Good, but have to say that those people that are constantly knocking it have obviously never experienced a day out at the races. It's not just about the gambling aspect, but, meeting like minded people and having a decent day out. On a par with going to watch a footie match. Horses are well looked after and loved by the stable staff as well as "punters". You only had to see and hear the reception that Sprinter Sacre received at Cheltenham. I love racing, always have, always will and it's not just about having a bet. I hate it when horses are put down but there seems more bad publicity towards this that is given to motor cycle/ car drivers killed.
So do you go to the races just watch the horses, have a beer, and sometimes don't bet then sralan?
Some people do just go for a day out and wouldn't even know how to place a bet and I would say that it is the silly 'figure you pulled out the air', to coin a phrase...
My horse had no chance of winning Algarve as its just learning like i will drive to Taunton on Monday to see him run again with not much chance of winning and unless i think another horse on the day will win i wont bet again.I couldnt even tell you what the prize money for the race is as i have no interest in the prize money.
Great day out, gambling is fun what's not to love. I hope anyone who thinks it's cruel isn't tucking into a bacon sandwich whilst defrosting a bit of steak for later..
In the past I had a big stake in two horses, enjoyed good performances in the Lincoln and Cambridgeshire, second to Pat Eddery in a supporting race on Oaks day, had three wins in all. Had a great time, bye and large.
But it is a very cruel sport and I don't believe the horses feel anything but pure fear throughout the whole process. Locked up for 23 hours a day, carted around in big vans often for hundreds of miles, whipped around the track before being banged up in the big van again.
I saw enough from the inside that the only sentiment for any of the horses are those that are successful, unsuccessful flat racers are destined for dog food, unsuccessful jumpers may find their lives extended on point to point, fox hunting and other such "entertainments".
Not as bad as being sent to war as in times past, but still pretty awful.
And I'm not tucking into a bacon sandwich but I will enjoy a nice bit of sirloin later.
Good, but have to say that those people that are constantly knocking it have obviously never experienced a day out at the races. It's not just about the gambling aspect, but, meeting like minded people and having a decent day out. On a par with going to watch a footie match. Horses are well looked after and loved by the stable staff as well as "punters". You only had to see and hear the reception that Sprinter Sacre received at Cheltenham. I love racing, always have, always will and it's not just about having a bet. I hate it when horses are put down but there seems more bad publicity towards this that is given to motor cycle/ car drivers killed.
got dragged along to lingfield last year by my old man and absolutely loved it. Atmosphere was fantastic, everyone there to have a good time. And it's good learning about it, putting a bet or two down and really getting into it. Can't watch it on the tv as I think it's boring to watch but being at the races is a hell of a lot of fun.
Good, but have to say that those people that are constantly knocking it have obviously never experienced a day out at the races. It's not just about the gambling aspect, but, meeting like minded people and having a decent day out. On a par with going to watch a footie match. Horses are well looked after and loved by the stable staff as well as "punters". You only had to see and hear the reception that Sprinter Sacre received at Cheltenham. I love racing, always have, always will and it's not just about having a bet. I hate it when horses are put down but there seems more bad publicity towards this that is given to motor cycle/ car drivers killed.
So do you go to the races just watch the horses, have a beer, and sometimes don't bet then sralan?
Could easily sit and watch the racing without going near a bookies. Love it.
Is the key word 'could' ?
No, just the way I type. I do sit and watch horse racing without betting. A lot.
Likewise. Days like Wednesday seeing Sprinter Sacre win do not require a bet to make it exciting - it's the pure spectacle, and watching history being made as on Wednesday.
Gambling and horse racing are interdependent, as others have said, but not as much now for off-course and online bookmakers. My own company takes 60% of its stakes on football, and tennis followed by basketball are second and third. The horse racing industry now needs bookmakers more than bookmakers need the horse racing industry.
It's a sport that some enjoy be it the gambling, the dressing up or whatever and others dislike.
Is it cruel? I look at intent. There is no intent for animals to die. Unfortunately tragic accidents happen despite the extensive efforts made to prevent them.
Accidents happen in all sports. Sadly with a horse it is often terminal it seems.
Good, but have to say that those people that are constantly knocking it have obviously never experienced a day out at the races. It's not just about the gambling aspect, but, meeting like minded people and having a decent day out. On a par with going to watch a footie match. Horses are well looked after and loved by the stable staff as well as "punters". You only had to see and hear the reception that Sprinter Sacre received at Cheltenham. I love racing, always have, always will and it's not just about having a bet. I hate it when horses are put down but there seems more bad publicity towards this that is given to motor cycle/ car drivers killed.
