Lexus Chase

Ruby's had a punishing schedule with a lot of demanding races after coming back only 3 weeks after major abdominal surgery. He's not always able to put it in every time right now imo, any more than AP was at Cheltenham last March after major back surgery.

I'm not a big ED fan either - a very enigmatic character! - but he had the beating of Neptune in the race, imo. It's a shame though we were robbed of what might have been a good finish! WOA a shadow of his former self, sadly.
 
Neptune Collonges has fallen before when coming under pressure and tiring - that is what I think happened on Sunday - as for Exotic the return to exaggerated waiting tactics did the trick. He travelled miles better than he has done since the 2006-2007 season .
 
Ardross said:
Neptune Collonges has fallen before when coming under pressure and tiring - that is what I think happened on Sunday - as for Exotic the return to exaggerated waiting tactics did the trick. He travelled miles better than he has done since the 2006-2007 season .
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While he certainly went better, the exaggerated tactics have hardly been revived? He was held up right out the back at Haydock only to disappoint. Just seemed a happier horse at Leopardstown.
 
Was he that far back at Haydock? I was at the rugby that day and only saw the race highlights from say four out and assumed from what McCoy is quoted by Alan Lee as saying that the tactics were markedly different - " If i had ridden him like I did at Haydock we were certain to get beat " or something along those lines
 
On another point - the bizarre result at Hayodkc does make you wonder whether Nicholls' scathing crit of the new portable Haydock chase track has a point. Perhaps the Betfair should be moved to a proper chase track - how about Cheltenham the week before ?:eek:
 
sunybay said:
Ruby guilty of the fall for me,
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Pretty much agree, sunybay. If it was Sam Thomas riding Neptune Collonges he'd have been on the front of the next day's Racing Post!

A real shame as well, as the horse's jumping up to that point had been virtually flawless.

Very tough to say what would have happened had Neptune Collonges stayed up, but good to see Exotic Dancer having his day.
 
I genuinely believe ED would have won. He was going nicely enough

a really heartwarming victory. I cant think of a better horse that has been so unlucky in running into such oppostion. Can anyone else?
 
Ardross said:
On another point - the bizarre result at Hayodkc does make you wonder whether Nicholls' scathing crit of the new portable Haydock chase track has a point. Perhaps the Betfair should be moved to a proper chase track - how about Cheltenham the week before ?:eek:
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Then it wouldn't be the Lancashire Chase (which is what it's registered as) - if they were to move it the most logical option would be Aintree the following day.

There's already far too many big jumps races run in the South - if anything they should look to move some of those handicaps ie. the 2m 5f one on Pillar Day or the Ladbroke to more northern tracks - Doncaster, Newcastle, Aintree, Haydock are all capable of putting on a big race.
 
Irish Stamp said:
Then it wouldn't be the Lancashire Chase (which is what it's registered as) - if they were to move it the most logical option would be Aintree the following day.

There's already far too many big jumps races run in the South - if anything they should look to move some of those handicaps ie. the 2m 5f one on Pillar Day or the Ladbroke to more northern tracks - Doncaster, Newcastle, Aintree, Haydock are all capable of putting on a big race.
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Haydock and Newcastle are far too prone to abandoning meetings to give them more big races, especially in the depths of Winter.
 
The investment in covers would help that. Cheltenham do it to preserve their big meetings and Haydock have done it for the Betfair Chase before - give the tracks the big meetings and they'll make sure they go.

The Peter Marsh meeting always seems to get abandonned - would think with a top Champion Hurdle Trial, big 3m Handicap and the Rendlesham that the BHA would be keen on re-scheduling these sort of races.
 
My issue with Haydock stems from their farcical handling over the Sprint Cup over the past few years, giving out shocking ground descriptions in 2007 and abandoning this year. How they were awarded the Temple Stakes I don't know.
 
You missed out the needless watering to attract Diktat 7 or so years ago too Dave.

Not Tellwright's biggest fan by any stretch of the imagination - been going downhill since Lisa Hancock moved to Newmarket.
 
Ive not been to Haydock, but its hardly rolling in great publicity these days. Friends that have been to newcastle really dislike the place and i was very underwhelmed by aintree.

fair to say that wetherby stands alone as a tip top jumps venue in the north?

The south is chocker with decent venues. For those of us in SW london, we are quite spoilt really...but the crowds do hold up
 
Wetherby as a racegoers track is awful, it's an absolute dive. Doncaster is a nice track but it rightly favours flat racing ahead of the jumps.
 
Haydock is still a top venue Clive - the fences have been altered some but there were always complaints of small fields in the chases at Haydock pre-modernisation anyway. There were regularly 4 or 5 runner races, including when they put up 20k for a Class C race etc.

Remember watching a novices chase around the turn of the century - they bet 1/66(Martin Pipe's horse Potentat), 14/1 Ebin Al Habeeb and 100/1 the two Ted Caine runners. Now far more runners in such races - the old 7 runner handicap chases seem a distant memory.

Haydock seems to get a bad reputation based on the crowd it attracts but then if nobody turned up people would complain there's no interest. Was there with a friend for the Betfair Chase - it was heaving and not just with the Carlsberg Massive. Genuine racegoers after seeing top class horses in action, five and six deep around the parade ring too.

That's what racing is all about :)
 
Irish Stamp said:
Haydock is still a top venue Clive - the fences have been altered some but there were always complaints of small fields in the chases at Haydock pre-modernisation anyway. There were regularly 4 or 5 runner races, including when they put up 20k for a Class C race etc.

Remember watching a novices chase around the turn of the century - they bet 1/66(Martin Pipe's horse Potentat), 14/1 Ebin Al Habeeb and 100/1 the two Ted Caine runners. Now far more runners in such races - the old 7 runner handicap chases seem a distant memory.

Haydock seems to get a bad reputation based on the crowd it attracts but then if nobody turned up people would complain there's no interest. Was there with a friend for the Betfair Chase - it was heaving and not just with the Carlsberg Massive. Genuine racegoers after seeing top class horses in action, five and six deep around the parade ring too.

That's what racing is all about :)
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Removing its proper chase track is exactly what racing should not be about!
 
I wouldn't mind them removing the proper chase track if the sprinters got better ground but they haven't. :p
 
Ardross said:
Removing its proper chase track is exactly what racing should not be about!
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It gets bigger fields - I like the proper chase track but given there was talk of adding an AW track 10 or so years ago I hope they eventually replace all the hurdles with the fixed brush ones they currently use and get the old fences back with big fields :)
 
Wetherby as a racegoers track is awful, it's an absolute dive
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Bit harsh. Great viewing for a start. The grandstand is very poor though.

Irsish stamp..fair enough...will get there one day soon
 
Viewing is good but the facilities are awful, it's a hole, no idea how it gets the races it gets.

Uttoxeter has decent facilities for the standard of racing it generally stages, I'd like to see it get more decent jumps races.
 
Viewing is good but the facilities are awful, it's a hole, no idea how it gets the races it gets.
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has it sill got those godawful "cafes" and food outlets round the back of the stand? Prison canteens have more appeal
 
I've been to Wetherby once, on Boxing Day two years ago. It's a hole.

Do you have to wade through a foot of mud to get to a prison canteen?
 
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