BBC Racing Commentary

There has been a great deal of debate on Racing forums recently about the commentating ability of Jim McGrath.

Allow me to play Devil’s advocate here and present the following –

Those of us who follow racing closely mostly watch the racing on course or via one of the specialist racing channels.

For Joe Public most of their experience of racing comes via terrestrial television and that is the main shop window for the sport to attract potential future racegoers.

Whether we like it or not, there is a responsibility for the public service broadcaster to ensure the best commentator provides the commentary, if the commentary and presentation on terrestrial TV is bland and average it will be less likely to attract new followers to the sport.

My earliest racing memories were, as a child, listening enthralled to the commentaries of Peter O’Sullevan and Tony Cook on the television and those, more than anything else, first kindled my interest racing.

For many years it was “The Voice” who filled that role perfectly. To be honest whoever followed him was almost on a hiding to nothing as he was a near impossible act to follow. At the time Jim McGrath was probably the best caller to take on the mantle.

Although his commentaries are perfectly adequate I think there is a common consensus that Jim’s commentaries are not as good and do not have the same edge or enthusiasm as they once had.

As a responsible broadcaster is it not incumbent of the BBC to consider if they currently have the best person in the role?

The trouble with the BBC is once you are in place you almost have a job for life. (I used to work for the BBC and I remember being told on my first day, only half jokingly, you can have an affair with the DG’s wife if you want – the only thing they will sack you for here is not buying a TV licence). The BBC also seem to like to plan succession, Jim was clearly in place to follow Sir Peter and it looks as though Barty is there to eventually succeed Jim.

For all their faults C4 will replace their senior caller if a better option is available (Simon Holt replacing GG for example)

C4 are, more and more, reverting to using the on course commentary instead of their usual team. Mark Slater was used for Bangor today and I notice Lee McKenzie is apparently being used at Wincanton next Saturday.

This begs the question, does the BBC need to have a staff commentator?

Racing is probably unique amongst mainstream sports in that it provides commentary at the venue. The standard of oncourse commentary is better than ever, so why not, like C4, use the racecourse feed?

No racing then the King George

Day one of those three dreak days each year when there is no racing.

OK I am being selfish, the hard working stable staff deserve a break, even though the horses still need looking after over Christmas.

To get an appreciation of a day at the races for a stable lass may I recommend the following http://www.theracingforum.co.uk/features/ it is a very good read.

After the break racing is back with a vengeance, with no less than eight meetings on Boxing Day and on Thursday there is the Welsh National.

The highlight of the Boxing Day fare must be the King George at Kempton, where Kauto Star attempts to win the race for the second year running. In all his previous races over the past two seasons I have made arguments for him to be beaten and have only been right once.

On Wednesday he faces just six rivals and I find it hard to find a horse to beat him. His arch enemy Exotic Dancer is happier left handed and does not like Kempton. Hi Cloy is good but the King George is too high a class race for him. For My Way De Solzen, although he has some hurdles form over 3 miles I still have doubts as to whether it is too far against such classy opposition. Racing Demon is another who I think 3 miles is pushing the limit. Taranis gets the 3 miles and cannot be ruled out, although he would need to improve a few pounds to challenge Kauto Star.

This leaves Our Vic, who at 9 years old is pretty much exposed and who is arguably better over 2½ miles than three. However the Pipe stable are in great form at the moment and the run of Vodka Bleu at Ascot on Saturday shows that Pipe can still get something out of his old boys. At around 20/1 I think Our Vic could be a good each way investment.
Whatever you are doing over the coming few days, have a good holiday.

Huntingdon Fiasco

Why does racing have a propensity to shoot itself in the foot?

With all the mud slinging and stigma following the collapse of the race fixing trial at the Old Bailey, you would think racing would keep a low profile and step up its PR.

Not at all. Huntingdon racecourse managed to upset both racing professionals and racegoers in a monumental way, with the late abandonment of it’s meeting on Thursday.

It was announced that the course was to hold a “precautionary” inspection at 9:30 following colder than expected overnight temperatures. However the course were optimistic about racing going ahead.

The 9:30 inspection took place and it was announced there would be a further inspection at 10:30 as there had been early morning fog and the sun had only just broken through.

The 10:30 inspection took place and the course was passed fit for racing. There was no mention of any further inspections.

When I arrived at the course around 11:30 it was immediately clear that the ground was not fit for racing, it still had plenty of frost in it. I wasn’t at all surprised when I was told there was to be an inspection at 12:00.

I was also equally unsurprised when, following the inspection, racing was abandoned.

Let me stress that I have absolutely no issue with the racing being called off, the track was not fit to race.

