Death throes

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yorick

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I’m afraid we are seeing the death throes of NH chase racing in this country.

Day after day of 3/4 runner fields and where 6/7 runners are now seen as standard.

Pathetic prizes, trainers who won’t run their horses because the ground is too soft/not soft enough.

It’s getting to the point of no return.

I looked at racing today and thought: pathetic, why bother? Tomorrow too.

Then we get that stupid poll on RP website about racing. At last, I thought. Then we find it’s just about affordability checks and the Racing Post. No questions asking what we, the punters, think of the racing we’re given.

I’m betting less and less on the racing I once loved.
 
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so you don't care about the horses welfare? Running a horse on unsuitable ground is worse than the use of the whip will ever be.

The fact is on a normal day whether a race has 15 runners or 5 runners the amount bet on either race comes out about the same so racing doesn't seem to lose any revenue from betting.

We got two of the most exciting horses since Sprinter Sacre graced the turf about to run in the Champion Hurdle and the Gold Cup which punters are discussing 24/7 somewhere around the globe.

NH racing dying?..No offence but I.heard it a million times from negative people since the day Arkle was retired.
 
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If the climate does change NH racing is in trouble nqat

The main reason we have the sport in the first place in UK, ROI and France is we have a wet North Atlantic climate

Nowhere else in the World bar maybe NZ has jumps racing

Quick ground= more injuries and fatalities and it will eventually be banned, won't be yet though but 15-20 yrs down the line things will look different
 
I think you have lost the plot ?????? Hewick just won the Grand National Hurdle Stakes At Far Hills in the USA a few months ago Ron Barry won the Colonial Cupin the USA twice on Grand Canyon in the 70's. so it's been going on for years

Australia also has several jump meeting inclding the $125k The Australian Steeplechase is a 3900m steeplechase race held at Sandown.

What about France we buy jumpers from there all the time and you can add Canada Germany and that Velká whatsitsname? is a famous cross-country steeplechase run Czech Republic.
 
Although I doubt that grandstands would be overflowing if there was no betting I think the balance has got well out of kilter. It should be (and was) that betting is an adjunct to the racing, but it has steadily become that the racing is an adjunct to the betting - and betting has a big capital B at that. The BHA seem in thrall to the betting industry and need to get back to putting the sport first and foremost.
 
I wish you would all stop trying to change thins because it's ina better position now than ever. Like ahorse once he hits peak fitness the only way is down.

Cheltenham broke all records last year with 280,000 people attending 69,000 in the first day.

In fear of accidents due to overcrowding they have reduced the limit to 274,000 this year.
 
And long may it remain so, Tan. It’s underneath that needs attention. If I could look down from my heavenly cloud (or up from my tub of boiling oil) in fifty years time I wonder if Cheltenham will still rank as the premier festival, or will it be to the DRF as Aintree is to Cheltenham now.
 
Tanlic said:
so you don't care about the horses welfare? Running a horse on unsuitable ground is worse than the use of the whip will ever be.

The fact is on a normal day whether a race has 15 runners or 5 runners the amount bet on either race comes out about the same so racing doesn't seem to lose any revenue from betting.

We got two of the most exciting horses since Sprinter Sacre graced the turf about to run in the Champion Hurdle and the Gold Cup which punters are discussing 24/7 somewhere around the globe.

NH racing dying?..No offence but I.heard it a million times from negative people since the day Arkle was retired.
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Blimey! Sounds like I’ve made you really angry with me.

It’s your assumption that I don’t care about horses’ welfare, Tan. I was thinking more about the courses, clerks of courses and going reports, actually.

As for small fields:

I wonder how many punters, like me, look for ew value in races. Or am I. Lone wolf? Is it true that punters don’t care about small fields, Nr’r and R4’s.

If you’re right in your testy reply, I should just shut up; there’s nothing wrong with NH racing and I’m a drama queen. Hmm
 
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Tanlic said:
I wish you would all stop trying to change thins because it's ina better position now than ever. Like ahorse once he hits peak fitness the only way is down.

Cheltenham broke all records last year with 280,000 people attending 69,000 in the first day.

In fear of accidents due to overcrowding they have reduced the limit to 274,000 this year.
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Cheltenham is four days of the year for the cream of NH racehorses. What about all the other days/horses?

Take today at Kelso: 2 chase races, 8 runners. And that is happening more. Are you telling me this is ok? No problem?

I’m not sure how many punters would agree with you, mate.
 
