Newcastle going all weather ?

Diamond Geezer

Diamond Geezer

Gone But Not Forgotten
Joined
May 2, 2003
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Greg Wood in The Guardian tweeting that ARC plans to replace turf track at Newcastle with floodlit all-weather course, but with an option for the Northumberland Plate to still be run on turf.
 
There are three golf courses all within a square mile. Why not put it in the middle of the course, and rearrange their holes. There plenty of space around about to simply remove a couple of holes, and relocate them, the golf course is split up anyway. They could easily get a 1M4F AW course in the center.
 
Also, if they wanted a 'real' AW straight 1M track, could they not just stick a poly tunnel type thing over the straight mile then water and manicure the turf. I know it's fanciful, but I'm sure it could be done.

This is to get the **** heads in on a Friday and Saturday night, no other reason. They don't care if the price is heritage.
 
Diamond Geezer said:
Greg Wood in The Guardian tweeting that ARC plans to replace turf track at Newcastle with floodlit all-weather course, but with an option for the Northumberland Plate to still be run on turf.
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As a local, I really hope this doesn't go ahead. The thought of the Plate meeting on the AW makes me want to weep.
 
newcastle has been run into the ground over the last few years - apart from Plate day the Fkat racing is utter shite . It once had the Beeswing Stakes , the Seaton Delaval and a fillies race on August Bank Holiday Monday the Virginia Stakes that used to attract Oaks winners .

The racing is now so shite it is bad as a day at Wolves so why not put it on the AW I suppose is the thinking !
 
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It seems they will be having extra NH meetings and it is being suggested in some quarters that Sedgefield will be closed as a result :ninja:
 
Grasshopper said:
That's exactly what should happen to managment if they fu*ck about with the Fighting Fifth or Eider in any way, CPG. :cool:
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fighting fifth..2nd rate hurdle...eider..cruel long race run in horrible conditions''' usualy they are finishing just a little faster than a 75 year old going to the shops;)
 
EC1 said:
fighting fifth..2nd rate hurdle...eider..cruel long race run in horrible conditions''' usualy they are finishing just a little faster than a 75 year old going to the shops;)
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Fu*ck off back to Kempton BAGS, you Morlock.

:D
 
EC1 said:
fighting fifth..2nd rate hurdle...eider..cruel long race run in horrible conditions''' usualy they are finishing just a little faster than a 75 year old going to the shops;)
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That's a bit harsh EC
You could easily out run a tired horse when your going for your weekly bag of worthers originals :p
 
Diamond Geezer said:
It seems they will be having extra NH meetings and it is being suggested in some quarters that Sedgefield will be closed as a result :ninja:
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I hope not, wonderful little course.

They can close Newcastle for me. The can't look after the grass or the ground,the drainage is poor and they always seem to run on soft ground at the end of June.
The Fighting Fifth can go to Wetherby, The Eider to Hexham and the Rehearsal Chase back to Chepstow.

Let the well run courses have some nice races.

Rant Over:(
 
You'd have to ask - why are they doing it?
Current AW meets are hardly packed to the rafters, and Great Leighs was never likely to be the success of the century, so you'd have to think the aim is to attract the 4k or so payment the extra meetings would attract. That being the case, it's a fairly logical assumption that much of it would be more of the current dross - which is unashamedly designed to fill the bookies coffers, rather than enhance the sport.
God help us, they don't get away with it.
 
MLMRob said:
I hope not, wonderful little course.

They can close Newcastle for me. The can't look after the grass or the ground,the drainage is poor and they always seem to run on soft ground at the end of June.
The Fighting Fifth can go to Wetherby, The Eider to Hexham and the Rehearsal Chase back to Chepstow.

Let the well run courses have some nice races.

Rant Over:(
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Its a rant worth having. I love Sedgefield, even at a bookies or at home I'll enjoy having a bet on racing there. Newcastle does not do it for me. I went to Gosforth Park when I was about 11 years old on a visit up North with my mother, we loved it..and backing three or four Kieron Fallon ridden winners made it all the more enjoyable. Having been there many times since, (including plate day, which now seems to be Royal Ascot of the North), its not for me. I need a formbook, easy access to pints, toilets and bookies.
 
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reet hard said:
You'd have to ask - why are they doing it?
Current AW meets are hardly packed to the rafters, and Great Leighs was never likely to be the success of the century, so you'd have to think the aim is to attract the 4k or so payment the extra meetings would attract. That being the case, it's a fairly logical assumption that much of it would be more of the current dross - which is unashamedly designed to fill the bookies coffers, rather than enhance the sport.
God help us, they don't get away with it.
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the current dross does suit many of us though
 
reet hard said:
You'd have to ask - why are they doing it?
Current AW meets are hardly packed to the rafters, and Great Leighs was never likely to be the success of the century, so you'd have to think the aim is to attract the 4k or so payment the extra meetings would attract. That being the case, it's a fairly logical assumption that much of it would be more of the current dross - which is unashamedly designed to fill the bookies coffers, rather than enhance the sport.
God help us, they don't get away with it.
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It's an interesting one alright but it surely all boils down to the media payments?

IIRC (sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong) the courses get paid for every 8 runner+ event they stage in media rights. As I understand it they get paid a fair bit more than the average Class 5 or 6 handicap's prize money and with an AW surface in place there will be less need for groundstaff year round, just the chap who drives the tractor and a couple of others to help out when needed for the AW. Increased amount of meetings will help too and if they have far fewer people through the gates then they'll have far lower costs from security, bar staff and the like.

It all boils down to ££££ though the BHA should tell all the racecourses that they can stick it if they can't put up a minimum of £2,500 first place prize money per race.

The Folkestone and Hereford debacle has set a precedent for all tracks with the moving of fixtures to other meetings and it hasn't taken Fontwell long to start pratting around with the entry criteria for the races at Folkestone's busiest meeting every season due to small field sizes the first year that it was run away from the picturesque Kent venue.

Martin
 
the north needs an AW track...why should trainers have to travel south all teh time?

its interesting that the breeders cup gets people drooling..thats just AW racing

there's dross races all over each code...the idea its only the AW doesn't hold water for me
 
The thing is ALL of AW racing is dross. Surely the turnstiles don't lie? I mean what's the highest attended AW race meeting in this country?
 
how can all of it be dross?..you have many class 3 and higher races

do you ever watch NH & flat turf Mondays to wednesday?

the fact is...80% of racing on all codes is dross if you want to call it that

the fact that AW gets singled out is purely down to some strange kind of snobbery..that i personally do not understand

maybe you can explain it to me

what is your definition of dross?..and when defining it ..just check to see if it doesn't exist in your favoured code.
 
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You don't have the correct colour wellies EC1, do you?
I have given up with the majority of NH racing now , too much schooling on the track, and I only bet on the "dross".
 
;)

i just like all codes Walsworth..don't understand the negativity towards one or tother..all 3 codes contain poor horses competing for poor money..just nature of the game

i remember racing before AW and at that time i liked betting on the flat a lot more than the jumps..i loved Cheltenham..but at the end of the flat season it felt like proper betting opportunites for me were going to be very limited

the AW opened up a whole new world of interest throughout the winter for me..and i'm sure many others

i think many that decry the AW weren't around before it started
 
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