However I do have the following questions:-

• 
  Why was the first inspection called a “precautionary” inspection, when it was abundantly clear there was a severe frost in the ground?
• 
  On what basis were the comments about being optimistic to race made?
• 
  Why after the 10:30 inspection, when it was abundantly clear the ground was not fit to race, was it announced that racing had passed an inspection. Why wasn’t a further inspection announced instead?

I realise they are under a great deal of pressure to ensure the meeting goes ahead if at all possible, after all if the fixture is abandoned the courses lose money. That is still no excuse for messing around with racegoers and connections.

A simple answer would be for the BHA to introduce an instruction stating that if the course is not fit for racing two hours before the scheduled first race time then the meeting must be abandoned. It won't help everyone but it will prevent a significant number of wasted journeys.

Fallon Controversy

Well the fallout from the Kieren Fallon revelations continues to go on and on.

I belong to several Horse Racing Forums, in one of them there has been a very heated debate on the pros and cons of the saga.

On the one hand there are those, like myself, who feel Fallon has run out of goodwill and should be kicked out of the sport.

On the other side there are those, who feel equally passionately, that he has done nothing wrong, that there is nothing wrong in taking Class A drugs. There was even one poster, an admitted cocaine user, who delusionally said that cocaine isn’t even addictive.

Strongly differing views and the debate has been very fierce. The good think, whichever side you take, is the forum allows for the free expression and freedom of speech.

Or does it?

(I would say at this point the next part of the post is not directed at the particular forum, it is a more general observation.)

There has been a thread in a non-racing part of the forum which the administrator has had to remove due to complaints. The thread contained jokes following on from the recent teddy bear affair.

Here is one of the jokes:-

I bought a teddy for £10

I called him Mohamed

I sold him for £20

Have I made a prophet?

Jokes and satire have a major cultural contribution to make in that they are tools to point out the absurdities of life and they are a tool for defeating pomposity.

Yet in these days of political correctness, if enough people complain, then censorship prevails – this is wrong.

The situation with a teacher being jailed for naming a teddy bear Mohamed is absurd, almost to the point of disbelief. The absurdity of the situation needs to be pointed out and telling jokes is a good way of making the point.

Cold Turkey

They say coming off an addiction can be hard, be it drugs, booze or any of the 1,001 other things you could become addicted to.

I haven't been racing for ten days and I am feeling the effects, I am irritable – nothing new there some will say, and am itching to get back to the course.

I am even looking forward to going to Southwell tomorrow and that from someone who isn’t all weather racings greatest advocate.

My last race meeting was at Towcester, a week last Saturday when I came home cold and wet. Those of you who know Towcester will know there is very little shelter when the weather isn’t clement.

The first race of the day would have suited “what happened next” – four fallers at the first and a Foinavonesque event at the ditch in front of the stands that took out all but two contenders. Two of the hampered horses eventually restarted, coming in a good two minutes after the first two.

I wanted to write about the race on my web site, but due to the Fasthosts fiasco I couldn’t. There is enough about the fiasco in earlier posts on this blog.

As a result of trying to get my web site working I had to forgo two race meetings, no wonder my mood is soured!!

Then last Wednesday was the annual shopping trip to France. Visiting the Christmas markets. Eating wonderful French food, ending with a trip to the Hypermarket on the way back.

It’s easy to spot the Brits in the French Hypermarkets, they are the ones who make a bee line for the booze aisles then fill their trolleys up as if prohibition is about to be announced.

I must be an abnormal Brit as my total booze purchasing was two bottles of champagne and a bottle of calvados, all intended as presents. My shopping time was spent in the fresh food aisles, buying wonderful fresh fish (plus half a kilo of giant crevettes to eat on the shuttle coming home), the cheese and cold mead counters, even the vegetable counters. All of which would put any UK supermarket to shame.

If I lived in Kent I would do all my food shopping in France, it would be worth the fare to get there.

Thursday was recovering and getting so angry about my web site still being down, I decided to transfer the site to a new provider.

Friday was getting my site uploaded to the new provider, so racing was off the agenda again. Just as well as it happens with the breaking news from the Old Bailey, but without an up an running website it was also frustrating.

Saturday was going to be racing at Sandown but with the Fallon drugs story breaking it was a day at the keyboard, at least I finally had a working web site.

Yesterday was going to be Warwick races but I woke up feeling like, well feeling like something that is not discussed in polite company. I actually was determined to go, I had the racecard printed off, my race reading sheets were ready. I even put my coat on, convincing myself the fresh air would do me good. As soon as I stepped outside the front door the heavens opened with rain of biblical proportions – someone was telling me something.

