Sorry if this is old news - re: Mr Aviator

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ItalianStallion

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Just reading through some form in June and whilst clicking on
Mr Aviator's name I saw that he had died this year after pulling up in November, was a nice genuine horse who had a good 2008 RIP.
 
I was gutted when I received the news and wrote a letter to the stable. got a really nice reply from the owner who was well surprised that the horse was known in germany as well.
 
Nice gesture Crazyhorse, I wrote an email to Paul Cole the monday after he lost River Proud but didn't receive a reply.
 
I don't think River Proud was with Cole any longer when died
Even so it takes only a sec to write 'thank you'!

I was disappointed to have no repsonse from the Hobbs stable after one of their famous ones was lost, and I emailed condolences after a decent 3/4 days. Rooster Booster iirc - one of their top greys anyway
 
Of course, no reply is better than outright rudeness; a journalist (broadcast, not print) friend of mine approached Alan King in the winners enclosure at Cheltenham on New Year's day to ask about future plans for Franchoek, after his defeat by Lough Derg. He got as far as saying "Excuse me, Mr King..." only to be told rather briskly to "f*ck off". Charming!
 
So he was and PU at Longchamps; I'm thinking of one (?with a similar name) which went to America and won there before getting a fatal injury. Name totally escapes me, no matter!
 
You'd be surprised at how many letters/emails/faxes/cards of sympathy flood into a yard when a well known horse dies - trainers and their secretaries are very busy at the best of times without having to reply to [literally] hundreds and hundreds of letters/notes from people they've never heard of.
 
Shadow this is not a complaint just pointing out regarding how lucky he was to get a reply, I wasn't as i knew Paul was going through some legal issues and needed River Proud so it was hard
 
well, while its nice if a yard does reply I really never expect them to do so. as SL says, they can hardly cope with the "normal" mail at best of times, and internet and email made them so more easily accessible (?) for everybody.
 
Manners cost nothing - and these could potential owners they are not responding to. If someone has bothered to ask, some kind of acknowledgement isn't too much too ask. They could ask the RP to print a letter of general thanks if nothing else.
 
So you'd employ an extra person to reply to literally hundreds and hundreds of emails, faxes, letters and notes, G-G? Because you'd probably have to do that since when a well known horse dies there are literally that many notes that pour in. Trust me, I've received them. Trainers don't have time to set aside a day or three to reply to people they don't know, have never met and are never likely to meet - with respect, I'd say no potential owner would be sending letters of condolence to a trainer they've never met.

I didn't think you were complaining, IS, someone said they were disappointed they didn't receive a reply from a trainer though didn't they?
 
Shadow Leader said:
So you'd employ an extra person to reply to literally hundreds and hundreds of emails, faxes, letters and notes, G-G? Because you'd probably have to do that since when a well known horse dies there are literally that many notes that pour in. Trust me, I've received them. Trainers don't have time to set aside a day or three to reply to people they don't know, have never met and are never likely to meet - with respect, I'd say no potential owner would be sending letters of condolence to a trainer they've never met.
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Where did I say a personal ackowledgement to each and every piece of correspondence should be expected? A letter to the RP takes an 'extra' person? An email to the RP takes 5 minutes and they would, I suspect, not refuse to print a letter from a trainer in acknowledgement of receipt of condolences in whatever form. Or put a note on their website if they have one? I have been on the receiving end of such an avalanche of mail. A letter to the RP and a note on the website was used as an ackowledgement of thanks. And I would suggest that theoretically anyone interested in racing could be a potential owner.
 
I think the connections of a very large amount of well known horses that are lost write to the RP to thank people for their good wishes, do they not?

Originally someone stated how disappointed they were that they didn't get a reply from a set of connections - so far as I'm concerned that cannot be expected. I'm sure Crazyhorse wasn't expecting a personal reply and I'd have thought she was surprised and pleased to receive one.

In your reply G-G you state that "Manners cost nothing - and these could potential owners they are not responding to. If someone has bothered to ask, some kind of acknowledgement isn't too much too ask. They could ask the RP to print a letter of general thanks if nothing else. " which to me implies very much that you would at the very least expect thanks in the RP but preferably would want a personal reply. It's just not always possible to do the latter.
 
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Shadow Leader said:
I think the connections of a very large amount of well known horses that are lost write to the RP to thank people for their good wishes, do they not?

Originally someone stated how disappointed they were that they didn't get a reply from a set of connections - so far as I'm concerned that cannot be expected. I'm sure Crazyhorse wasn't expecting a personal reply and I'd have thought she was surprised and pleased to receive one.

In your reply G-G you state that "Manners cost nothing - and these could potential owners they are not responding to. If someone has bothered to ask, some kind of acknowledgement isn't too much too ask. They could ask the RP to print a letter of general thanks if nothing else. " which to me implies very much that you would at the very least expect thanks in the RP but preferably would want a personal reply. It's just not always possible to do the latter.
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Yes so they don't have to employ an extra person to do that? I don't read the RP every single day so some may and some may not - I wouldn't be confident in saying all of them do or don't, I am saying it wouldn't take much extra work to do it.

