British Jumps Racing in Crisis

barjon

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Interesting article by Richard Newland in RacingTV https://www.racingtv.com/news/dr-richard-newland-column-british-jumps-horse-racing-in-crisis

Don’t think I agree with his suggestions - seems defeatist to bar the opposition from competing and does nothing to address the underlying problems. At the highest level too many of the UK top owners are choosing to centre their operations in Ireland. Why? Answer that and only then can you take action to reverse the trend.

At the low levels, God knows how anyone can survive on prizes that can’t do a lot more than cover expenses.
 
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Ramblings of a mad man there! He would also want to be very careful with his insinuations regarding drug testing and could find himself in legal proceedings very quickly.

Typical entitled attitude, ignore the actual problem, and blame everyone else.

Dublin Racing Festival is already threatening to take over from Cheltenham as the main event of the calendar, the shite he's proposed here would be the final nail in the coffin.

Maybe the Premier League should ban all Spanish and German managers while yer at it give the locals a fighting chance [emoji1787]
 
It usually costs less to have a horse trained in Ireland. Prize-money, especially at the lower levels, is up to twice as much in Ireland. Go figure.
 
Just looking at the as ot card today...I wouldn't cross the road to attend the meeting...I don't know what can be done about these death trap meetings where the chances of picking 1 winner are remote at best. To entertain racegoers the want their selections to be involved and at least look like they might win...for that a 6 horse race round Hexam appeals more to me than watching the lack of trustworthy runners at Ascot today
 
Just looking at the as ot card today...I wouldn't cross the road to attend the meeting...I don't know what can be done about these death trap meetings where the chances of picking 1 winner are remote at best. To entertain racegoers the want their selections to be involved and at least look like they might win...for that a 6 horse race round Hexam appeals more to me than watching the lack of trustworthy runners at Ascot today

Back in the day Ascot had two end of season cards which were run on Wednesdays and covered by BBC.i can remember Desert Orchid carrying top weight in a novices handicap chase and giving an absolute exhibition of jumping until he clouted one.
 
1987Peregrine Chase at Ascot -Dessie wins carrying 12st 4lbs conceding 36lbs to runner-up.Just watched it on YouTube.
 
Another example of racing (particularly chasing) in crisis.

Hereford: 9 Nr's all quoted 'going' as the reason. It's just soft ground. The 3.10 reduced to 5 runners from 9 (2 places), the 4.10 reduced from 10 runners to 7 (2 places).

Racing has the everyday punter over a barrel. I won't bother today - again.
 
Hereford is a glorified point to point track these days. Relative strength in the market is more important than form.
 
Another example of racing (particularly chasing) in crisis.

Hereford: 9 Nr's all quoted 'going' as the reason. It's just soft ground. The 3.10 reduced to 5 runners from 9 (2 places), the 4.10 reduced from 10 runners to 7 (2 places).:D

Racing has the everyday punter over a barrel. I won't bother today - again.
Just 3 AW meetings Friday - decs already published,and unlikely t be non-runners owing to going changes.
Plenty of time to study the form,too.
Why not fill yer boots? :D
 
You mean like the 14/1 shot that just hosed up? Plenty of both pink and blue on oddschecker.

According to Irish Racing he touched a High of 28/1 with the bookies this morning and was backed from 20/1 to 14/1 on the show.I'd say he was well found in the market.
 
Just 3 AW meetings Friday - decs already published,and unlikely t be non-runners owing to going changes.
Plenty of time to study the form,too.
Why not fill yer boots? :D

NH is my thing , especially chases and they have been decimated of late.

I hardly ever back on the AW; I don't follow the form so wouldn't be studying with any knowledge. The fact is, I really miss NH racing, more and more. My 'edge' has always been watching and following chasers and over 3m and above but the fields have got so small, there's no ew 'wriggle' anymore; little value to be found. It's dire.
 
Sympathise.Yorick - but 48 hr decs appear to be a permanent fixture and vewed as a boon by the majority,including the BHA's paymasters.
 
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Sympathise.Yorick - but 48 hr decs appear to be a permanent fixture and vewed as a boon by the majority,including the BHA's paymasters.


It seems they were introduced to generate income by selling race cards overseas in an industry that is short on levy since bookies went off-shore.

Nowadays, in search of prize money, horseracing looks to bookies to sponsor races. Unfortunately, the bookmakers are not concerned with racing roots, only income generated by more races over short distances so that their cards generate more profit turnover. Hence bigger race cards, more AW flat, races up to 1m in abundance. So we see now see races timed at, for instance 2.12 for instance, so that more races can be pressed into a meeting.

Such things as 3m and 3m+ chases are of no use to them; they want races that turn over quickly not a 3m chase that can take 5-6 minutes but a 5-6f sprints that take a minute to complete then on to the next one.

My bookmaker, old school trained, told me that bookies hate, most of all, the 'dead eight' runners in a race: three places and eight runners. Is it a coincidence that we see so many 5-7 runner fields, I wonder?

The BHA is craven, in my opinion, and goes cap-in-hand when trying to sell its product.

The bookies? They're not interested in racing per se; they'd just as soon televise two flies racing down a wall so long as it produces profit (and what profit!!). They collared greyhounds years ago: 6 dogs racing around an empty stadium.

Great. Welcome to the future, my friends.
 
You’ve nailed it there, yo. The BHA seem to have forgotten that their fundamental purpose is to protect and foster the sport. Like most nowadays they’ve become hard wired to the £ sign.
 
Seems it's easier to allow the bookies to run racing, rather than furnishing an income stream thay will restore control to where it should be.
A monster created by their own ineptitude.
 
It seems they were introduced to generate income by selling race cards overseas in an industry that is short on levy since bookies went off-shore.

Nowadays, in search of prize money, horseracing looks to bookies to sponsor races. Unfortunately, the bookmakers are not concerned with racing roots, only income generated by more races over short distances so that their cards generate more profit turnover. Hence bigger race cards, more AW flat, races up to 1m in abundance. So we see now see races timed at, for instance 2.12 for instance, so that more races can be pressed into a meeting.

Such things as 3m and 3m+ chases are of no use to them; they want races that turn over quickly not a 3m chase that can take 5-6 minutes but a 5-6f sprints that take a minute to complete then on to the next one.

My bookmaker, old school trained, told me that bookies hate, most of all, the 'dead eight' runners in a race: three places and eight runners. Is it a coincidence that we see so many 5-7 runner fields, I wonder?

The BHA is craven, in my opinion, and goes cap-in-hand when trying to sell its product.

The bookies? They're not interested in racing per se; they'd just as soon televise two flies racing down a wall so long as it produces profit (and what profit!!). They collared greyhounds years ago: 6 dogs racing around an empty stadium.

Great. Welcome to the future, my friends.

Regarding your comment about the dead 8 runners -I wonder is that old school thinking.It is fairly hard to find an each way bet to nothing these days.
 
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