So now I cannot wait to get my fix tomorrow. This will be the longest period I have not been racing for ages. I even go racing when I am on holiday for goodness sake.

Now where are my bins? I need a fix.

Fallon - Hero to Zero?

Yesterday Kieren Fallon was on a high as the corruption case against him was dropped at the Old Bailey, however behind his smiles, as he emerged from Court, he knew another bombshell was about to drop.

Today a rumour that has been circulating in racing circles for a few weeks was confirmed, as a daily paper "broke" the news that Fallon had apparently failed a drug test following racing in France in August this year.

The news was later confirmed by Fallon's solicitor.

So far only the "A" sample has failed and a second "B" sample is now being analysed.There is no official confirmation as to the prohibited substance that has been detected.

Should Fallon fail the second sample he will inevitably face an official enquiry and if found guilty will face a lengthy ban, as this would be a second offence.

It seems that Fallon faces trouble at every turn.

Fallon Trial

The collapse of the race fixing trial cannot have been the most surprising news of the decade to those who have been following the case.

Having seen the “evidence” that was presented in court I have been at a loss to see how the case came to be prosecuted in the first place. The evidence was, at best, flimsy at worse unsubstantiated and circumstantial. The police surveillance operation looked like something organised by Inspector Clouseau rather than a competent force.

Whether it is a case of evidence being there and it not being presented due to police incompetence or whether the evidence was not there at all is immaterial. The accused have been told they have no case to answer and they are free men.

Now the case is over racing must face up to the implications. Not least the way Fallon was treated. There has always been a presumption of innocence under British law.

All three accused jockeys had their licences suspended, however in the cases of Lynch and Williams they were still given compensatory payments to cover the loss of earnings. In Fallon’s case, however, no compensation for loss of earnings was offered, the reason being he was licensed in Ireland, this seemed to ignore most of his earning came from this country. How is it possible for a man to be denied his livelihood when he has not been convicted of any offence?

It will be interesting to see what action, if any, Fallon takes against the racing authorities.

There will also be a large number of questions to be answered. The failure of this trial does not mean that racing is clean. There is corruption in racing, although it is not as bad as some would have you believe. Far too many punters look for an excuse when their horse fails to win and what easier excuse is there than to say the race was fixed. After all punters are so clever they always know what horse is going to win.

The danger is the failure of this case may well hinder future investigations into corruption.

The end of the trial almost certainly isn’t the end of the matter for the jockeys. Although the criminal charges were dropped, there were possible breaches of the rules of racing disclosed during the trial and these will be looked at by racing authorities.

The trial may be over but the story is not going to go away for a while yet.

Fasthosts Password

Well the password arrived today - eight days after they locked out the passwords and a day after I moved to another web hosting company.

Unfortunately I am still without a web site as the transfer will take 24 - 48 hours to roll out and, surprise surprise, there are a large number of people moving web hosts at the moment.

Today I finally received an e-mail from Fasthosts, however all it did was repeat the same trite crap they have been spouting all week.

They should get my letter of cancellation tomorrow.

Fasthosts Latest Update

Well it is now a week since Fasthosts screwed up my website and still no sign of a new password, so enough is enough. I have now begun the process to move to a new web host - well let's face it they cannot be any worse than Fasthosts!!!

I notice now that Fasthosts have been renamed on the web, they are now known as Farcehosts - how apt.

To rub salt in the wounds it has now become apparent that customers bank account details may have been compromised - oddly enough Fasthosts aren't saying anything about that one.

As a result I have had to spend time today getting new cards issued from the Bank - I really can do without all this. This a time when I should have been racing at Market Rasen.

Fasthosts (Non) Update

Well it is now Tuesday and the morons at Fasthosts still have not sent me a new password, so I still cannot update my web site.

They are incompetent idiots, there is nothing about the problem on their web site and they, and their parent company, simply ignore any e-mails that are sent to them.

It is interesting that the customer who was featured on the BBC web site yesterday was called by them yesterday afternoon and given his password - well done to him but I think it speaks volumes for Fasthosts' attitude in general

If you are thinking of setting up a web site avoid Fasthosts at all costs.

Fasthosts Update

The fiasco continues.

Still no new password in the post today.

Still virtually impossible to get through on the phone and looking at updates on other forums it seems it is almost impossible to get them to reset the password over the phone.

Why aren't the media making more of this - there is finally something on the BBC web site, although I tipped them off last night.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/7124755.stm

Although there are reports of many customers who did reset their passwords having their passwords changed.

Not A Happy Bunny

I am a bloody unhappy bunny in fact.

I have been unable to update my web site since Thursday evening and when it is a dynamic site it is something of a serious pain in the arse.

