BHA

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Digger

At the Start
Joined
Sep 17, 2009
Messages
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Paul Bittar replacement is going to be Nick Rust of Ladbrokes??? Thats really going to benefit racing! FFS.
 
You could both be right but there's another way you could look at this. Rust may also fit the bill of poacher turned gamekeeper and presumably sold his credentials on that basis. It's just possible he could turn out to be a shrewd appointment.

By the way Dave, I'm up in your neck of the woods for the week next week. Are you and Austin Powers up for sharing some Paddy Power notes over a pint or two?!
 
Maruco said:
You could both be right but there's another way you could look at this. Rust may also fit the bill of poacher turned gamekeeper and presumably sold his credentials on that basis. It's just possible he could turn out to be a shrewd appointment.

By the way Dave, I'm up in your neck of the woods for the week next week. Are you and Austin Powers up for sharing some Paddy Power notes over a pint or two?!
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I'm sure something can be arranged... we are away to Chelts on Thursday night tho. Drop me a PM.

Back to this though... there is no other way to look at it. We already have the bald clown running the tote (and killing it for his own profit), and now the BHA whose main job is to protect and promote the sport bring in a Bookie to run it. We can look forward to another 20 AW tracks.
 
What a load of shite. I'm sure the man is capable of having independent thoughts rather than what he did in his previous roles. He's a big racehorse fan/owner/punter and he'll have his own ideas about how to run the place. He's being paid £350k by the BHA, not Ladbrokes.

At least give him a chance to run the place before dismissing him. You're worse than football fans.

The BHA need more betting people running it, the sooner they realise that without anyone betting on racing, the game is finished, the better. Rust might just bring some of that thinking to the role.
 
Gamla Stan said:
What a load of shite. I'm sure the man is capable of having independent thoughts rather than what he did in his previous roles. He's a big racehorse fan/owner/punter and he'll have his own ideas about how to run the place. He's being paid £350k by the BHA, not Ladbrokes.

At least give him a chance to run the place before dismissing him. You're worse than football fans.

The BHA need more betting people running it, the sooner they realise that without anyone betting on racing, the game is finished, the better. Rust might just bring some of that thinking to the role.
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Yeh 55 race nights at Great Leighs - just what the sport needs!!:whistle:
 
I don't doubt that Rust is a very able man, but surely there was other candidates who have not spent their career to date with one of the big bookmakers.
 
Digger said:
Yeh 55 race nights at Great Leighs - just what the sport needs!!:whistle:
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What has Nick Rust got to do with that exactly?

It's a new racecourse who applied for fixtures in the process. They aren't new fixtures, they've been taken from other courses (mainly Kempton) due to them offering more prize money.
 
chroniclandlord said:
I don't doubt that Rust is a very able man, but surely there was other candidates who have not spent their career to date with one of the big bookmakers.
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I couldn't care where he'd worked before, it's your qualities and experience of business which count whether that's for John Lewis, McDonalds or Ladbrokes. If Rachel Hood has approved him, he's hardly going to be a bookmakers stooge, the woman's a group one nutter in her crusade against bookmakers.
 
Gamla Stan said:
What has Nick Rust got to do with that exactly?

It's a new racecourse who applied for fixtures in the process. They aren't new fixtures, they've been taken from other courses (mainly Kempton) due to them offering more prize money.
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Its an example of the way the sport is going. Fred is allowed to dictate a new race course, fixtures and all to assist the profits of his firm. Too many races, poor quality, and all to fill up the schedule for bookies. The sport is going the same way as Dog racing.
 
Gamla Stan said:
I couldn't care where he'd worked before, it's your qualities and experience of business which count whether that's for John Lewis, McDonalds or Ladbrokes. If Rachel Hood has approved him, he's hardly going to be a bookmakers stooge, the woman's a group one nutter in her crusade against bookmakers.
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But his experience is all with betting frims in one shape or other....
 
The problem is the bookies are the only ones putting any money in to fund the vast majority of the races - breeders fund through the EBF, sales houses will only fund auction races for horses sold at their auctions, studs fund the odd listed race but won't stick any £££ in elsewhere and the vast majority (if not all) the levy which is what makes up most of the prize money comes from bookmakers.
 
Irish Stamp said:
The problem is the bookies are the only ones putting any money in to fund the vast majority of the races - breeders fund through the EBF, sales houses will only fund auction races for horses sold at their auctions, studs fund the odd listed race but won't stick any £££ in elsewhere and the vast majority (if not all) the levy which is what makes up most of the prize money comes from bookmakers.
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Agreed. And thats the cycle that has to be stopped.
 
The levy comes via bookmakers, not from them, and the betting public (who finance it) are more likely to be left even further out in the cold as a result of this appointment.
 
