This bloated Saturday

I'm astonished by the race timings. Over an hour from the KG to the last surely means a mass exodus.

Agree it's a very average card apart from the KG
 
I believe they are running the UK Arabian Derby tomorrow and the timings suggest it will be run at around 17.00 hours.

But there may still be an exodus after the main event.
 
Sounds about right Bar - presume that they had a concert on after racing?

Glad you enjoyed York - visit to a big Saturday jumps meeting at Haydock is always recommended if you've not been before, cracking viewing track, lovely paddock, good facilities and decent fields :)
 
Michael Prosser spoke for Newmarket racecourse yesterday: "What's important from our point of view is the international coverage. It's vital and a very important revenue stream. We know that Hong Kong and other jurisdictions around the world are broadcasting the card." They weren't saying that when the move was originally mooted.

However, as I pointed out last year, David Stevens of Coral "voiced concerns that Newmarket's card, which also features another big betting race in the shape of the 32Red Bunbury Cup, could actually have a negative effect on betting turnover at competing meetings..." and I liked the following from James Knight (also of Coral) today on Twitter: "So - owners, trainers, jockeys, bookmakers, punters and racegoers (as no extra crowd expected) would all prefer a midweek July Cup...Ah - but they want to broadcast the race in Hong Kong so let's ignore all of that..."

Also on Twitter, the following from Jamie Hart of William Hill: "The bookies would certainly prefer it midweek, and as a punter I would too... Most of the sponsors are bookies these days and we'd rather spread it out. We raise it at every race patterns meeting...They ignore us!"

The conclusion must be that betting turnover at home suffers but the need to keep happy Hong Kong (and, of course, "other jurisdictions") trumps this. Very strange.
 
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If Turnover in HK matters that much to them you'd imagine that the BHA etc. who negotiated the International rights have had their pants pulled right down by the HKJC on the issue of how much they contribute.
 
If Turnover in HK matters that much to them you'd imagine that the BHA etc. who negotiated the International rights have had their pants pulled right down by the HKJC on the issue of how much they contribute.
 
They haven't had the best of luck with the weather, accepted, but Newmarket's total attendance this year was 34,071. As pointed out earlier on this thread, the total in 2005 (the last year it was a Tuesday-Thursday meeting) was 34,089. As also pointed out previously, in July 2009 the move to Thursday-Saturday was mooted as a way to "reverse declining attendance".
 
I've just realised that the Saturday of this year's Ebor Meeting (or "Festival") is the Saturday of the August Bank Holiday. This wasn't the case last year when the new Wednesday to Saturday format made its debut. The traffic on that Bank Holiday on the A1 and A64 in and around the York area has always been a nightmare. I dread to think what it will be like with thousands of racegoers' vehicles added to the mix. Avoid it like the plague.
 
This Saturday has become the most absurd race day of the year.

The BHA should never have allowed Newmarket to move the July meeting in the first place but we have Newmarket, Ascot, York and Chester .

Surely, there are two possible solutions - either move Magnet Cup day to next weekend which is generally the most boring Saturday of the flat season with just the Super Sprint or tell C4 and Newmarket that if they want the July Cup day to be at a weekend they can have it on Sunday .

Something has to be done about it .
 
Absolutely right Ardross.
Why they moved the July meeting I'll never know, they don't seem to get bigger crowds.
The recently instituted Ascot meeting is certainly superfluous and only makes sense if Newmarket is not on.

But I'm still in mourning for the Newbury Summer Meeting of two weeks ago (or used to be). I see there are two 2 mile handicaps on the all-weather today to make up for it.
 
Yes and salisbury's June meeting is also no more due to their obsession with Sunday racing albeit a Salisbury card is a vast improvement on the low level summer jumping we get normally .
 
Could I respectfully request that this thread be amalgamated with Ardross's "This bloated Saturday" thread, please? His title is better, I think.
 
From mid-June onwards quality yards used to introduce their better 2yos at Newmarket, Newbury, Salisbury and Ascot. I used to find this a hugely informative time for learning what was going to be around next year (of course the last 6 weeks of the season challenges it and always has). But with a few exceptions, this June/July period has been knocked sideways and replaced by a lot of competitive handicaps. I miss those instructive races, I'm bloody sure the trainers do.
 
Looks like I'm going to have to trawl through the form of up to 13 races on Saturday.

Sounds daunting but it's 13 opportunities to spank the bookies :lol:
 
Ardross said:
Yes and salisbury's June meeting is also no more due to their obsession with Sunday racing albeit a Salisbury card is a vast improvement on the low level summer jumping we get normally .
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Never mind the low level Summer jumping tawdry remark. Crowds are bigger than ever. Get to Market Rasen next Sunday 20 July and youll see what I mean . Huge crowd and all the top trainers and jockeys represented. Marvellous Summer jumping day. More people there than any of the flattie tracks
 
Roddy Owen said:
Never mind the low level Summer jumping tawdry remark. Crowds are bigger than ever. Get to Market Rasen next Sunday 20 July and youll see what I mean . Huge crowd and all the top trainers and jockeys represented. Marvellous Summer jumping day. More people there than any of the flattie tracks
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There won't be more at MR next Saturday than there will be at York or Chester this. But this isn't a Flat -v- Jumps thread anyway. Ardross is quite right: this Saturday is indeed bloated and it's got everything to do with Newmarket's boorish decision to shift to the weekend and stuff everybody else. They won't go back on it - they'd lose too much face - but they should.
 
At the end of the day, none of the four tracks is close to another and all four going for different markets. It's day when there's a fair chance of good weather and being before the real holiday break, an ideal time to get punters in. I'm also with roddy about the summer jumping too

I would prefer the Newmarket meeting to as it was but its hardly the end of the world. Tracks should be able to experiment a bit. Look at the success of champions day.
 
Chester has lost the 5f face as they no longer have terrestrial coverage . I cannot see the point of the Ascot meeting at all .

Summer jumping is largely crap and dangerous crap too with far too many horse injuries and fatalities on fast ground.
 
I cannot see the point of the Ascot meeting at all
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Why? If they get a crowd (and they always do) so what? Whatever any one thinks here, Ascot racecourse is massively popular and seems to be getting more so in my experience.

The nearest meetings are Newmarket and salisbury in the evening. Neither close by and attract different crowds too
 
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Is Prosser joking? What time does he think the Honkies go to bed? You can go to the betting shop today in Hankow Road and bet on today's card but the betting shop shuts at 9.30pm, so they'll only catch the first two races.
Are people who gamble in HK really interested whether this is Newmarket or Fakenham? I doubt it. Those that are big gamblers will gamble on it in other places. And sure the local turf TV does cover Royal Ascot and give reviews by Aussies who've been there once, but that's about it.
Maybe I'm wrong but I don't see it.
 
Ardross said:
Chester has lost the 5f face as they no longer have terrestrial coverage . I cannot see the point of the Ascot meeting at all .

Summer jumping is largely crap and dangerous crap too with far too many horse injuries and fatalities on fast ground.
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Like I said before come to MR next Saturday and you may change your rather bigoted mind. In fact there have been several Cheltenham horses on show already this season.
 
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