It appears my web hosting company have had a security breach and as a result they have rescinded everyones password and are mailing out new passwords to everybody - using snail mail.

Meaning web sites cannot be upgraded until the postman delivers the letter - this in the build up to Christmas - not the brightest of moves.

Trying to contact them is a farce, no it is nigh on impossible.

To e-mail the support team you have to provide your account number and support PIN, however to get your support PIN you have to log into your control centre - which you cannot do without a password. Doh!!!

If the info is not provided the support e-mail is rejected and not read. Absolute crap customer service and you would have thought in the circumstances they would have turned off this automatic filtering to try and assist their customers.

So I tried to make contact via the sales team as that appeared to be an unfiltered e-mail address, basically they refused to help and told me to contact the support e-mail, even though I had explained in my mail why I couldn't use the e-mail support. Clearly their sales staff have a serious problem comprehending the English language and a complete lack of customer care or support.

The only other option was to phone the help desk. Well on Friday it was only possible to get an engaged tone. On Saturday you were able to join the queue. The first time I rang I was told I was number 48 in the queue, after 23 minutes I had reached the heady heights of 39 in the queue - 9 places in 23 minutes. This equates to a wait of two hours - I'm afraid I have better things to do with my life.

Just to add insult to injury they had this patronising apology message which kept playing saying how sorry they were and that they understood the inconvenience. Bollocks – if that had fully understood the impact on customers they would not have taken the action they did in the first place.

By mid-afternoon after many attempts and being fed up of joining the queue in the 40's, I actually managed to join the queue at number 38, so I decided to wait. After almost half an hour I had reached position 27, I was getting hopeful - then I was cut off!!! Are they taking the piss or what.

I have tried many more times, late night, early morning, several times today and the best I have ever achieved is joining the queue at position 39.

Clearly I am not the only person they have seriously hacked off.

This looks to me, to be not only a major cock-up but also a major failure in customer support and customer management. I'm sure I'm not the only customer who will be moving their web-site to another hosting company.

If you are thinking of setting up a website and you want to update it regularly, may I strongly recommend and suggest that you avoid Fasthosts like the plague.

How To Ruin A Racecourse

My local racecourse is only 12 miles down the road and it used to be one of my favourites.

Note I am speaking in the past tense, sadly it is now one of my least favourite.

It's a course where people cannot even agree how it is pronounced, John Francome in his Salisbury burr pronounces it Tow-kester with the Tow rhyming with Cow. Others, including locals, pronounce it Toaster. Whicever way it is said it is spelt Towcester.

Set in a natural amphitheatre it offers great viewing. It used to have a lovely old grandstand, a bit rustic, but it had a roof and offered excellent viewing under shelter.

Unfortunately the stand was too rustic and the local council decided it needed to be demolished. It was a shame, however the course executive announced they would have a consultation with racegoers, so everything looked promising.

I’m not sure who they spoke to. Looking at the new stand it is apparent the ‘normal racegoer was not consulted. The top floor is dedicated to corporate boxed. The first floor to a restaurant. The public are offered tiered viewing, which, in the courses defence, does offer good viewing. However there is one thing missing and that is cover. If it rains the regular punter gets wet.

Today it rained at Towcester – if you wanted to watch the racing you get wet. If you want to shelter the area inside the stands is crushed beyond comfort or you can shelter in a tent.

Frankly Towcester have cocked up. How can you build a multi million pound stand and not provide any cover for punters when it rains?

Towcester have been very crafty – they have dropped any admission charges at most meetings. Yippee it’s free!! I thought this was a good altruistic move when it was first announced.

Now I have my doubts.

I think Towcester know they have cocked up with the new stand. By going down the free admission path it takes the wind out of any complaints. After all how can you complain when you haven’t paid?

Well quite easily actually.

So go to Towcester – if it’s a nice day you can enjoy it. If the forecast is rain forget it. If the weather is changeable do as I do today. Watch the first two races and when it starts raining, goes home and enjoy it on Channel 415.

Another black Saturday

Well it should have been another weekend of high class racing. Once again it all goes wrong.

First of all the lovely grey Detroit City dies in a race at Ascot, the second weekend racing has been overshadowed by a star paying the ultimate price. The post mortem seems to suggest it was a ruptured valve in his heart that killed him. Not being a vet I don’t know if that was caused by the fall or if it caused him to fall. Either way it is going to add more ammunition to the guns of the anti-racing brigade.

The other problem is entirely internal to racing. Owners and trainers always seem to be complaining about the lack of prize money, yet Huntingdon stage a £70,000 chase and only four horses are declared to run at the overnight stage and, following late injuries, only two actually raced, turning the whole event into a virtual farce. Come on owners and trainers what is your problem?

