cheltenham

Our Conner was a gorgoeus horse, I do love a white blaze and socks. So sad. I thought he had broken his back when he went down, but it is good that they do what they can to save them.

I support anything not Irish...except Barry Geraghty, (and anything McManus owned) so not a bad afternoon for me. :-) JP McManus seems such a lovely man, he must be a ruthless buusiness man in RL to be as successful as he is but he always speaks so well and is so modest.

Brilliant for Tom Scu to win the Arkle.

A great afternoon and a better one tomorrow a I don't have to go to work!
 
Haven't seen any as was at work but so sad about Our Conor, also love a blaze and white socks like my first loan pony had. BBC website report says how his jockey was in tears, reading AP's book he said how some of the deaths made him cry, must admit it surprised me, as they always seem (have to be?) So detached.


Hoping there won't be any more fatalities, would like to have a successful racehorse if I were rich but I don't think I could like Alec said.

JP McManus does seem a nice bloke compared to some, also like how all his retirees go to live at his stud
 
Watching the C4 replay now. Why is that stupid woman going on about STD's horse being the unluckiest horse in the race? By my estimation it was Our Connor ... Grrrrrrh
 
The comment I saw quoted wasn't disrespectful at all, and used the words "unfortunate" and "sad" about Our Conor. It was unsentimental and it wasn't brilliant PR given the anti-racing agenda in some quarters, but it was honest and taken within context was a valid point.

In the same way as I cut Andy Murray a bit of slack for his demeanour given that he lived through Dunblane, I refuse to give Ruby a hard time for putting jockeys first given he was right there on the scene when fellow jockey Kieran Kelly was killed in a race and he led the deputation to the Irish stewards to get the remainder of the meeting called off as a mark of respect the night they turned his life support off. An experience like that stays with you.
 
I've seen two similar-but-slightly-different sets of comments quoted, Millikins:

1. "It's very unfortunate what happened to Our Conor but Our Conor is still a horse. He's an animal. What happened here last year with John Thomas McNamara made your heart sink - he has a wife, three kids. That made my heart sink. Jason Maguire yesterday, he's got a wife and she is expecting and last night he was fighting for his life. That is heart-breaking. Our Conor has no family, he's a horse, it's sad, but it has to be kept a little bit - in my eyes - in reality. He lives outside your back door, he doesn't live inside it."

and

2. “I'm sure the connections of Our Conor would prefer that Danny Mullins got up. You know what I mean, horses are horses. It's sad but horses are animals, they live outside the back door. Humans are humans, they're inside your back door. You can't replace a human. When you look at what happened John Thomas here last year; Jason Maguire was a lucky man last night.

Horses can be replaced. It's sad, but it's not on the same monument of sad as humans. That's my feeling on it.”
 
BigBuck's said:
The comment I saw quoted wasn't disrespectful at all, and used the words "unfortunate" and "sad" about Our Conor. It was unsentimental and it wasn't brilliant PR given the anti-racing agenda in some quarters, but it was honest and taken within context was a valid point.

In the same way as I cut Andy Murray a bit of slack for his demeanour given that he lived through Dunblane, I refuse to give Ruby a hard time for putting jockeys first given he was right there on the scene when fellow jockey Kieran Kelly was killed in a race and he led the deputation to the Irish stewards to get the remainder of the meeting called off as a mark of respect the night they turned his life support off. An experience like that stays with you.
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I agree with this...both A.M and Ruby are brilliant at what they do but PR is not their thing and we can't be good at everything. I will never forget Ruby running down the course in last year's Topham at Aintree to try and catch Little Josh and stop him from running on a broken shoulder. Respect to him for that even though it didn't save the horse's life :(
 
BigBuck's said:
.......

In the same way as I cut Andy Murray a bit of slack for his demeanour given that he lived through Dunblane, I refuse to give Ruby a hard time for putting jockeys first given he was right there on the scene when fellow jockey Kieran Kelly was killed in a race and he led the deputation to the Irish stewards to get the remainder of the meeting called off as a mark of respect the night they turned his life support off. An experience like that stays with you.
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I agree.

millikins said:
What did he say? I see the RSPCA have had their say too, I cannot really see why they have any involvement.
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What, I would like to know qualifies such idiots, or allows them, to have an opinion. Furthermore, how come they're thoughts are given any degree of credence?

