trudij
Senior Jockey
AH - its OK... If Gordon Brown says they left quite a print, its bound to be wrong 
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Eight race cards
- Thread starter Shadow Leader
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Irish Stamp
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We had nine at Plumpton in May - if you include the Mascot's Derby and the two pony races :lol:
Shadow Leader
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Yes, which is all completely different to having 8 races on oft-sodden winter ground. I don't expect that the good, good to firm in places ground at Kelso will be decimated like softer ground would undoubtedly be.
IS: I think some of the mascots left a pretty hefty dent where they fell over!
Shadz, we're only talking of ONE more race and half-an-hour! It isn't going to be that much worse. The good news is that Kelso's going to have another 8-race day in November, so perhaps we'll see how your theory stands up - although as much was made of their thick grass, perhaps it'll take a heckova lot of rain to permeate it much.
Shadz, we're only talking of ONE more race and half-an-hour! It isn't going to be that much worse. The good news is that Kelso's going to have another 8-race day in November, so perhaps we'll see how your theory stands up - although as much was made of their thick grass, perhaps it'll take a heckova lot of rain to permeate it much.
Shadow Leader
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My main point over the ground issue is that the ground is bad enough as it is; cumulative effects of over-racing and over-watering has wrecked the ground at enough tracks as it is without the cumulative effects of extra eighth races being run to tear up sodden ground as it is.
As an example, one year (I think it was the season before last but I can't be sure, might have been a year earlier) there was fast-ish ground at Cheltenham prior to the November meeting. The ground at the October meeting, although reasonably fast, was in good condition and safe. Claisse made the decision to water before the November meeting, just before some heavy rain hit and the track became very soft as a result, and never truly recovered for the rest of the season. Situations like that are becoming more and more common and if anything is to be done, it is to reduce the amount of racing and watering on those tracks, not increase either! The state of the ground at tracks in general is getting worse, which has probably got a lot to do with the amount of injuries suffered.
As an example, one year (I think it was the season before last but I can't be sure, might have been a year earlier) there was fast-ish ground at Cheltenham prior to the November meeting. The ground at the October meeting, although reasonably fast, was in good condition and safe. Claisse made the decision to water before the November meeting, just before some heavy rain hit and the track became very soft as a result, and never truly recovered for the rest of the season. Situations like that are becoming more and more common and if anything is to be done, it is to reduce the amount of racing and watering on those tracks, not increase either! The state of the ground at tracks in general is getting worse, which has probably got a lot to do with the amount of injuries suffered.
I wasn't assuming that NH courses would hold 8-race meetings all the time, though - just the odd one or two in their season which, with the 6-race meets they often have, would more than even out the number of little hooves scuttling across, or through, the grass. You know, several 6 and 7-race meets, just a couple of 8's.
As far as going integrity is concerned, I agree, many courses seem to be oversanded and due to eccentricities of drained areas, etc., there's an inconsistency in the going during the course of any race. One minute they dash through some standing water, hit a few yards of sodden goo, then they're labouring uphill on well-sanded stuff, then onto much firmer ground along the highest rise, and so on. Okay, if they were hunters, they'd be contending with all kinds of crap in a day, but not at such speed, and not over so many solid obstacles (in the chases). Inconsistent going seems to be a bugbear to both hurdlers and chasers - perhaps the distance chasers can manage it a bit better, but certainly novice animals must surely find it unbalancing and difficult? Your thoughts, Shadz?
As far as going integrity is concerned, I agree, many courses seem to be oversanded and due to eccentricities of drained areas, etc., there's an inconsistency in the going during the course of any race. One minute they dash through some standing water, hit a few yards of sodden goo, then they're labouring uphill on well-sanded stuff, then onto much firmer ground along the highest rise, and so on. Okay, if they were hunters, they'd be contending with all kinds of crap in a day, but not at such speed, and not over so many solid obstacles (in the chases). Inconsistent going seems to be a bugbear to both hurdlers and chasers - perhaps the distance chasers can manage it a bit better, but certainly novice animals must surely find it unbalancing and difficult? Your thoughts, Shadz?