For Saturday's review visit http://www.ors-racing.co.uk/SuperSaturday.html

Racing on a wing and a prayer

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. Oops, sorry, going off on a tangent there.

Yesterday was a days racing at Hexham, for those of you saying where? Hexham is a market town 20 miles west of Newcastle.

Living, as I do, in Milton Keynes a day trip to Hexham turns into a major logistical exercise. At the end of the day you are faced with three options all pretty similar in terms of cost.

Option one was to drive, a 516 mile round trip which my sat-nav says would be 4½ hours each way, total cost about £70 for petrol.

Option two was to catch the train. Unfortunately Milton Keynes is on the West Coast mainline and Hexham is near the East Coast. The options would then be to either get the train via London or a 1¼ drive to get the train from Peterborough, still a 3½ hour journey. Total cost about £65. (£45 train fare, £10 parking and about a tenner for petrol)

Option three was to fly. A 45 minute flight from Stansted to Newcastle then a couple of trains to get to the course. Total cost £74.50 (£47 flight, £17.50 parking and £10 petrol)

In the end I opted to fly and so I was at Stansted, after setting off from home at 06:30, having gone through security and trying to find a Racing Post in Smith’s when I get a text. “Hexham holding an inspection following overnight rain.”

Bugger what do I do, I could wait for the result of the inspection but then possibly miss the flight or I could continue to Newcastle and hope the course passes an inspection. The alternative didn’t bear thinking about – just how does one kill a spare, midweek day in Newcastle?

In the end I decided to chance it and caught the flight.

Have you noticed, when they make the safety announcements, they say do not use your mobile phone until you are well inside the terminal building. Well, I’ll tell you, my mobile was on as soon as they opened the door of the plane and I was sure as hell relieved to pick up a message saying racing was on – it wasn’t to be a wasted journey after all.

Or was it?

Once outside Newcastle itself the view from the train window was becoming quite attractive, however one thing was worrying me, it looked quite misty outside and I remembered that Hexham was perched on top of a hill.

My foreboding increased as the free bus crawled, and I mean crawled, its way up the hill. All of a sudden it was looking very misty, no make that foggy.

I was thinking I had come all this way and I was going to be thwarted by a Brighton like fog. Luckily as the coach broached the top of the hill the fog did thin out, certainly enough for racing to go ahead.

Hexham is what can best be described as a Spartan course. ( http://www.ors-racing.co.uk/Hexham.html ) and that is also a description that can be applied to its culinary offerings as well. By mid afternoon having not had anything decent to eat all day I made the choice to cut my losses with the racing and head back to Newcastle for a bite to eat.

Now Hexham kindly provide a free bus service between the station and the course, however the only bus back is after the last race. Therefore if I wanted to escape early it was to be a case of walking – yes me actually walking – at least it was all downhill. I was knackered by the time I reached Hexham station and dying for a cup of tea or something. There was a very nice café on the station, of course it was closed.

I eventually did manage to get a meal and very nice it was too. The flight home was on time, actually I lie, it arrived at Stansted 20 minutes early – well done Easyjet, credit where credit is due.

It was lashing with rain and of course I was parked in the open, about as far away from the terminal as it is possible to get. Why is it a 75 minute drive seems to take twice as long when you are soaked through?

I eventually go home just after ten, 15½ hours after setting out.
Was it worth such a long day just to watch five mediocre races – yes it was!!!

Grumpy Old Mobile

How did we all survive before the mobile phone was invented?

I ask because everywhere one looks nowadays there are people going around with mobile phones either clamped to their ears or in their hands being used for text messaging.

Even more worrying is the number of drivers who, despite current legislation, still drive whilst using the phone. Frighteningly this also includes drivers of HGV’s and delivery vans who seem to ignore the restrictions with impunity.

With the billions of pounds being spent on pointless wars, surely it cannot be beyond the wit of man to produce a device which will disable mobile phones in a vehicle whilst the engine is running?

I admit I do have a mobile phone, I don’t like having one but it is a necessity, especially when a large proportion of my working life is spent on the racecourse. However I do turn my phone off when I am driving and I also turn it off as soon as I am home – and what a stir that causes.

I have lost count of the number of messages left on my phone complaining that people have tried to contact me but my phone has been turned off. Invariably these have been left when I have been at home. My response is invariably the same, the clue is in the title - “mobile” phone – I use it when I am mobile. When I am at home I can be contacted on my home phone it is that simple. Of course I only give my home phone number to those who I really want to contact me in my own time.