BigBuck's said:
I've seen two similar-but-slightly-different sets of comments quoted, Millikins:

1. "It's very unfortunate what happened to Our Conor but Our Conor is still a horse. He's an animal. What happened here last year with John Thomas McNamara made your heart sink - he has a wife, three kids. That made my heart sink. Jason Maguire yesterday, he's got a wife and she is expecting and last night he was fighting for his life. That is heart-breaking. Our Conor has no family, he's a horse, it's sad, but it has to be kept a little bit - in my eyes - in reality. He lives outside your back door, he doesn't live inside it."

and

2. “I'm sure the connections of Our Conor would prefer that Danny Mullins got up. You know what I mean, horses are horses. It's sad but horses are animals, they live outside the back door. Humans are humans, they're inside your back door. You can't replace a human. When you look at what happened John Thomas here last year; Jason Maguire was a lucky man last night.

Horses can be replaced. It's sad, but it's not on the same monument of sad as humans. That's my feeling on it.”
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Relatively new to this forum you may be, but I suspect that you and I will find a deal of common ground. One small observation; To suggest that the horse didn't have a family, could be questioned. Those who dealt with him, the Lads, those who rode him out, those who mucked out, fed, groomed and prepared him, those Lads who lying in bed and worrying, perhaps got up during the night just to be sure that they'd done what was right for him, they're his family.

Otherwise, I'm with you, and my constant response to my OH is that, "It's only a horse. We call time on a horse".

Alec.
 
I hate watching them fall, and no doubt again this year I will have to delete some fb 'friends' for their uneducated opinions regarding horse deaths.

If people were aware of the amount of horses that die every day in the stable, vets, fields, roads with caring owners, not counting those that die through neglect it would really add some perspective.

Yes it's a money making enterprise and it employs thousands of people, lads, jockeys as well as bookies, waitresses, grounds people, but in comparison to the lives of many, most racehorses live like kings.

Looking forward to another day on the sofa :)
 
Two stories about dead horses yesterday.

The race horse who throughout his short life would never have known hunger, cold or cruelty. His death came quickly doing what he was bred and trained for.

The emaciated mare, stuck in the mud, frozen, neglected and petrified.

RIP both of them. I know which death angers me the most.
 
I have more "emotional involvement" with one of my horses than with my family, because I have been though more with him. I did not choose that route, it just happened.
If I was a jockey I would distance myself, otherwise I could not do the job. I used to work in racing. Its not easy.
And a jockey is paid to do a job, part of which is to look after the horse he is riding, people forget that , quite often,
 
Totally agree with Ruby, wise words and only those with no respect for their fellow human beings would think otherwise however much they adore their horses. You'd be a very hard person with extenuating reasons to choose a horse over human life, especially those that are family.
 
I heard Ruby on R4 this morning and thought what he said was completely right. I also suspect that he is more exposed to the death of horses on course than the general public who only generally hear about it during big meets.
 
I liken a jockey's position to that of a nurse - of course they care, but they can't give into grief for everyone who dies on their shift or they wouldn't be able to do their job.
 
As soon as they left the start line, my initial thought was, ridiculous pace. They slowed down by the time the got to the third hurdle. Most horses can flick a hurdle if they arrive in control, it is how they are trained to hurdle.
 
BigBuck's said:
I liken a jockey's position to that of a nurse - of course they care, but they can't give into grief for everyone who dies on their shift or they wouldn't be able to do their job.
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Anyone who's read AP's first autobio knows they care - can't remember which horse it was but you can tell he cared a lot. I think it's when you stop caring (even if you don't show it) that's when you stop...
 
teapot said:
Anyone who's read AP's first autobio knows they care - can't remember which horse it was but you can tell he cared a lot. I think it's when you stop caring (even if you don't show it) that's when you stop...
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Probably Gloria Victis, possibly Valiramix.
 
I recall AP getting stick in the media after the death of one young horse at Cheltenham a few years ago [ashamed to say I can't recall the horse], but AP was totally castigated because he was really upset, it may be because the horse had such promise, but in a way, for a jockey, it is all about "the next horse".
Yes, sry it was Gloria Victis, sry for all all connections. I remember the horse.
 
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Not many jobs where an ambulance follows you round. It is a dangerous game for riders and horses and to pretend otherwise is silly. It is what the horse is bred for and kept for. Horses die on the gallops but that isn't in public.
 
What a fantastic horse Sire Du Grugy is! Well deserved!

Loved the jocks coming out to form a guard of honour for Jamie! It just goes to show that whilst they are huge rivals on the track they truly are good friends off of it!
 
EKW said:
What a fantastic horse Sire Du Grugy is! Well deserved!

Loved the jocks coming out to form a guard of honour for Jamie! It just goes to show that whilst they are huge rivals on the track they truly are good friends off of it!
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Nothing to add.

Brilliance, from every direction.

Alec.
 
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