I think maybe the large numbers attending the Festival are not evidence that all’s well. A significant proportion of those have little genuine interest and don’t show racing in a particularly good light. Thinking of the ‘war on wee’ that the town council have declared.

IMO. There are several things the BHA needs to address but I don’t think the sport is in terminal decline.

The most pressing is probably the race programme which is covered on Grasshopper’s thread


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
yorick said:
Blimey! Sounds like I’ve made you really angry with me.

It’s your assumption that I don’t care about horses’ welfare, Tan. I was thinking more about the courses, clerks of courses and going reports, actually.

As for small fields:

I wonder how many punters, like me, look for ew value in races. Or am I. Lone wolf? Is it true that punters don’t care about small fields, Nr’r and R4’s.

If you’re right in your testy reply, I should just shut up; there’s nothing wrong with NH racing and I’m a drama queen. Hmm
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You a drama queen?...Don't be silly Lola:lol: I just think your statement lacked common sense. When a trainer withdraws a horse because of ground conditions are not what were posted by the clerk of the course his first thoughts are for the horse.

You run a horse who hates soft ground in heavy the harm you can do might set him back a year or if he's a horse who has a very high knee action and you've walked the course and it's like a road??? I'm sure you follow.
At this time of the year going can change dramatically in an hour.
 
Tanlic said:
..

You a drama queen?...Don't be silly Lola:lol: I just think your statement lacked common sense. When a trainer withdraws a horse because of ground conditions are not what were posted by the clerk of the course his first thoughts are for the horse.

You run a horse who hates soft ground in heavy the harm you can do might set him back a year or if he's a horse who has a very high knee action and you've walked the course and it's like a road??? I'm sure you follow.
At this time of the year going can change dramatically in an hour.
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Trouble is, the problem hasn’t reared it’s ugly head only ‘at this time of year’. The issue is long-running and has covered all sorts of ground.

Whatever the causes, something needs to be done. The chase programme, in particular, is reeling.

Of course, I would never espouse running a horse on ground detrimental to his well being.
 
yorick said:
Cheltenham is four days of the year for the cream of NH racehorses. What about all the other days/horses?

Take today at Kelso: 2 chase races, 8 runners. And that is happening more. Are you telling me this is ok? No problem?

I’m not sure how many punters would agree with you, mate.
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You simply don't get fast ground in Feb. Re Kelso: when the first entries were made the ground was not fast and no trainer would expect it to be so most would be entering horses who like a bit of cut in the ground. The ground dried up and so did the amount of horses left in. Got so bad at Fakenham they had to abandon.(hard ground)

Maybe you and the punters should put more thought into statements before making them and go have alook at attendance reports which will tell you the averages have barely changed over the last 10years.
 
Maybe it would be a good idea if you were to read and respond to my post.

I’ve already made the point that nrs and small fields is not simply about good ground in Feb but all sorts of ground all through the Nh winter season.

To make me out as some kind of shallow dolt making comments I haven’t thought out is a little premature my friend.

Nrs has been a long running bone of contention for a long time, due, in no small measure, to the introduction of 48 hr decs in order to promote British racing (gambling) overseas.

Perhaps you may notice that the issues of low prize money and an over subscribed racing calendar have also outstayed their welcome if, indeed, they were ever welcome in the first place.

To be accused of swimming in the shallow waters of intellectual rigour is a bit much, tbf.
 
reet hard said:
I'd doubt 48 hour decs have any effect upon field sizes, at all?
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I would wonder what makes you write that, reet.

It is a moot point.

One reason that clouds the provision of evidence is that the stats that the BHA will provide on nrs will only go as far back as when 48 hour decs began but not include the years before. Why is that? And whatever the answer to this question, their refusal hardly lends itself to transparency.
 
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Well, what about tomorrow at Muss? The going: g/sft good in places but, regardless of how that changes, there are two chase races and a total of 7 runners declared. Probably nrs to come too☹️
 
yorick said:
I would wonder what makes you write that, reet.

It is a moot point.

One reason that clouds the provision of evidence is that the stats that the BHA will provide on nrs will only go as far back as when 48 hour decs began but not include the years before. Why is that? And whatever the answer to this question, their refusal hardly lends itself to transparency.
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Not a moot point really, Going,cough or illness, none of them would have run anyway.
 
Well, predicting the going is much more difficult 48hrs in advance. So you leave the horse declared then pull it out on the day. If you could declare 24 hrs in advance, you’d have a much clearer idea of what the race-day going would be, then not declare it if the going was obviously going to be unsuitable,:rolleyes:
 
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