The trouble with mobile phones is people now expect you to be available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

Have you also noticed the number of web sites that now insist on you entering a telephone number if you want to purchase anything from the site. I have a simple answer to that one, I just make a number up.
So if you get a call for someone you have never heard of asking, about an order about which you know nothing, then I apologise it could have been me who gave your number. Just don’t take the call when you are driving!!!

Mixed Open

Well winter is here - I must be a soft southerner but I am not used to snow in November - Yuk.

Well the Open Meeting at Cheltenham was nothing if not controversial.

On Friday 14 year old Spot Thedifference, once again, won the cross country, then stumbled and fell after the line. Luckily he was OK and the cheer from the crowd when he was seek to be OK was the loudest of the afternoon. I must be honest though, I do not like seeing these older horses competing, I would like to see a rule whereby all horses should retire after their twelve year old season. Yes 13 and 14 year olds do win, but far too many also collapse and die either during or after their races.

Saturdays racing was marred by the deaths of two very promising young horses. Willyanwoody suffered his fall in the novice chase and his rider Ruby Walsh was also injured.

Granite Jack met his end in the big race of the afternoon, the Paddy Power Chase. More significantly he fell at the notorious second last fence.

I say notorious because, of the fifteen fences on the course, this particular fence accounts for 30% of all fallers. This is far too high a proportion and something needs to be done to make this fence safer.

The meeting turned into a farce on Sunday when the weather took a dramatic turn and it was only the really hardy racegoers who braved the elements.

In a way it was a fitting end to the meeting that the last race was abandoned.

Time speeds by

As my great hero and role model Victor Meldrew would say, “I don’t believe it.”

Yet another Monday morning has snuk up on me and the sidebar on my laptop is telling me it is already November 12th …. good heavens to Betsy, it only seems like yesterday that we were welcoming in 2007.

I once read a very good theory as to why time seems to fly as you get older and the more I think about it the more I believe it is right. It goes something like this.

When you are ten years old a single year is 10% of your life, which is quite a significant proportion of it. That is why school holidays seemed to last forever.

When you are 50 though, the same year only represents 2% of your life, a much smaller proportion. So relatively speaking, a year for a 50 year old seems to pass by five times quicker than a year for the ten year old.

Think about it!!

OK that is enough philosophy, my brain is starting to hurt.

Time flying has been relevant this last week because doing my paperwork I realise I drove over 1,100 miles last week, just going racing, yet the week just flew by. I have worked out I spent around 24 hours last week just driving. That's a whole bloody day!!!! Am I mad, or what?

This week is going to be a great deal less driving. Tomorrow Kempton stages a rare “real” race meeting – by real I mean a jump meeting and not the usual silly sand stuff. I am just going to check the cards and if they are any good I will be there tomorrow.

On Thursday it is off to Taunton – I need to do a review of the course for the web site. My memories from previous visits is of a rather basic, compact course.

The real racing this week, however, starts on Thursday, with the three day Cheltenham meeting, what I call the mini festival – guess where I will be later this week?

Oh well enough blogging – I need to write to make some money!!

Horns of a Dilema

I had long planned to revisit one of my favourite racecourses, Wincanton, today. It is a long trek but invariably worth it.

Suddenly, last night, I became torn – Saturday was also the climax of the flat season at Donny, Doncaster if you didn’t know.

Normally it is a no brainer decision when it comes to choosing between a decent jump meeting and any flat meeting. However this decision was different, the climax of the flat season was unusually exciting with two jockeys, Jamie Spencer and Seb Sanders both in with a real chance of winning the title. At the end of racing on Friday Sanders was one ahead and both had plenty of rides at Doncaster.

In the end Wincanton won in terms of being graced by my presence and it was a great day out, despite the 276 mile round trip. As an added bonus it turned out to be a profitable day, backing five winners and having a juicy forecast as well.

Meanwhile at Donny it was getting really exciting. For a blow by blow account take a look at http://www.ors-racing.co.uk/Jockey_Title.html .

It is not very often that jockeys championships go to the last day, yet alone the last race of the season. With all the recent bad publicity it is really nice to have racing appearing in news bulletins for all the right reasons.

Most of the racing coverage outside (and indeed inside) the racing press at the moment concerns the “Fallon trial” – once it is over I will have a lot to say on that topic. However I will keep quiet for now, lest I end up before the Justice on a contempt of court charge.

Originally I had hoped that Seb Sanders would win the title, however now it is over I think the tie is the best possible result and it was good to see both of them being so sporting and gracious to each other at the end.

Now I am knackered, it has been a long week, with a lot of racing and plenty of miles on the clock. Tomorrow will be a rare lie in and I am looking forward to it.

Every racecourse this week has been freezing cold – I really am going to have to invest in some thermals. But now I am off to bed, nite nite.

