And we were probably lucky to get the 5 taking into account Envoi Allen's fall. What has happened to all our horses and trainers?
Too much racing, too many graded races, not enough prize money.
The result is we have quantity but not quality. I mean you've got the Leinster National last weekend which is an 80k Euro pot compared to the Festival 3m handicaps which are the Kim Muir (£50k) and the Ultima (£80k). It sets up a bubble where the Irish are happy to stay at home and compete with high quality fields (which in turn increases standards) and pop over to England once or twice a year for the big festivals and leave it at that.
If you're an owner you've got the best Point to Point scene, elite trainers, the highest prize money and then you can pop over here once a year and clean up - the number of UK based owners sending their horses to Ireland will just carry on rising.
And we were probably lucky to get the 5 taking into account Envoi Allen's fall. What has happened to all our horses and trainers?
Too much racing, too many graded races, not enough prize money.
The result is we have quantity but not quality. I mean you've got the Leinster National last weekend which is an 80k Euro pot compared to the Festival 3m handicaps which are the Kim Muir (£50k) and the Ultima (£80k). It sets up a bubble where the Irish are happy to stay at home and compete with high quality fields (which in turn increases standards) and pop over to England once or twice a year for the big festivals and leave it at that.
If you're an owner you've got the best Point to Point scene, elite trainers, the highest prize money and then you can pop over here once a year and clean up - the number of UK based owners sending their horses to Ireland will just carry on rising.
That doesn't stop the media over here spending the whole of the winter promoting our horses as if they are world beaters. Frequently they run in extremely uncompetitive races, beating trees and being over hyped as a result.
Of course we have to admire their trainers too because to win all the handicaps bar two despite, as Mr O'Leary is so clear to regularly point out, their horses being so badly treated by the British handicapper is some achievement!
Here's our biggest problem in the UK - over 100 Grade 1 and Grade 2 races in the season. How many graded races this season have had 5 or fewer runners?
And they are still talking about a fifth day for Cheltenham!
It's like boxing with all its world titles - the result is lots of great fights on paper that never happen. You need competition to drive improvement, interest and prize money.
Meanwhile, over in Ireland you've got races like the Savills Chase at Christmas which had 14 runners including the:
Gold Cup 1 and 2 Ryanair winner
Stayers 4th Last season's 1, 2 and 5 in the Marsh Plus the likes of Kemboy and Delta Work
It's an exaggerated example as it was one of the most competitive staying chase fields in years but the UK scene has no answer to it.
The likes of Nicholls and Henderson want it like that. They complain that there aren't enough Graded races for their horses and then deliberately ensure that they don't race against each other!
Had my best day of the four today but was still down for the week. As for the failure of British racing, it really is amazing how things have changed. King, Hobbs, Twiston-Davies, V Williams, McCain, JJ O’Neill etc would all regularly have a number of winners at the Festival. Now they barely have runners. Then you have the champion jockey, Brian Hughes. He didn’t even have a ride at the pinnacle NH meeting. As others have said, lack of prize money and too much racing can’t help.
The likes of Nicholls and Henderson want it like that. They complain that there aren't enough Graded races for their horses and then deliberately ensure that they don't race against each other!
Poor old Nicky Henderson has spent half of the season claiming that there wasn't a 2.5m+ race for Champ!
There was a similar moan up last season about Santini.
What he means is there isn't a race at the distance, in the right window of time, the right way round, at a soft track, with minimal opposition and ideally noone else rated within a stone where the prize money is at least £50k!
A walkover for MARRACUDJA. This is a consolation race for horses balloted out of handicap chases at the Cheltenham Festival, with Dan Skelton's charge emerging as the only eligible runner.
The likes of Nicholls and Henderson want it like that. They complain that there aren't enough Graded races for their horses and then deliberately ensure that they don't race against each other!
Poor old Nicky Henderson has spent half of the season claiming that there wasn't a 2.5m+ race for Champ!
There was a similar moan up last season about Santini.
What he means is there isn't a race at the distance, in the right window of time, the right way round, at a soft track, with minimal opposition and ideally noone else rated within a stone where the prize money is at least £50k!
