Is this a wind up?

Shadow Leader

Shadow Leader

At the Start
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Nov 9, 2003
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The latest brainwave from Kempton ~ if tomorrow's meeting has to be abandoned, we'll have a go at staging it on Saturday! Erm, what about Newbury?? [if it's on?] What about organising staff - from the racecourse staff to the bookmakers to the various affiliated organisations who have to send staff (RDT, RaceTech, Judges, officials, TurfTV, catering companies) to the jockeys to the valets to the trainers to the horses to the stable staff??

I realise we all want NH racing back but this is crazy, surely? There seems to be little thought process going into making a decision like this at such a late hour. The words piss up, brewery come to mind.
 
They've been watching too many 1940s movies I think - "Let's put the show on right here!"
 
Of course there's also the possibility that Warwick will be on as well (not to mention Lingfield's AW card 45 minutes down the road from Kempton) - meaning the possibility of juggling three NH cards each within an hour of each other and the assorted headaches that would bring. Not especially practical.
 
That would suit me - better than the poxy AW card they've got planned!

I suppose if I wanted to look at it entirely selfishly I'd be happy that it doubles my chances of a day out at the races - but I've got more than two braincells to rub together so I can see the bigger picture!
 
Geographically it's pretty lucdicrous esp with both Sandown and Ascot racing the following Fri/Sat; but I guess they are reasoning that the same horses will not be entered for both Kempton and Newbury - and with all the meetings called off recently trainers are crying out to run horses as so many are missing a run, esp in the Cheltenham run-up. All the cards have massive entries right now.

So it does make some sense, in horse terms; but as you say the logistics in terms of getting a full raceday staff in at such short notice are pretty mind-boggling
 
With so many meetings cancelled in the UK this winter, if I were a trainer/owner with horses ready to run I would be thrilled that some racecourses are making the effort to stage extra meetings.
 
*offensive comment alert*

Dont they do this in backward little countries like Ireland? The difference being that when they do it there usually no great clash of fixtures.

For a bonus point, who said "backward little country like Ireland" ? (but of course didnt really mean it like that blah blah blah). There was a golliwog style furore if I remember correctly. That wasn't a clue by the way.
 
The Racing Post have now realised they made a boo-boo in missing out vital pieces of information when initially posting their report. They have now sneakily added the following sentence to their article :
However, for the transfer to take place, either Warwick or Newbury would also have to fail a Friday morning inspection - both are checking for their Saturday fixtures.
Click to expand...

Of course if, as is likely, Warwick falls tomorrow morning yet Newbury push back their inspection to Saturday morning, we could still be met with a ludicrous scenario. Even more ridiculous is that as of 1630, nobody from Kempton had even bothered to inform firms or people responsible for having to provide teams of employees to work at the track in order for racing to go ahead that they may be switching the meeting.
 
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Upson's goof , during "the race that never was", was as Peter O'Sullevan described the void Grand National of 1993, and Lynam did his bit for Irish patriotism.



"This wouldn't even happen in Ireland," moaned trainer John Upson live on air. "As I say, I go to point to points in Ireland – you know a backward little country like Ireland."



To which Lynam jumped in: ""Be careful now, I come from there," prompting an embarrassed Upson to cough up a quick U-turn: "I don't believe it is a backward country at all"
 
It seems daft to me that if Kempton can restage a meeting for another day, why can't Newbury shuffle their prestigious days racing to another day also [weather permitting]? Wetherby is already in serious doubt for Monday.
 
The BHA do seem to bend over backwards for some courses, and to make life very difficult for independents.
Newbury is an independent... Make of that that you will ;^)
 
Well you have to say its starting to look like an inspired piece of gambling by Kempton to cancel their Friday card in the hope that Newbury and Warwick failed. On balance it's probably in the better interests of racing that we have a meaningful Saturday card, which had they held Friday's meeting we might not have. I'm not sure this is really necessary evidence of supporting favoured courses, as if Newbury couldn't race, then pure and simple, they couldn't race. If Kempton could, but only as a result of shifting fixtures around and giving us a chance to see Denman, then I think they've made a sensible decision in this case, and I might even permit myself a rueful smile as the true aspirations of Kemptons manouvering has now become apparent. They might have pulled a bit of a fast one, but in this case I think it's a win/win scenario
 
Wednesday and Thursday AW cards moved to the afternoon from the evening this week. I'm massively annoyed as I am in the Kempton area on Wednesday evening and was going to go along for the first time and alas I no longer can. Attendance has now dropped by 50% too.
 
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