I would be disappointed if I didn't receive a personal ackowledgement if the trainer/owner didn't bother in any shape or form to recognise mine or anyone else taking the time to do something. I have sent condolences via email to three trainers in the past; a couple have answered them personally, one did not. I had previously met all three under various circumstances.I didn't have the greatest opinion of the one who didn't answer before so he hasn't exactly helped to change what I think about him. I would guess that most horses who die/are killed on a racecourse or gallops do not generate an out pouring of grief from the racing public. So yes maybe I would prefer a personal response and anything is possible if someone is willing.
 
You often see letters in the RP from connections of horses that have died.

So far as personal responses go, we will have to have our different ideas about that.
 
If I was offering condolences to someone in the form of a letter or email, I would not be doing it with the expectation of being thanked for it. I would assume that it was recieved and appreciated. Thanking people for thanking people .... You could go on for ever, where is it to end ?

horsefan ; 'Very sorry to hear that Attention Seeker lost his life at Chepstow'

trainer ; 'Thank you for writing with your condolences'

horsefan ; 'Thank you for writing to me and thanking me for my condolences, please can I visit the yard and stroke the ponies?'

trainer ; 'Yes please come down and annoy us on work mornings, park your car by the gallops and bring children too'

Horsefan ; 'Thank you for letting me get to know all the horses. Can I pretend I know you all on forums too?'

trainer ; 'Of course, please misquote us as often as possible'


.... or they are more likely to just appreciate the support and carry on quietly without being rude about it.
 
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uncle goober said:
If I was offering condolences to someone in the form of a letter or email, I would not be doing it with the expectation of being thanked for it. I would assume that it was recieved and appreciated. Thanking people for thanking people .... You could go on for ever, where is it to end ?

horsefan ; 'Very sorry to hear that Attention Seeker lost his life at Chepstow'

trainer ; 'Thank you for writing with your condolences'

horsefan ; 'Thank you for writing to me and thanking me for my condolences, please can I visit the yard and stroke the ponies?'

trainer ; 'Yes please come down and annoy us on work mornings, park your car by the gallops and bring children too'

Horsefan ; 'Thank you for letting me get to know all the horses. Can I pretend I know you all on forums too?'

trainer ; 'Of course, please misquote us as often as possible'


.... or they are more likely to just appreciate the support and carry on quietly without being rude about it.
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Genius, probably....
 
uncle goober said:
If I was offering condolences to someone in the form of a letter or email, I would not be doing it with the expectation of being thanked for it. I would assume that it was recieved and appreciated. Thanking people for thanking people .... You could go on for ever, where is it to end ?

horsefan ; 'Very sorry to hear that Attention Seeker lost his life at Chepstow'

trainer ; 'Thank you for writing with your condolences'

horsefan ; 'Thank you for writing to me and thanking me for my condolences, please can I visit the yard and stroke the ponies?'

trainer ; 'Yes please come down and annoy us on work mornings, park your car by the gallops and bring children too'

Horsefan ; 'Thank you for letting me get to know all the horses. Can I pretend I know you all on forums too?'

trainer ; 'Of course, please misquote us as often as possible'


.... or they are more likely to just appreciate the support and carry on quietly without being rude about it.
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The difference between our media friendly friends in the US and those in the UK.

FWIW I've only been to one or two "proper" racing yards so to speak and never experienced anyone saying "no you can't come" or "too busy, sorry" etc.

Most trainers IMO will be helpful in regard to seeing the horses - if you have common sense and know about horses anyway there'll be no problems UG.
 
It's very rarely I email let alone write when a horse dies, but just occasionally I do because it feels personal.

It was me who remarked I'd had no acknowledgment from the Hobbs yard, and that did strike me as it's the *only* time I've never had even just a return 'thank you' by email which takes one second after all. I suppose as I'd always had one before, from whichever yard, it surprised me. I certainly never expected a thankyou the very first time I did it! - so I've b een impressed by how appreciative yards are in such circumstnaces. Just imagine all the sacksfull of cards etc about Persian Punch of Dessie... YOu'd need to get in a student or two for a week!

When Bacchanal died and I sent note to the yard for Lady L-W, I got a coloured photo with Nicky's 4 winners at Cheltenham, inc the great horse himself, signed by NH with a 'thank you' message, just a few days later. I have still have it. And that was before we had a passing acquaintance btw so he would not have recognised my name at all. I was very impressed and touched by that.

Similarly when I've emailed a yard inc Alan King's and Mark Johnson's the evening after a horse has had a bad fall or injury, I've always had a reply by the following morning - in MJ's case (about Soapy Danger) that very night, ie, he or Deidre must have replied themselves.

Rory, some trainers do take against certain journalists, and sometimes they have reason! I can't imagine Alan King being that rude.... LOL - Your friend must have upset him quite badly at some point!
 
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Of course Irish Stamp, but that doesn't mean that any trainer who does not want visitors is rude. They are not to know that you have common sense, though in some cases I imagine that the lack of it could be detected from the contents of the letter or email.

I know of people who harbour intense grudges of hate against particular trainers that did not allow them a visit to the yard, just because they liked such and such a horse and felt like going to see it at his house!
 
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