Day Off?

Well today is meant to be a day off, even racing addicts have to do the old domestic stuff every now and then ... food has to be bought and the ironing pile is getting embarrassingly high. I must admit that is my fault, in the good old days I was able to make a shirt last all week, now it is usually two a day - there is a price to pay for sartorial elegance.

One trait I have fortunately dropped is the silly habit of having a "lucky racing outfit". I think it began after a rather lean betting spell. One of those horrible spells we all have, where even if there was a walkover the horse would still contrive to fall over before crossing the line. When the drought ended it ended in style with four decent priced winners in an afternoon. By a quirk of fate I happened to be wearing a new racing tie that day - you know the sort of tie I mean, a plain tie with a neat horse motif printed on it.

Well I thought the tie has bought me luck and the stupid thought was further engrained when I wore it again next day and, again, has a successful punting afternoon. Well that was it I could not go racing without my lucky tie, if I did forget to wear it I would invariably lose. Of course it was all twaddle, it was just in the mind but it was incredibly hard to shake off the notion once it was stuck in my head.

Racegoers are often superstitious people, they have to stand in the right spot in the stands, or go to a certain Tote window. If they do not the racing Gods will condemn them to months, even years, in the betting wilderness

Even on my ‘day off’ I am sitting here writing about racing, hoping the ironing will go and iron itself.

I have already been online and booked flights for a trip to Hexham the week after next and hotels for a foray “up north” later in the month. Even harder to resist is the siren call of my favourite course, Fontwell Park, which is racing this afternoon. If I can stay at my laptop for another half hour I will have left it too late to go there – it is going to be a tough half hour!!!

A pretty ray of sunshine.

Today was the second days racing at Huntingdon this week and having been spoilt for the past few weeks the first real autumnal weather reared its ugly head.

Indeed at one point a squally shower literally raised the roof, and sides, of some of the marquees - almost the greatest excitement of the afternoon. Although there was one for the notebook in the bumper, newcomer Sunnyhillboy who looked most impressive for the McManus / O'Neill combo. More of him later!!

The weather was so dreak it is amazing headlights were not fitted to the horses in the last. However despite the depressing weather I found my own ray of sunshine.

Those who follow my web site will know I am not the greatest fan of the racecourse kow towing to corporates. However events at Huntingdon today give me a glimmer of hope. The Peterborough Restaurant had been given over to a corporate function. As often happens there were plenty of first time racegoers.

For my race reading I had watched the hurdle races from the roof of the stand but I had taken a pitch in the stand itself to view the chase races. My vantage point was just in front of the Peterborough balcony, which just before the race filled with some of the corporate guests.

Behind me I happend to overhear a conversation between two ladies clearly at the races for the first time and they weren't sure what colours their selections were wearing. I was happy to tell them. As the race reached the climax the cheering behind me became more frantic as, yes you guessed it, the newcomer had backed the winner. That normally would have been it and I would have thought nothing more of it.

Next race I took my same pitch and the same ladies appeared again, again asking what colour the horses were. The race started and thoroughout one of the ladies, who I have to say was very attractive (but that is just a sexist aside and not at all relevant), was asking how "our horse" was doing. "Our horse" happened to be Megaton and I didn't have the heart to tell he I thought it didn't stand a chance of winning. Most of the race I had to report it was sitting fourth of five, all the way until the final bend when it was third, then second ..... I'm sure you are guessing what happened next - yes the beast won, to even more frantic cheering behind me. It was her fourth winner of the afternoon. Someone was really enjoying their first day at the races.

Come the bumper, the same scenario happened again, this time she was on the unraced Sunnyhillboy. I suppose I don't have to say what happened, it hacked around in last place, final bend he was given his head as as the stark facts say 'won with plenty in hand'.

So there you have it, one very happy racegoer, five winners and a great day out.

What really made it so worthwhile for me though was to see the sheer happiness and fun she was having at her first day at the races. I handed her a card with my web site details so she can find out more about racing. I hope she becomes a regular and if she has even half the enjoyment I have had from the sport then it will all be worthwhile.

If by chance the lady is reading this - well done on your first day. However a word of caution as well, getting five winners in an afternoon doesn't happen every time, but enjoy spending your winnings nonetheless.

I'm Getting Old

All this driving is getting too much sometimes. I can recall the days when I would drive hundreds of miles a day, most days, with no ill effects.

Now though - it is a wholly different story.

Yesterday was a race meeting at Exeter, 198 miles each way from the concrete paradise that is Milton Keynes.

My beloved Tom Tom was set - yes beloved and this from someone who swore he would never, ever, have one!! The voice of the lovely Jane was, in the nicest possible way, telling me where to go. Everything started off OK, well until Oxford and the A34, where the traffic ground to a halt.

