Cheltenham 2017/18

Double Handful said:
Unfortunately not, GeeYoo. Both Dresden and North Hill Harvey were fatally injured.

Such a tough game. The highs and the lows. Skeltons elated in winning the County couple hours earlier to losing their best novice chaser.
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Some Plan was lost as well, unfortunately hindered by a loose horse.
 
The weather also showed how a 5 day meeting would be unsustainable in bad weather . The carnage in the Grand Annual showed the course had become unraceable especially North Hill Harvey’s fall.
 
If they do an extra day (against it myself) they should reduce it to six races a day which means two extra races overall, possibly the two granger suggests above or maybe the final of the Veteran Chasers series to give the old boys one last day in the limelight.
 
Ardross said:
The weather also showed how a 5 day meeting would be unsustainable in bad weather . The carnage in the Grand Annual showed the course had become unraceable especially North Hill Harvey’s fall.
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It amazes me that they haven't thought to use the courses alternately. Old, New, Old, New, that way each course would get an extra days recovery and repair time.
 
They need to get shot of the Mares Novice hurdle, what a waste of time that is. The quality of racing and horse seen on Tues/Weds is far better that what you see Thurs/Fri so maybe they could mix and match that to greater effect.
 
A few of us discussed this during the week and basically agreed that there won't be a fifth day but the festival is likely to commence on the Wednesday with the Gold Cup on the Saturday. It did spilt opinion with some liking the idea and others totally against it.
 
I think that what makes the Festival special is that it is midweek and that people are taking time off work to be there. Gold Cup day is usually a sell-out so the only possible justification for moving it to Saturday would be if TV were inclined to pay more for it.
If that were the case then you may as well go the whole hog and make it Thursday (Old Course/Champion Hurdle), Friday (New Course/Ryanair&Stayers), Saturday (Old Course/Champion Chase), Sunday (New Course/Gold Cup).
 
Being a lover of hcaps i thought the 24hr decs really helped.wednesday dinner time weknew where everything was running.
I liked whisky sour and blow by blow and they were both in 3 different races so it helped once known where they were running.
 
Yes 48 hour decs were a massive help, and a very sensible move. Let's hope the trainers don't start moaning and get it reversed.
 
Yes, I agree Maurice. The argument against is the potential for change in going leading to small fields. My argument is show a genuine vets certificate or face a worthwhile fine.
 
Maruco said:
Yes 48 hour decs were a massive help, and a very sensible move. Let's hope the trainers don't start moaning and get it reversed.
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They've done it for a while, for the major NH races and for Sundays.
There's no real reason they can't do it for all races; the majority of non-runners are for going changes, and the bulk of them wouldn't run anyway. One suspects the reason they don't is jump racing's not as attractive for intenational bettors, but how do they know, unless they try?
 
From the local rag

More details have been revealed about the way the British Horseracing Authority will investigate equine deaths at the Cheltenham Festival.North Hill Harvey, Dresden, Sandsend, Mossback, Some Plan and Report To Base could not be saved after injuring themselves at last month's flagship meeting.Following the tragedies, the sport's ruling body announced it would consider what happened in a bid to reduce the risk to horses competing at the track.
This will not only look at The Festival but the racecourse's other fixtures throughout the year, of which there are eight individual meetings.

What are the aims of the review?


  • Adopt an evidence based approach to further British racing’s commitment to improving equine welfare
  • To further reduce risks to horses racing at future Cheltenham Festivals and more broadly Cheltenham racecourse
  • Demonstrate openness and transparency by publishing a review which seeks to continuously improve
  • Utilise appropriate and relevant expertise to inform the review process

What will be looked at in each case?

  • The courses
  • Obstacles
  • Participant factors
  • Starts
  • Safety factors
  • Race tempo
  • Programming and race conditions
  • Veterinary aspects

The review will be led by Brant Dunshea, the BHA’s Director of Integrity and Regulatory Operations and coordinated by Emma Marley, Head of Racecourse Operations.It will also incorporate relevant internal and external experts to assist the process, including the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare.The review is expected to be concluded in summer 2018 ahead of the start of the new jumps season in the autumn.

“As the sport’s independent regulator, the BHA has shown throughout its history that it is committed to taking measured, scientific, evidence-based steps to improve welfare standards," said Mr Dunshea.

"This has been shown in recent years by, for example, the comprehensive review of the Grand National which was published in 2011, and the ongoing improvements to racecourses which have contributed to the sport’s fatality rate falling by a third in the last 30 years. It has been extremely positive to note the manner in which Cheltenham and others in the sport have welcomed this review, which is reflective of the fact that everyone in British racing puts the welfare of its participants as the number one priority.”

The existing penalties for misuse of the whip, which are also being reviewed, will be discussed by the BHA Board before the scope and timing of the project is finalised.
 
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