Grasshopper said:
What's your alternative, sunshine? *

* Please note that unworkable, pie-in-the-sky offerings, will be dismissed at source.
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The answer is simple, workable, provides better prize money and is not beholden to the bookmakers. Ireland have been doing it for a few years, too.
 
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Grasshopper said:
What's your alternative, sunshine? *

* Please note that unworkable, pie-in-the-sky offerings, will be dismissed at source.
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Nationalise the Tote. Zero tax. All profits back into racing. (Free wifi at tracks - but only for access to Tote Online.)
Regulate the off course bookmakers so they can;t hide behind Off shore tax breaks. Ensure the money earned through racing is pumped back into racing. The levy is pretty much an optional payment now for most bookmakers.
Huge tax breaks for owners
Reduce fixture list.
Someone with basic excel skills to take over the programme book.

Bonuses for "entires" winning NH races. ;-)
 
Digger said:
Nationalise the Tote. Zero tax. All profits back into racing. (Free wifi at tracks - but only for access to Tote Online.)
Regulate the off course bookmakers so they can;t hide behind Off shore tax breaks. Ensure the money earned through racing is pumped back into racing. The levy is pretty much an optional payment now for most bookmakers.
Huge tax breaks for owners
Reduce fixture list.
Someone with basic excel skills to take over the programme book.

Bonuses for "entires" winning NH races. ;-)
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How much money would all that generate? The government are trying to regulate the offshore bookmakers, it's not the job of racing.

Also, do you think reducing the fixture list would increase levy and media rights given they are the two prime ways which racing is funded?

Owners already get huge tax breaks in the VAT scheme!
 
Also, still failed to point out how any of these issues link with Nick Rust being a bad appointment?
 
Gamla Stan said:
Also, still failed to point out how any of these issues link with Nick Rust being a bad appointment?
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He has lived and breathed gambling for almost all of his professional career. I can't imagine him trying his best to get more money out the people that have looked after him for so long. He will be hugely influenced by the Bookmakers. The appointment to me looks like the BHA giving in and accepting that the bookies run racing so lets jump in and make the best of it. Bookies owning tracks, bookies owning the tote, bookies running the BHA. There now appears to be an acceptance that Horse Racing is just gambling.
 
Digger said:
There now appears to be an acceptance that Horse Racing is just gambling.
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Well for a start, it is. The two most successful Totes in the world (seen as you're a fan of totes) in Hong Kong and Japan put betting at the heart of every single decision they make.

Bookmakers don't run racing, the racecourses do.

I think his £350k a year salary from the BHA might help keep his mind independent too.

Also, please explain how your aforementioned ideas plus reducing the fixture list would improve racing's finances?
 
Gamla Stan said:
Well for a start, it is. The two most successful Totes in the world (seen as you're a fan of totes) in Hong Kong and Japan put betting at the heart of every single decision they make.

Bookmakers don't run racing, the racecourses do.

I think his £350k a year salary from the BHA might help keep his mind independent too.

Also, please explain how your aforementioned ideas plus reducing the fixture list would improve racing's finances?
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My point was if you are going to make Gambling THE source of revenue for racing you must be able to dictate that level of funding. You cannot do that with off shore now. Its unenforcable under current regulations. (and the government arent fixing that)

Reduce the fixture list and improve the quality of the races that take place. Increases revenue over all as more people are encouraged, to Watch, Enter, and ofcourse Punt.
 
Digger said:
Reduce the fixture list and improve the quality of the races that take place. Increases revenue over all as more people are encouraged, to Watch, Enter, and ofcourse Punt.
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the people racing is being aimed at for future revenue don't want less fixtures though..they probably want more so that when they want to go racing..there is actually some on

the average punter don't care what level of racing is..irrelevant

the only people that want less racing are fanatics that don't like AW weather racing and want it scrapped from what i can see..coz its too much like hard work analysing it.

the only people bothered about whether its G1 flat races or AW weather 0-60's..or Nh fodder which is basically in the main flat selling horses jumping twigs:).... is folk like us on here..no one else cares

racing is racing to average Joe
 
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EC1 said:
the people racing is being aimed at for future revenue don't want less fixtures though..they probably want more so that when they want to go racing..there is actually some on

the average punter don't care what level of racing is..irrelevant

the only people that want less racing are fanatics that don't like AW weather racing and want it scrapped from what i can see..coz its too much like hard work analysing it.

the only people bothered about whether its G1 flat races or AW weather 0-60's..or Nh fodder which is basically in the main flat selling horses jumping twigs:).... is folk like us on here..no one else cares

racing is racing to average Joe
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Would you not agree that more people go and watch say G1 Chase than a seller the following week? Why do only 50 people turn up at Wolves?

The people that dont care are the guys sitting on stools in shops.

I'm sure Great Lieghs will be rammed every night as Fred reckons there a HUGE requirement for the course and the fixtures in that part of the world.
 
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