No problems, press her buttons and the delightful Jane obliges - if only everything in life were that simple - by finding me an alternate route - via Gloucester!!! In her defence it was only 12 miles longer and the arrival time was only 15 minutes later than the orginal estimate.

In truth the arrival time was too good and I reached the course two hours before the first race. At the larger courses it is quite easy to fill the time when you arrive that early, at Exeter it takes a maximum of ten minutes to explore everything, so it was a long two hours.

I was only at Exeter to see one race, the Haldon Gold Cup. Everyone was talking about the hot favourite Fair Along, however I wanted to take him on and I had already tipped up David Pipe's, Pablo Du Charmil to take the spoils. Once I saw Fair Along in the parade ring I was even more convinced he wouldn't win.

Exeter saw the biggest crowds of the season, there were so many journalists a second press room had to be opened.

Modesty prevents me from going into too much detail about the race, suffice to say Fair Along was not even placed, the Pipe stable were celebrating a good victory and your correspondent was even seen to be smiling. I even treated myself to a Devon Cream Tea in the restaurant - I know how to live.

One note to Exeter racecourse for future reference - please provide fruit scones in future, not boring plain ones.

Having travelled so far I decided to stay until all six races had been run.

Big mistake. The car park is in the centre of the course, which results in the following mathematical equation.

Biggest crowd of season + only one exit from car park + only one narrow access road = a long wait to get away (45 minutes to be precise, although not as bad as Aintree)

So the long trek home eventually began. Jane said I would be home by nine, a four hour journey.

Fed up with motorwars I decided to take the A303 route and not being the height of summer there were no caravans to delay the journey. I made such good time that by half seven I had reached Newbury and decided to have a food stop, as the benefits of the Devon tea had worn off.

The stop itself was nothing to write home about and within half an hour I was back on the road again. Even with the stop I would still be home by just after nine. Oh yes?

The dreaded A34 had one nasty trick left, initially clear, making good time to Oxford then flashing hazzard lights and stationary traffic!! Eventually a stream of blue flashing lights and the road completely closed.

Dear Jane, once again, found me an alternate route - through the centre of Oxford and driving through looking at all the young students I was wishing I was 30 years younger.

I eventually reached home just after ten o'clock, fourteen hours after setting off. I should have written up the report of the day for the web site - instead I had a cup of tea and was straight to bed, sleeping like a log.

Do I regret the long day? What a silly question - I loved it.

Saturday I'm back to the west country to do it all again. At least today and tomorrow is Huntingdon races, only a mere 40 minute drive.

Unfair Racing

There have been some strange stewarding decisions at the races this weekend.

Nothing new in that I suppose, but it has rattled my cage.

How is it, in the 21st century, that major decisions in racing, which is a multi-million pound business, are left in the hands of unpaid amateurs?

Is it not time that professional stewards were appointed to ensure the rules are applied consistently?

For the full background to what happened please take a look at the following page on my web site.

http://www.ors-racing.co.uk/Stewards.html

The stewarding issues above could have a bearing on the destination of the flat jockeys championship, which culminates this coming Saturday at Doncaster. As I write this Jamie Spencer is one winner ahead of rival Seb Sanders. If the first stewarding decision had not been made the scores would have been reversed. It is exciting seeing such a finish to the season, I just hope the final outcome is not decided in the stewards room.

With the end of the flat season comes the start of the jumping season. I must admit I do prefer jumping over the sticks. We have a fantastic variety of courses in this country and the most enjoyable days out are to be had at our diverse jumps courses. This week I will be racing at Plumpton (what a lovely name) just north of Brighton, then off to Exeter to watch the seasonal debut of my current favourite horse Voy Por Ustedes, Wednesday and Thursday will be a couple of days at Huntingdon, with a “day off” Friday and a trip back to the west country and the delightful Wincanton on Saturday.
I make that 1,100 miles driving – better get some Red Bull!!!

Where Do I Begin?

I suppose something about me!!

Well I am male, early 50's. I have spent 30 years working in IT. Earlier this year I was made redundant - no tears please - it is what I wanted. Take the money and run and with a pension chucked in as well it was a no brainer.

I worked for a bank - and can I tell some stories - who knows I may even spill some beans.

I have decided to make a big career change and have just completed a journalism course. My ambition is to be a sports journalist, specialising in Horse Racing.

As we mention horse racing - that is my passion - I love it and have lots of views, which I will share.

I also have my own web site - http://www.ors-racing.co.uk/ please visit it and let me know what you think of it.

Brain dumping to start soon.