Departures 2010

Yes, and Anabel's owners tend to adore their horses, as does she. As for poor Richie Killoran on board the German-bred FAIRYLAND, can't imagine what a downer that has to be after the thrill of knowing you have your first ride at the Festival. For some lads it's been their wildest dream come true - in this case, his worst imagining.
 
LAW AND ORDER, age 4, trying his fourth attempt at hurdling at Plumpton for Julia Tooth. That feckin useless RP analysis has him 'broke down, pulled up', so I assume the RP's analyst watched the race between cups of tea and biscuits at home. He clouted the last flight in the back straight pretty hard and came past us at the railway crossing with James Davies seemingly unaware that the horse's leg, just above the near hind fetlock, was already flapping. The bog which passed as 'Soft' (yeah, right) slowed him down, but it was surprising how far the horse travelled on three legs and a broken bone. He was PTS soon enough, Julia in attendance.

To my thinking, here's a horse which probably should've been sent straight from the Flat to Any Other Job than racing. He was a poor Flat horse and his three tries at hurdling until his death today were UFP (from memory - might have the order wrong).

I was surprised more horses weren't PU with overstrikes or other injuries today, as the ground was literally sliding away from their footfall. The front-of-foot shear took out massive pieces of turf and by the time the fourth was being run, the 'Soft' areas (for which read holding, sticky, goo) looked like a Rotovator had gone mad over them.
 
In defence of the analysts, well at least in the case of the PA ones, they are no longer on-course as they are not being paid to be. It's not really their fault they have to do it from home - most of the ones I've spoken to would rather go back to doing it on-course - since any expense payments for going on-course were stopped last year.
 
No shit! I was only kidding! I really thought that, given the amount of Press guys who sign in at the O/T+jockeys+Press desks as representing the RP, that at least one of them was there to write on-the-spot reports. Now, that explains a lot, Shadz. See, all these dumbo cutbacks result in a poorer product - whether it's banks, hospitals, or RP reportage! I'll take it back to a degree - other than it's the RP which is at fault rather than their hacks.
 
Fair point, Shadow. How can their reports be called "On-the-spot" if their reporters are watching from miles away and only getting the same information as we ordinary viewers and punters. No wonder the standards are slipping if the RP won't pay for first-hand information.
 
I got aerated enough about this slipshod attitude to e-mail ATR last night, asking if they'd like to raise the issue with the next RP guest on their show. We'll see if it's ever done, or if it's just another 'one hand washes the other' situation, where no-one raises any hard questions, ever, in racing.
 
In fairness Krizon, that'd be a particularly ridiculous course of action. The RP guest is more than likely to be a journalist who is equally horrified about the whole thing and is then being put in a position to criticise his employers on air. How awkward would that be for them?! It's clearly a decision being made by the money men who won't be appearing on ATR or anywhere near you....
 
Not if you phrase the questioning in a non-threatening way, Bobbyjo. It's not like you're going to nut them with something that backs them into a corner. For example, "We've had some questions put to us as to why, when on-course presenters can often - although not always - inform viewers about the outcome of fallen horses, the RP's Analysis now seems not to contain this information at all? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought analysts were at the courses to report back on the full day's activities, from the winners through to why favourites might've been beaten - you know, bled from the nose, et cetera, to whether what was last seen as a horse down after a jump was just winded, or whether anything else occurred. Has anything changed?"

Don't see anything ridiculous about that. The alternative is for everyone to remain schtum and just accept less information all the time. Where else will the RP cut back? TV channels devoted to racing, making all of their money from the industry, ought to be able to challenge anything, any time. If you think asking an RP guest is ridiculous, let them ask the RP's management which made the decision to make cutbacks to reporting staff. I'd like to see the channels as leading the way in a modern world, rather than as sycophantic lackeys.
 
Some good news on this thread, for a change:

L'Aventure has been retired to the paddocks after running a fine second in the John Smith's Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter. The 11-year-old, whose finest hour came when winning the 2005 Welsh National for Paul Nicholls, has enjoyed a fine season having won Scottish Borders National at Kelso and filled the runner-up spot at the weekend.

Current trainer Nick Williams was thrilled with her performance but connections have decided now is the right time to let her bow out.

"She ran a brilliant race and it was absolutely fantastic to watch," said Williams.
"It was a great effort from the front but that will be her last run and she's going to stud now.

"It would have been a fairytale to have ended up with a win but it wasn't to be and what ever happened, we'd already decided that was going to be her last race.
"At least she's going out on a bit of a high and she's been a great mare."

L'Aventure won nine of her 58 career starts and was placed a further 19 times, amassing over £330,000 in win and place prize-money.
 
Excellent! That's some serious prize money, that's for sure. She's not young to start breeding, but I wonder if the plan might be for her to visit a nice NH sire?
 
I might have been misunderstood Kri - the RP 'on the spot' reporters (or whatever they're called!) do operate on-course. It is the close up and analysis guys who don't always work from the track, the ones employed by the PA at least.
 
Yes, I was meaning the Analysis people, Shadz, not the reporters who do the post-parade interviews. So my whinge still holds up - if the RP won't pay them enough to find out the full analysis, then just call it 'comments in running', but it's not a real analysis of the day's action. I suppose the reporters, where they're employed, could add a note of horses taken out of action (I'm not obsessed with dead ones! - any of them going off lame or likely to be out of the frame for some time are useful to know about) in their day's wrap. I like to know everything about the horses we see - who's back from a lonnnng lay-off, who's done well in PtPs before the day's debut chase, etc., and I feel it's just an integral part of reporting on racing to include who's in, and who's out.

I guess I also don't like the idea that the farther fringes of 'animal rights' will point their fingers even more and say we're trying to hide injuries (fatal or not) from the public. Cue even more outrageously wrong stats from them, etc. Just stick the info up, and be done with it, I think.
 
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redhead said:
Some good news on this thread, for a change:

L'Aventure has been retired to the paddocks after running a fine second in the John Smith's Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter. The 11-year-old, whose finest hour came when winning the 2005 Welsh National for Paul Nicholls, has enjoyed a fine season having won Scottish Borders National at Kelso and filled the runner-up spot at the weekend.

Current trainer Nick Williams was thrilled with her performance but connections have decided now is the right time to let her bow out.

"She ran a brilliant race and it was absolutely fantastic to watch," said Williams.
"It was a great effort from the front but that will be her last run and she's going to stud now.

"It would have been a fairytale to have ended up with a win but it wasn't to be and what ever happened, we'd already decided that was going to be her last race.
"At least she's going out on a bit of a high and she's been a great mare."

L'Aventure won nine of her 58 career starts and was placed a further 19 times, amassing over £330,000 in win and place prize-money.
Click to expand...

I'll remember her fondly. I backed her when she won the Welsh National (although I did just sort of stick a pin in) and again when she won at Kelso this season.

She ran a good race last weekend, too. Hope she stays happy and healthy.
 
Like I said Kri, I can't guarantee that it is always the case with the RP analysis/close-up writers but I do know that the PA guys no longer do it from the track very often.
 
Black Eyed Susan cracked her pelvis and severed an artery, she bled internally and despite every effort by Con Kennedy in Leopardstown, they were unable to save her.
 
Narcotic Nora said:
Black Eyed Susan cracked her pelvis and severed an artery, she bled internally and despite every effort by Con Kennedy in Leopardstown, they were unable to save her.
Click to expand...

I heard that alright - saw her being walked away after just crossing the finish line with Heffernan not to concerned. Obviously did not realise what was actually happening.
 
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