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Ascot Take Outs Day 5

Ian_Davies said:
Attendances and TV audience viewing figures are two different things.

Royal Ascot attendances were 5% up and imo deservedly so - it's on my doorstep and I've only ever bothered to go twice, but even the chippiest Republican Socialist šŸ˜‚ would admit Royal Ascot is light years ahead of the Cheltenham Festival and The Derby Meeting on Epsom Downs in terms of value for money.

TV is a different thing - I totally get the argument about the ITV business model, but their own numbers show they've got problems.

Millions used to watch the ITV7 on World Of Sport - yes, that was pre-internet and there were only terrestrial channels then, but a simple format of seven races, one every 15 minutes from, say, 1.30pm-3.00pm with no frills was just the ticket.

It was quick tip from the host at each meeting, card on-screen graphic, betting show on-screen graphic, the race, a replay and the result on-screen graphic then off to the next one.

As stated previously, I think Luke Harvey is a really nice bloke, but anyone who thinks things like him in a swimming pool with a top hat on is going to grow racing and boost Levy revenue needs to go easy on the happy tablets. šŸ˜‚
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I disagree.

Interest in the sport in the U.K is in decline, bar a few meetings which still draw attention, Royal Ascot. Ebor Festival, Cheltenham and Aintree. I reckon the statistics of all other meetings would show the market is not there like it was generations ago.

Some of that is just natural evolution. People change, societies change and people have less disposal income aswell, let's not forget that. You can't bet what you don't have. You can't buy tickets to the races if you don't have enough.

I agree with much of what's been said before on this thread.

I'd have the races for Royal Ascot half an hour apart, any longer is anxiety inducing.
 
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barjon said:
Yes, Ian, like many things the minority ā€œshout the loudestā€ brigade bugger it up for the vast majority. In this case trying to protect the ā€œproblem gamblerā€ is turning gambling into a dirty word, inconveniencing the vast majority and stopping many of them dead in their tracks. The rub is that many a problem gambler will just go black market, so what is undoubtedly a real problem for some is just shifted along elsewhere and remains for them.
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šŸ’Æ% agree - THIS^ is the real problem.

The USA remains an essentially libertarian country so NBC can give wall-to-wall betting coverage and no one bats an eyelid.

Racing in the UK faces an increasingly anti-gambling environment and the BHA hasn't the stomach or the nous to articulate a fight and neither has the TV channel they've sold the rights to.
 
Ian_Davies said:
Racing was proud of the betting USP as it was then.
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I think ITV said they wanted to largely move away from that aspect when they took over, part of the reason they dispensed with Graham Cunningham, Jim McGrath and Tanya Stephenson (the latter still works in the background on ITV Racing).

On the viewing figures: I looked back at last years announcement, and the disappointing aspects then were explained by competing with the Euros, meaning some races were moved to ITV4. So that makes this years figures even more disappointing. Next year, Royal Ascot competes with the World Cup, though luckily time differences of 5+ hours should help (moving race times forward could help further). Still, the focus on Football is likely to divert non-racing fans further from the racing.
 
Mr Whatoxo said:
John Rickman & Ken Butler - thereā€™s two more! and Brought Scott - oh, heā€™s still there isnā€™t he?
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I haven't seen Brough as much since he said some very bad swearwords on I.T.V a couple years back on a Saturday afternoon. He took a liberty really.

He was only on for a brief interview.

Intoxicated race goers are more well mannered than he was that day. It was a cringeworthy watch and Chamberlain shouldn't havent just apologised but give him a good telling off for it aswell.

Almost as bad as groping someone's arse on camera. It was awful. It really was.
 
Mr Whatoxo said:
John Rickman & Ken Butler - thereā€™s two more! and Brough Scott - oh, heā€™s still there isnā€™t he?
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Ken Butler was a judge!

Tbf Brough Scott had his tipping moments too (edit after TFT's comment - but I got to see what Scott was really like at the Racing Post and I'll just say I am not a fan and will leave it at that).

John Oaksey was hopeless as a tipster but tbf didn't pretend to be anything else, Derek Thompson would give you ten against the field (and still miss the winner) but mild mannered, modest Ken would give you some 12/1 shot "for a place maybe" which either won or what beat it won!

My Dad was a big Ken Butler fan! šŸ˜‚
 
Mr Whatoxo said:
Thatā€™s the week to go on a cruise! šŸ˜‚
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Talking of my recent cruise.
I was away for the first three days of Royal Ascot and decided not to have a bet (problems experienced previously trying to make a bet with a UK bookmaker whilst abroad).
I was walking through the casino obviously itching to have a bet and the roulette croupier tried to make me invest on the table.
I looked at the past spins and three of the last twelve spins at resulted in zero (banker takes all).
I said "are you actually taking the pi**' and promptly walked off.
 
Ian_Davies said:
Ken Butler was a judge!
...but mild mannered, modest Ken would give you some 12/1 shot "for a place maybe" which either won or what beat it won!

My Dad was a big Ken Butler fan! šŸ˜‚
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You've sparked an old memory.

I now remember my own old man rating KB and he was not easily impressed.
 