So do you go to the races just watch the horses, have a beer, and sometimes don't bet then sralan?
Yes.
Fair enough, and VG and his sitting at home watching. I maintain that you are in a very small minority.
It's a sport that some enjoy be it the gambling, the dressing up or whatever and others dislike.
Is it cruel? I look at intent. There is no intent for animals to die. Unfortunately tragic accidents happen despite the extensive efforts made to prevent them.
Accidents happen in all sports. Sadly with a horse it is often terminal it seems.
I agree about the concept of intent, and I don't think those involved want the horses to die. I would like to see much more effort made in such a money rich sport to try to assess risks, and to do more science to help save the injured horses. I am not even saying there is a callous disregard towards the safety of the horses, but the number of fatalities suggest that there is quite a degree of dereliction. I accept there has been some progress towards improving things, which at least is a recognition of the danger the humans are putting the animals in. However in a sport where the horses as so compelled i feel uncomfortable that their suffering is often shrugged off with a 'that's the risk you take' kind of attitude.
Good, but have to say that those people that are constantly knocking it have obviously never experienced a day out at the races. It's not just about the gambling aspect, but, meeting like minded people and having a decent day out. On a par with going to watch a footie match. Horses are well looked after and loved by the stable staff as well as "punters". You only had to see and hear the reception that Sprinter Sacre received at Cheltenham. I love racing, always have, always will and it's not just about having a bet. I hate it when horses are put down but there seems more bad publicity towards this that is given to motor cycle/ car drivers killed.
So do you go to the races just watch the horses, have a beer, and sometimes don't bet then sralan?
Yes.
Fair enough, and VG and his sitting at home watching. I maintain that you are in a very small minority.
Horses. They hate me. I actually don't understand how something with a brain the size of a walnut has the capacity to be so nasty and devious. My hate/hate relationship with horses is unfortunate as my niece has a dozen or so of the feckers. (Not race horses but show jumpers and a few American Quarter Horses.)
I go to an occasional meet, which is a fun day out as long as I don't get too close to the smelly evil burgermeat. (Continuing with their hate for me, anything I bet on loses deliberately.)
And another thing, why are they always being driven about in the slowest, dirtiest, most polluting ancient transporters which are even more annoying than caravans?
They do taste nice though.
One final thing. I did actually get to meet Red Rum when he was the celebrity ribbon cutter (he had a hanger-on to do that for him obviously) on the reopening of my local pub following refurbishment. He was a completely different animal from your average bastard horse. Intelligent, friendly and interested in what was going on around him. At no time did I even think that he was going to bite or kick me. A proper decent animal that one.
Good, but have to say that those people that are constantly knocking it have obviously never experienced a day out at the races. It's not just about the gambling aspect, but, meeting like minded people and having a decent day out. On a par with going to watch a footie match. Horses are well looked after and loved by the stable staff as well as "punters". You only had to see and hear the reception that Sprinter Sacre received at Cheltenham. I love racing, always have, always will and it's not just about having a bet. I hate it when horses are put down but there seems more bad publicity towards this that is given to motor cycle/ car drivers killed.
So do you go to the races just watch the horses, have a beer, and sometimes don't bet then sralan?
Yes.
Fair enough, and VG and his sitting at home watching. I maintain that you are in a very small minority.
Good, but have to say that those people that are constantly knocking it have obviously never experienced a day out at the races. It's not just about the gambling aspect, but, meeting like minded people and having a decent day out. On a par with going to watch a footie match. Horses are well looked after and loved by the stable staff as well as "punters". You only had to see and hear the reception that Sprinter Sacre received at Cheltenham. I love racing, always have, always will and it's not just about having a bet. I hate it when horses are put down but there seems more bad publicity towards this that is given to motor cycle/ car drivers killed.
So do you go to the races just watch the horses, have a beer, and sometimes don't bet then sralan?
Yes.
Fair enough, and VG and his sitting at home watching. I maintain that you are in a very small minority.
Count me in with the "very small minority".
I shall. Do any of you three ever bet?
I've been known to bet occasionally but betting's got nothing to do with why I've loved National Hunt racing since I was a boy and have treasured all 5 NH horses that I owned. Never sold any of them and subsidised them for their new owners when they retired from racing.