I think the British run up to Cheltenham needs a shake up. I'd move some of the sandown and kempton trial races to Chepstow.
A walkover for MARRACUDJA. This is a consolation race for horses balloted out of handicap chases at the Cheltenham Festival, with Dan Skelton's charge emerging as the only eligible runner.
Easy money if you can get it.
I’ve never seen that before. I reckon Skelton could still get it beat tho.
Have to side with Minella Indo here. Love that horse since I was on at 50/1 for the Albert Bartlett two years ago.
Like you I backed Minella Indo out of loyalty, having won on it in the Albert Bartlett two years ago. It should really have won the RSA last year too. The Albert Bartlett bets probably go down as my favourite, if not biggest, wins ever having recouped over £600 for three bets totalling £5.17 on Betfair. I couldn't believe the odds being displayed. Goes to show that it is always worth looking at Betfair if you are planning to back an outsider.
have booked weds and Thursday club enclosure both days and the radisson blu in brum for weds and Thursday night plan will be same as usual train up to Brum then onto chelts after dropping luggage weds out both nights are racing in Brum come back leisurely and find a boozer in town to watch gold cup 🤢
Comments
Bob and co win only
Mr Mantilla ew
heres hoping...
Goes off to look at the National thread..
Ireland 23
And we were probably lucky to get the 5 taking into account Envoi Allen's fall. What has happened to all our horses and trainers?
The result is we have quantity but not quality. I mean you've got the Leinster National last weekend which is an 80k Euro pot compared to the Festival 3m handicaps which are the Kim Muir (£50k) and the Ultima (£80k). It sets up a bubble where the Irish are happy to stay at home and compete with high quality fields (which in turn increases standards) and pop over to England once or twice a year for the big festivals and leave it at that.
If you're an owner you've got the best Point to Point scene, elite trainers, the highest prize money and then you can pop over here once a year and clean up - the number of UK based owners sending their horses to Ireland will just carry on rising.
Of course we have to admire their trainers too because to win all the handicaps bar two despite, as Mr O'Leary is so clear to regularly point out, their horses being so badly treated by the British handicapper is some achievement!
And they are still talking about a fifth day for Cheltenham!
It's like boxing with all its world titles - the result is lots of great fights on paper that never happen. You need competition to drive improvement, interest and prize money.
Meanwhile, over in Ireland you've got races like the Savills Chase at Christmas which had 14 runners including the:
Gold Cup 1 and 2
Ryanair winner
Last season's 1, 2 and 5 in the Marsh
Plus the likes of Kemboy and Delta Work
It's an exaggerated example as it was one of the most competitive staying chase fields in years but the UK scene has no answer to it.
As for the failure of British racing, it really is amazing how things have changed. King, Hobbs, Twiston-Davies, V Williams, McCain, JJ O’Neill etc would all regularly have a number of winners at the Festival. Now they barely have runners. Then you have the champion jockey, Brian Hughes. He didn’t even have a ride at the pinnacle NH meeting.
As others have said, lack of prize money and too much racing can’t help.
There was a similar moan up last season about Santini.
What he means is there isn't a race at the distance, in the right window of time, the right way round, at a soft track, with minimal opposition and ideally noone else rated within a stone where the prize money is at least £50k!
Kempton 1.00
A walkover for MARRACUDJA. This is a consolation race for horses balloted out of handicap chases at the Cheltenham Festival, with Dan Skelton's charge emerging as the only eligible runner.Easy money if you can get it.
The Albert Bartlett bets probably go down as my favourite, if not biggest, wins ever having recouped over £600 for three bets totalling £5.17 on Betfair. I couldn't believe the odds being displayed.
Goes to show that it is always worth looking at Betfair if you are planning to back an outsider.
have booked weds and Thursday club enclosure both days and the radisson blu in brum for weds and Thursday night plan will be same as usual train up to Brum then onto chelts after dropping luggage weds out both nights are racing in Brum come back leisurely and find a boozer in town to watch gold cup 🤢