Racing today

bonny said:
I think we were lucky that itv filmed the entire meeting, they took a risk making it all about one horse who could have come 5th and made the producers look a bit foolish. As it was it was a triumph for itv and for racing in general but that’s only known in hindsight.
Click to expand...

It’s a series of Friday night all weather meetings run in conjunction with Imvades which is a group running reduced price ticket and transport for students and possibly others to go to sporting events. They were really lucky to have a fantastic evening. I think it said it was an 800% increase on attendance from the last evening meeting there. It is good ITV is on board.

Had to watch it again this morning. When Oisin asks and he just goes. Superb ride getting him settled in and then whoosh. Racing Post notes are ‘impressive’.
 
Last edited:
I was surprised he got up the way his back stretched out, but he didnt look right, then he looked like he was about to run into the chase fence wing, wonder if that exacerbated something

Surprised they still think they have a decision to make re CH, surely you just cannot risk hurdles again
 
2 in the same race at Kempton just then?

First faller and the bypassed fence/HC walking away with the saddle didnt look good, then they said HS was up, but didnt mention the horse for the 2nd, which they are usually quite good at doing...
 
Crazy_cat_lady said:
2 in the same race at Kempton just then?

First faller and the bypassed fence/HC walking away with the saddle didnt look good, then they said HS was up, but didnt mention the horse for the 2nd, which they are usually quite good at doing...
Click to expand...
They were going so fast! What’s the going like? It must be soft. Both horrible high speed falls. A bad day.
 
LeneHorse said:
Is it something about Kempton that is causing these falls. I recall the meeting at the start of January had a couple of bad ones too.
Click to expand...

That's what I wonder, there were 3 at the last Saturday meeting there, is it because its a flat galloping track, so speed is killing?

Its why I think its dodgy making the GN fences glorified hurdles it doesnt back them off enough
 
I’ve a share in Go West who is usually an exuberant but good jumper, he made a terrible mistake so like you say, maybe just too flat and too fast.
 
If CH faceplants and breaks his neck (remember Dawn Run?) it will be a PR nightmare for British racing. You'd think the BHA would have a word. I'm thinking MB wants the prestige of having the champion and sod the consequences and NH wants to keep the horse, so is following the owner's orders. I wonder how much persuading it took to get him to agree to running at an evening meeting on the all-weather.

Harry Derham gets it -

Asked about the risk involved in going back over hurdles, Derham added: "His technique is pretty sound, but whether he stops thinking about it or panics or is in two minds [I don't know].

"When you see him jump a hurdle . . . he winged the first at Newcastle and you thought he was away. He's done it before. I don't think it's anything to do with technique, I think it's in his brain. He's obviously got something in his head that makes him second guess himself."
 
LeneHorse said:
Is it something about Kempton that is causing these falls. I recall the meeting at the start of January had a couple of bad ones too.
Click to expand...
I do wonder about the new hurdles. There may be fewer fallers, but the falls seem to be harder. Could they be encouraging a horse to jump too fast and not back off a bit if they're unsure. Is this why CH has been having problems? There don't seem to be as many bad falls over fences nowadays, but the hurdles look to be getting worse. Or maybe it's just a recent spike in numbers.
 
Beausmate said:
If CH faceplants and breaks his neck (remember Dawn Run?) it will be a PR nightmare for British racing. You'd think the BHA would have a word. I'm thinking MB wants the prestige of having the champion and sod the consequences and NH wants to keep the horse, so is following the owner's orders. I wonder how much persuading it took to get him to agree to running at an evening meeting on the all-weather.

Harry Derham gets it -

Asked about the risk involved in going back over hurdles, Derham added: "His technique is pretty sound, but whether he stops thinking about it or panics or is in two minds [I don't know].

"When you see him jump a hurdle . . . he winged the first at Newcastle and you thought he was away. He's done it before. I don't think it's anything to do with technique, I think it's in his brain. He's obviously got something in his head that makes him second guess himself."
Click to expand...


Would love to know who is continuing the desperation with the CH, NH or MB? Doesn't help theyre getting egged on by this notion of a "fairytale" comeback, and that the CH is so weak this year. It could easily turn into a nightmare not a fairytale.

If he was mine id far rather be seen as a coward and not do jumps again, rather than have blood on my hands by risking him over the jumps

I think they still want the CH, otherwise there would be no Yogi, no hurdle schooling.

Both horses in that Kempton race dived at a hurdle like CH has been. One didnt get up, the other was ambulanced off with no update yet.

The media hype and publicity around him has also been a double edged sword, they have gone on so much about him, you have far more eyes on him should anything happen. Sending a horse thats had 3 bad falls to the biggest meeting of the season? The biggest stage where if something goes wrong theres nowhere to hide.

All this circus around him has made it more crucial they dont risk him. They said yesterday the public love him, i wouldn't want to be them if they send him to hurdles again and something happens

Id far rather be left wondering if he would have won, if he were mine, than be regretting him being killed. I guess im just soft though

Apparently his CH participation is based on a midweek schooling session. You cannot recreate the cauldron of a race, especially at Cheltenham so that doesnt mean anything
 
The only way to know if he has got his hurdling mojo back, is to race him over hurdles. He schools at home fine. But if you run him and he hasn't got it and he falls.... Then what? Far better to just stick to the flat. He can win flat races, it's less risky and the majority will be happy to see him do that. He's getting on a bit now anyway and he's won the big hurdle races, so why not do something else? He's got nothing to prove, so why not just leave the high risk stuff alone and let the horse enjoy himself?
 
Well great if he comes back safe

But if he can do good on the flat, why not be content with that, what do they want blood?

Daftest thing I ever heard

Why not be satisfied with the flat and what if he is 9 yrs old, they think it's strange, I don't it just shows they race too young, a horse isn't fully mature til it's 10 yrs

I find the talk very novicey
 
It's not just the Champion H though. If they run him in it and he wins (or even just places) - then they'll be tempted to keep going over hurdles in the big races (or at least the owner will be).

CH looked so happy friday night and the crowd loved seeing him, win or lose. 8x normal attendance. Just let him run on the flat for a while and see how it goes. He's got nothing left to prove over hurdles and clearly doesn't love the job any more.
 
Great and sensible comment on Constitution Hill on one of the racing publication FB pages (forget which one). Nearly 200 ‘likes’.

“If a horse could ever make the call himself, that was it. What we saw was a legend reminding everyone exactly what he is. For me, the hurdling chapter should have been closed straight after the Fighting Fifth. He owes Cheltenham absolutely nothing. Yet here we are with him at the head of the Champion Hurdle market and no firm commitment away from timber. There are so many exciting options for him on the flat. Please Nicky, don’t point him at another hurdle. There is nothing to gain and everything to lose.”

Counter balanced by far too many still staying “Keep him in the Champion Hurdle - what has he got to lose?”

Apart from his life, you idiotic selfish betting obsessed thickos 😡.
 
It's not their necks at risk, owner trainer etc

If they wanted to break their own necks let them

It's not their place to risk another creatures neck

They may do racing more good than anything else by not running, and respect the terrible tragedies of yesterday's deaths which were another nail in racing coffin and which should have brought home the risks

God just like a bunch of silly children
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top