Good, but have to say that those people that are constantly knocking it have obviously never experienced a day out at the races. It's not just about the gambling aspect, but, meeting like minded people and having a decent day out. On a par with going to watch a footie match. Horses are well looked after and loved by the stable staff as well as "punters". You only had to see and hear the reception that Sprinter Sacre received at Cheltenham. I love racing, always have, always will and it's not just about having a bet. I hate it when horses are put down but there seems more bad publicity towards this that is given to motor cycle/ car drivers killed.
So do you go to the races just watch the horses, have a beer, and sometimes don't bet then sralan?
Yes.
Fair enough, and VG and his sitting at home watching. I maintain that you are in a very small minority.
Count me in with the "very small minority".
I shall. Do any of you three ever bet?
Yes, I bet, not every day but selectively. When I do bet it's not pennies, therefore, a day at the races without a bet is to watch and note certain horses.
It's a sport that some enjoy be it the gambling, the dressing up or whatever and others dislike.
Is it cruel? I look at intent. There is no intent for animals to die. Unfortunately tragic accidents happen despite the extensive efforts made to prevent them.
Accidents happen in all sports. Sadly with a horse it is often terminal it seems.
Good, but have to say that those people that are constantly knocking it have obviously never experienced a day out at the races. It's not just about the gambling aspect, but, meeting like minded people and having a decent day out. On a par with going to watch a footie match. Horses are well looked after and loved by the stable staff as well as "punters". You only had to see and hear the reception that Sprinter Sacre received at Cheltenham. I love racing, always have, always will and it's not just about having a bet. I hate it when horses are put down but there seems more bad publicity towards this that is given to motor cycle/ car drivers killed.
So do you go to the races just watch the horses, have a beer, and sometimes don't bet then sralan?
Yes.
Fair enough, and VG and his sitting at home watching. I maintain that you are in a very small minority.
Count me in with the "very small minority".
I shall. Do any of you three ever bet?
Yes, I bet, not every day but selectively. When I do bet it's not pennies, therefore, a day at the races without a bet is to watch and note certain horses.
QED. You are actually a pro - or semi-pro then? So it is indeed all about the betting - when you are not actually sticking money on a race, your reasons for being there are for sticking your money on a future race.
Peanuts - the national hunt racing you have loved since you were a boy would not exist without betting, which was my first point. I see it as the equivalent of an actor saying that he loves the theatre because he is always there, but never actually attending a play he isn't in (even though you may well attend races your horses are not running in, you get my drift - your case is exceptional)...
A lot of the comments on Peanuts GN thread mention odds. #justsaying
Sorry Prez, are you disputing anything I've said above? Of course there are odds on "my" [sic] GN thread. That is the race in which I bet every year and have made it an analytical study - the Grand National having started my love of NH racing as a 7 year old watching Red Alligator win it in 1968. Outside of it, I avidly watch 100+ steeplechases every year, at a course or on TV, and bet in approx 6. I think that would be described as occasional.
Good, but have to say that those people that are constantly knocking it have obviously never experienced a day out at the races. It's not just about the gambling aspect, but, meeting like minded people and having a decent day out. On a par with going to watch a footie match. Horses are well looked after and loved by the stable staff as well as "punters". You only had to see and hear the reception that Sprinter Sacre received at Cheltenham. I love racing, always have, always will and it's not just about having a bet. I hate it when horses are put down but there seems more bad publicity towards this that is given to motor cycle/ car drivers killed.
So do you go to the races just watch the horses, have a beer, and sometimes don't bet then sralan?
Yes.
Fair enough, and VG and his sitting at home watching. I maintain that you are in a very small minority.
Count me in with the "very small minority".
I shall. Do any of you three ever bet?
Yes, I bet, not every day but selectively. When I do bet it's not pennies, therefore, a day at the races without a bet is to watch and note certain horses.
... I see it as the equivalent of an actor saying that he loves the theatre because he is always there, but never actually attending a play he isn't in (even though you may well attend races your horses are not running in, you get my drift - your case is exceptional)...
Makes absolutely no sense actually. There are thousands of people who go to watch NH racing live every week and don't have a horse running and don't go specifically to gamble.