The Fortune Teller said:
I haven't seen Brough as much since he said some very bad swearwords on I.T.V a couple years back on a Saturday afternoon. He took a liberty really.

He was only on for a brief interview.

Intoxicated race goers are more well mannered than he was that day. It was a cringeworthy watch and Chamberlain shouldn't havent just apologised but give him a good telling off for it aswell.

Almost as bad as groping someone's arse on camera. It was awful. It really was.
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It was their own fault for continually wheeling the old bastard out. Why he has so much reverence in the game I'll never know.
 
Unfortunately, Scott is historically incredibly powerful and influential in the racing media.

He grew to be a big name on the ITV7 in the 70s, became The Sunday Times racing correspondent (where he was bang average in my book) then was instrumental in the founding of the Racing Post.

Sycophancy towards Scott, without a shred of personal shame or dignity, has given various people a leg up on the racing media ladder - it's that kind of world, though other spheres are little or no better.

I actually think the most interesting things about Scott are the fact he's James Bond books author Ian Flemings's nephew and, as an amateur jockey, Scott did win an Imperial Cup on Spy Net.

I did actually think Scott was quite cool when I was an impressionable teenager and he had a few opinionated tipping moments on TV, but I saw a very different side to him in the Racing Post offices.
 
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Ian_Davies said:
Unfortunately, Scott is historically incredibly powerful and influential in the racing media.

He grew to be a big name on the ITV7 in the 70s, became The Sunday Times racing correspondent (where he was bang average in my book) then was instrumental in the founding of the Racing Post.

Sycophancy towards Scott, without a shred of personal shame or dignity, has given various people a leg up on the racing media ladder - it's that kind of world, though other spheres are little or no better.

I actually think the most interesting things about Scott are the fact he's James Bond books author Ian Flemings's nephew and, as an amateur jockey, Scott did win an Imperial Cup on Spy Net.

I did actually think Scott was quite cool when I was an impressionable teenager and he had a few opinionated tipping moments on TV, but I saw a very different side to him in the Racing Post offices.
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Take on board all you say.

That said, for someone of his calibre and knowledge he shouldn't have sworn like that on daytime television.

It was as if he knew what he was doing and making a statement. I found it very obnoxious and showed a lack of respect to his colleagues and the viewer.
 
I'm not condoning it - I'm just giving my take on

1 Why they kept inviting him on as if he was the Buddha šŸ˜‚ of broadcast racing journalism

2 Why Scott himself most likely also believed himself the Buddha of said sphere, which thus gave him permission to do whatever he liked, literally whenever he liked

and

3 Why those stood around him - some of who may have owed their actual appointment to their job to Scott - weren't ever very likely to come down hard on the racing media's religious leader šŸ˜‚
 
Nepotism is a powerful and underrated thing. What money can do is fairly transparent. The same with power, it's pretty obvious.

Nepotism and especially doing favours for those in your social class bracket is just taken as a given these days, but it leaves a lasting effect and many things wouldn't have happend without it.

It has a consequence to those not in the loop aswell, because they won't get the chances that some do.
 
It's there in every walk of life - the racing media and racing itself are probably no worse than many other spheres and industries.

And IMO there are some people who have done well through intelligence, sheer hard work and drive.

I remember working with Lydia Hislop when she was a trainee at The Sporting Life - she worked harder than half the rest of the office put together and for a fraction of what they were on.

She also had principles and walked away from a highly-paid job at the BBC because she preferred the more serious coverage given to the sport at RacingTV.

I by no means agree with everything she says, but she deserves to be exactly where she is in the racing media world.
 
You don't need to know anyone, Maurice.

I regard you as the great independent ratings/analysis lone wolf of our time. šŸ˜‚šŸ‘
 
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AAAAoooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...

You've all heard of Dances With Wolves.

My Native American name would be Farts Against Thunder.
 
Ian_Davies said:
I'm not condoning it - I'm just giving my take on

1 Why they kept inviting him on as if he was the Buddha šŸ˜‚ of broadcast racing journalism

2 Why Scott himself most likely also believed himself the Buddha of said sphere, which thus gave him permission to do whatever he liked, literally whenever he liked

and

3 Why those stood around him - some of who may have owed their actual appointment to their job to Scott - weren't ever very likely to come down hard on the racing media's religious leader šŸ˜‚
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In the early eighties not long after the Racing Post was launched and at a time when I used to attend both the Dante and Ebor meetings in full (Tue/Wed/Thu) in those days then travel to Thirsk (Fri/Sat) where I was then an annual member ((Ā£65 for 12 days racing at Thirsk 8 days racing at reciprocal courses and 10 days cricket in Yorkshire - what a steal!!!!!!).
Anyway I used to get my sporting life from the newsagents on Micklegate usually waiting for the shop to open.
One day I was talking to the newsagent who was busily getting the papers ready for the delivery boys when in marched Brough Scott ranting and raving about the Sporting Life having a more prominent position on display than the Racing Post.
My newsagent friend didn't even flinch and as Brough left calmly said " who the f**k does he think he is?"
I said " I think he owns it!!!!"
 

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