandonments by year?

My guess would be that it has been much worse. It's just that we have now got used to the change from a couple of midweek meetings in the (good) old days to five or six.

If there is any concern going forwards it should be about the loss of National Hunt fixtures, not Flat. Can the NH tracks take this weather year after year?

https://twitter.com/irishracing/status/1770503309213725029

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go 22 seconds in to the video aceform...

can you tell me the name of the horse that has just come off the synthetic gallop please ?

Stratford of Saturday

Seem to have more rain in france than us but very rarely abandon the races, i think it is due to overwatering in the summer has to have something to do with it.

No tone here hibb life’s too short for tones…..just saying my opinion….

have you identified the horse 22 seconds in to that video that has just come off the synthetic gallop yet aceform ?

i'll take that as a NO then aceform...

it's City of Troy...

the very same horse you said this about...

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formoftheace 03 Apr 24 10:28 

City Of Troy at Dundalk…..eh! …..no..sorry

More synthetics are a waste of money.

And the look horrible…how come these nerds never made a green synthetic so it at least matches the environment.

-

What we need to do is to close down the loss making tracks that are diluting the product and no one cares about and build one central indoor racetrack where we can year round daily 24/7 flat and national hunt racing under one roof.

We can easily shut down 20 or so tracks for this one in door super arena home of horse racing.

It’s about securing racing’s future for the next 40 to 50 years rather that trying to patch things up day by day.

Another one wanting to decimate the industry and throw thousands out of work just leaving those tracks he personally likes.

Not just thousands out of work many local economies would suffer plus to many the fact we have so many different racecourses is part of the appeal of the sport.

We already have many less than France,America and Australia


As for an indoor arena I hope I’m under the ground by then

Secure racing's future by closing 20 tracks?? I suppose the indoor track will be in the South so that regional trainers wil have to travel hundreds of miles to race their horses. Yeah, that'll work.

hibby & f4rty have synthetic brains...(imo)

It’s funny you should mention under the ground because that’s actually another of my proposals ie green renewable end of life terminals where we can harvest 100% for transplants, food, water and other by products like fertilisers.

There’s been a lot of interest and next week I’m flying out to present it to a major pharmaceutical in Switzerland who want to fund it.

What I need is a company who has the resources to lobby governments to make this more accessible like Uber.

Exciting times.

Plans have already been put in for a new AW track at Newmarket. A round course with its own grandstand etc., for the winter months.
Imagine looking from the stands out at the Rowley Mile - right in front of you is a large empty area - the track will be there, with the stands for it on the other side of the course.
A no brainer considering all the travelling these horses currently have to do all winter - but dont be buying shares in Chelmsford City anytime soon imo. Cant see them being too pleased about the idea..

that's great news imv fairweather...

cheers for that.

APOB running one at Dundalk here aceform...

got some nice entries.

Leg stretches hibb….probably a couple will surface to be Group.

Quagmire at the Curragh hibb wise to look after them

humped in the mud at Gowran park...

he wouldn't have ran it unless Dundalk was available...

good to see imv...

promising horses running on a nice surface and not in gluepots...

well i think so at least.

Galway...

not Gowran Park.

Iv no issues regarding the sand for untapped purposes but not Group races…..

Young Joe uses Dundalk a lot

APOB got one in the 7.30 aceform...

big thumbs up for the surface i'd suggest.

I don’t disagree with introduction hibb they train on the surface,his barn will have all types….

I thought you would be at Musselburgh,nice walk,brolly,pint or coffee and fresh air….

no chance aceform...

you'll be doing well to see me at any racecourse ever again.

Probably take in Perth this season if the weather is good,too far away from local tracks now,enjoyed my time but became unbearable…

Hamilton last year a one off,too noisy…..

not my scene at all tbh.

good to see Godolphin with 2 Guineas entries at kempton tomorrow aceform...

nice to see them running what they must consider decent prospects on a synthetic surface ?

Like I say hibb I can’t disagree with that…..good season ahead

another nice one for AOPB on the synthetics aceform...

good to see imv.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRv4cdZxTdQ&list=RDrgFBAcakdYY&index=8

hibbys one hit wonder.

pity the Curragh didn't have a synthetic track (easily enough room to build one)...

oh well...

lots of thumb twiddling in Ireland today...

fair enough.

Brisbane flooded...

Sydney flooded...

to think 'waterlogging' is a one-off thing is for the birds...

but as usual backward Britain sucks it's teeth and scratches it's @rse.

APOB got one at Chelmsford aceform...

synthetics again.

nice to see good horses running on a sound surface today...

can you imagine if these races were on the turf today ?