Good, but have to say that those people that are constantly knocking it have obviously never experienced a day out at the races. It's not just about the gambling aspect, but, meeting like minded people and having a decent day out. On a par with going to watch a footie match. Horses are well looked after and loved by the stable staff as well as "punters". You only had to see and hear the reception that Sprinter Sacre received at Cheltenham. I love racing, always have, always will and it's not just about having a bet. I hate it when horses are put down but there seems more bad publicity towards this that is given to motor cycle/ car drivers killed.
So do you go to the races just watch the horses, have a beer, and sometimes don't bet then sralan?
Yes.
Fair enough, and VG and his sitting at home watching. I maintain that you are in a very small minority.
Count me in with the "very small minority".
I shall. Do any of you three ever bet?
Yes, I bet, not every day but selectively. When I do bet it's not pennies, therefore, a day at the races without a bet is to watch and note certain horses.
... I see it as the equivalent of an actor saying that he loves the theatre because he is always there, but never actually attending a play he isn't in (even though you may well attend races your horses are not running in, you get my drift - your case is exceptional)...
Makes absolutely no sense actually. There are thousands of people who go to watch NH racing live every week and don't have a horse running and don't go specifically to gamble.
There's a good caveat if ever I saw one - how can you prove that? I have to take your word on it Peanuts. Those thousands still make up a tiny minority, without gambling, the sport does not exist in any relevant form.
Comments
; )
I prefer flat racing over jumps but love both.
I have watched racing live in UK, America, Thailand, Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong and Dubai, all are different and amazing on big race days.
But it is a very cruel sport and I don't believe the horses feel anything but pure fear throughout the whole process. Locked up for 23 hours a day, carted around in big vans often for hundreds of miles, whipped around the track before being banged up in the big van again.
I saw enough from the inside that the only sentiment for any of the horses are those that are successful, unsuccessful flat racers are destined for dog food, unsuccessful jumpers may find their lives extended on point to point, fox hunting and other such "entertainments".
Not as bad as being sent to war as in times past, but still pretty awful.
And I'm not tucking into a bacon sandwich but I will enjoy a nice bit of sirloin later.
Gambling and horse racing are interdependent, as others have said, but not as much now for off-course and online bookmakers. My own company takes 60% of its stakes on football, and tennis followed by basketball are second and third. The horse racing industry now needs bookmakers more than bookmakers need the horse racing industry.
It's a sport that some enjoy be it the gambling, the dressing up or whatever and others dislike.
Is it cruel? I look at intent. There is no intent for animals to die. Unfortunately tragic accidents happen despite the extensive efforts made to prevent them.
Accidents happen in all sports. Sadly with a horse it is often terminal it seems.
I am not even saying there is a callous disregard towards the safety of the horses, but the number of fatalities suggest that there is quite a degree of dereliction. I accept there has been some progress towards improving things, which at least is a recognition of the danger the humans are putting the animals in.
However in a sport where the horses as so compelled i feel uncomfortable that their suffering is often shrugged off with a 'that's the risk you take' kind of attitude.
Horses. They hate me. I actually don't understand how something with a brain the size of a walnut has the capacity to be so nasty and devious. My hate/hate relationship with horses is unfortunate as my niece has a dozen or so of the feckers. (Not race horses but show jumpers and a few American Quarter Horses.)
I go to an occasional meet, which is a fun day out as long as I don't get too close to the smelly evil burgermeat. (Continuing with their hate for me, anything I bet on loses deliberately.)
And another thing, why are they always being driven about in the slowest, dirtiest, most polluting ancient transporters which are even more annoying than caravans?
They do taste nice though.
One final thing. I did actually get to meet Red Rum when he was the celebrity ribbon cutter (he had a hanger-on to do that for him obviously) on the reopening of my local pub following refurbishment. He was a completely different animal from your average bastard horse. Intelligent, friendly and interested in what was going on around him. At no time did I even think that he was going to bite or kick me. A proper decent animal that one.
#justsaying
Peanuts - the national hunt racing you have loved since you were a boy would not exist without betting, which was my first point. I see it as the equivalent of an actor saying that he loves the theatre because he is always there, but never actually attending a play he isn't in (even though you may well attend races your horses are not running in, you get my drift - your case is exceptional)...
Of course there are odds on "my" [sic] GN thread. That is the race in which I bet every year and have made it an analytical study - the Grand National having started my love of NH racing as a 7 year old watching Red Alligator win it in 1968.
Outside of it, I avidly watch 100+ steeplechases every year, at a course or on TV, and bet in approx 6.
I think that would be described as occasional.