Departures 2010

Yes very odd, I remember watching the race & nothing seemed to happen within the race itself, nothing on the RP race wrap up but is listed as having died on his race record.
 
Hope Road died yesterday at Sandown after he had received veterinary treatment for some time, probably the best part of an hour.
 
Funny you should say that, I thought Jody Sole should have received a ban earlier on for not pulling up Distant Thunder in the Military race - the horse was completely out on his feet approaching two out and I was pleasantly surprised to see him jump cleanly over the remaining two fences.
 
I don't think it was Jody Sole's finest moment in the saddle and he's not exactly lacking experience. He should know better.

The whole of that Military race was run at an end to end gallop - not sure what Sally Randell was doing on Oakfield Legend.

The ride on Scott's Dragoon was perfection in the race though - should be shown to all budding jockeys.
 
Last year Sally Randell won the race on Oakfield Legend by scorching off in front in very similar fashion as she did yesterday only this year they didn't give her as much rope and she didn't draw anywhere near as far clear as she did last!
 
McLernon got eight days for not taking HOPE ROAD out of the race and I believe he was still thumping the poor beast right up to his exhausted fall. And today he's whining about the ban - never mind 'sorry for seeing off your horse' to the owner. I'm sick to death of seeing so many plainly knackered, jelly-legged animals being whacked to come in 10th this season. We've had nothing but holding ground almost everywhere bar Ffos Las, where it looked like the M4 - a shockingly short cut of grass - and some of these little bastards ought to be PU their horses a great deal sooner than they are. If the runt had PU a couple out, the poor bloody nag might be alive today. (Although not for much longer if McMoron rode him again.)
 
Well, most jockeys piss us off at some time or another, judging by the criticisms aimed at them most days on here and elsewhere, Colin. Mostly it's about ill-judged/allegedly dodgy/lazy/inept rides. But sometimes something like this occurs - fortuitously, not very often. But the little twerp was still going for the gusto when, according to reports by other people I've seen, the horse was legless. If you don't know when your horse has had enough, you're a crap judge of riding, and perhaps ought to take a refresher before being allowed back up. I imagine that everyone on here who's ridden racehorses at all - competitively, for exercise, etc. - has a pretty good idea as to when their horse is or isn't going well. You see jockeys pulling up very suddenly when all they've heard is a bit of a noise. This little wazzock should've PU well before he caused his horse to fall over and die. Jesus, racing's meant to be fun, a sport, whatever - not a duel to the death in the Coliseum.
 
Very well put Krizon. It is a sport and one that I love to watch but not when it is clear that horses are being pushed beyond their physical limitations. I didn't see the race where Hope Road died but I read the report. Jockey should be ashamed for his behaviour and he brings the sport into disrepute.
 
The ground at Sandown wasn't holding on Friday, Kri. It was originally given as good, good to firm in places until half an hour before the first when it changed to good all round after a few showers.

I didn't notice the ride given to Hope Road at that stage to be honest but as I said before, Jody Sole certainly didn't cover himself in glory in the military race.
 
No, I heard the ground wasn't that bad at Sandown, Shadz - I did say 'almost' everywhere, although I did think Ffos Las looked awful, nearly bald as a coot, and nary a divot cut.
 
Sadly, yes - Henderson's PROUD PRESENCE, Felix de Giles up. Was out of my sightline when he went, but as Harry Hawkins's dreaded knacker van was down the straight a bit sharpish, I feared the worst, which it was. Big shame - all looked to be going well at the time, so don't quite know how the injury occurred. Assume he fell. We had quite a day of Fs and some spectacular URs, particularly in the 6th, where I didn't think my colleague at the top of the straight and I would stop telling each other by radio about the latest loose horse. Weird - the going was absolutely gorgeous - terrific spring underfoot, 10mm of rain/watering, so perfect G-GS, and where they've gone through glue up to now, hoicking themselves out of fetlock-deep goo in places, they've chucked themselves all over the place today!
 
Given the amount of staff Ch.4 has on show, surely one of them might have put up their bins and checked the numbercloths of the two loose horses carrying on, unharmed, at the back of the field? What the hell's the point of having at least six staff on the ground if none of them has the wit to do that? Jeez, it really isn't that difficult to do! Perhaps they were too busy scoffing the free refreshments in the Press Box to give a damn. A very poor, amateurish error.
 
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The fact that no horse with a noseband was running loose meant I initally feared the worst for Casey Jones. Often, it's the horse who gets brought down who comes off worse given the speed at which he crashed. And he took one of those bad 'uns..

What an awful day for the Meade yard.....
 
It sounded like a very nasty three-way smash, with KNOWHERE the villain, bringing two down. Very sad indeed for the Meade yard, the emotional downer must be even worse when hopes are so high for these big events.
 
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