Well last weekends Open meeting at Cheltenham was both controversial and dramatic.
Let’s start with the dramatic and Ruby Walsh’s fall on Saturday, when after hitting the deck he was then kicked in the stomach, resulting in having go have emergency surgery to remove a ruptured spleen .
Incidents like this exemplify the risks taken every day by both riders and horses.
It also throws the spotlight on a couple of morons at Wetherby on Saturday, who cheered the falls of both Gold Heart and Knockavilla at Wetherby, who would do well to bear in mind the risks that are taken. (The former of which looked to be a sickening fall, from which the horse happily walked away.)
Presumably these idiots cheer because the fall will work to the advantage of the horse they have backed.
Clearly, also, they have no love or respect for the sport they claim to be following and their ilk have no place on our racecourses.
The only mercy is these idiots form a very small minority.
Now the controversies from the open meeting still rumble on.
The first occurred in the very first race at the meeting. Just in case you have been on planet Zog for the past few days, jockey Jason McKeown had dropped his whip and asked a rival jockey, who was dropping out of contention, if he could borrow his whip – which was lent to him.
He then went on to win the race.
The stewards held an inquiry and decided there was not a rule to cover such an eventuality, which is correct.
However allowing the winner to keep the race cannot be correct.
If a rider drops his whip then it is tough luck.
There is no doubt that without the whip the “winner” would not have run the race. Taking this situation further had McKeown “borrowed” a whip from a jockey riding for the same stable he would have been “done” under the team tactics rule.
It is anomalies in the rules such as these which make a mockery of and undermine confidence in racing.
That the winner was allowed to keep the race is nothing short of a disgrace.
There are some who have compared the two day ban given to McKeown with the 20 day ban given to Lester Piggot when he grabbed a whip in a race in France.
There is, however, a big difference in that Piggot actually snatched the whip from a rival as opposed to asking for it.
The other controversy is another shot in the foot for the racing authorities and again poses some interesting questions.
Again if you had not returned from Zog by the time the cross-country race was run.
In the race jockey Davey Russell appeared to cut a corner, thus saving ground, when riding Dix Villez, to a hard fought victory. With the “short cut” having made all the difference.
However the short cut turned out to be legitimate. Russell had done his homework and he even checked with the stewards beforehand that his planned route was legitimate.
As he said after the race, "I spoke to the stewards before the race because shortcuts make all the difference in races like these.
"The bushes are not markers, I paid particular detail to it. It was totally premeditated."
So full marks to Russell and well done on his initiative and for learning the course.
The question is why did the other jockeys not realise the shorter route was legitimate?
Indeed by taking a longer route could they not be done for not riding to the best advantage.
However Russell’s initiative does mask an underlying problem in there should be no doubt as to the correct course to take.
It is very easy to take the wrong route on Cheltenham’s cross-country course and the penalties for taking the wrong course are high. So much so there are a number of “senior” jockeys who will not ride the course.
Officials must look at a better way to mark out the cross-country course so there is no ambiguity and it is easier for the jockeys to determine which route should be taken.
There are many who would not give a second thought to scrapping cross-country races and debacles like Friday’s just give them more ammunition.
Those of us who like the variety these races provide want to see some more credibility.
Let’s start with the dramatic and Ruby Walsh’s fall on Saturday, when after hitting the deck he was then kicked in the stomach, resulting in having go have emergency surgery to remove a ruptured spleen .
Incidents like this exemplify the risks taken every day by both riders and horses.
It also throws the spotlight on a couple of morons at Wetherby on Saturday, who cheered the falls of both Gold Heart and Knockavilla at Wetherby, who would do well to bear in mind the risks that are taken. (The former of which looked to be a sickening fall, from which the horse happily walked away.)
Presumably these idiots cheer because the fall will work to the advantage of the horse they have backed.
Clearly, also, they have no love or respect for the sport they claim to be following and their ilk have no place on our racecourses.
The only mercy is these idiots form a very small minority.
Now the controversies from the open meeting still rumble on.
The first occurred in the very first race at the meeting. Just in case you have been on planet Zog for the past few days, jockey Jason McKeown had dropped his whip and asked a rival jockey, who was dropping out of contention, if he could borrow his whip – which was lent to him.
He then went on to win the race.
The stewards held an inquiry and decided there was not a rule to cover such an eventuality, which is correct.
However allowing the winner to keep the race cannot be correct.
If a rider drops his whip then it is tough luck.
There is no doubt that without the whip the “winner” would not have run the race. Taking this situation further had McKeown “borrowed” a whip from a jockey riding for the same stable he would have been “done” under the team tactics rule.
It is anomalies in the rules such as these which make a mockery of and undermine confidence in racing.
That the winner was allowed to keep the race is nothing short of a disgrace.
There are some who have compared the two day ban given to McKeown with the 20 day ban given to Lester Piggot when he grabbed a whip in a race in France.
There is, however, a big difference in that Piggot actually snatched the whip from a rival as opposed to asking for it.
The other controversy is another shot in the foot for the racing authorities and again poses some interesting questions.
Again if you had not returned from Zog by the time the cross-country race was run.
In the race jockey Davey Russell appeared to cut a corner, thus saving ground, when riding Dix Villez, to a hard fought victory. With the “short cut” having made all the difference.
However the short cut turned out to be legitimate. Russell had done his homework and he even checked with the stewards beforehand that his planned route was legitimate.
As he said after the race, "I spoke to the stewards before the race because shortcuts make all the difference in races like these.
"The bushes are not markers, I paid particular detail to it. It was totally premeditated."
So full marks to Russell and well done on his initiative and for learning the course.
The question is why did the other jockeys not realise the shorter route was legitimate?
Indeed by taking a longer route could they not be done for not riding to the best advantage.
However Russell’s initiative does mask an underlying problem in there should be no doubt as to the correct course to take.
It is very easy to take the wrong route on Cheltenham’s cross-country course and the penalties for taking the wrong course are high. So much so there are a number of “senior” jockeys who will not ride the course.
Officials must look at a better way to mark out the cross-country course so there is no ambiguity and it is easier for the jockeys to determine which route should be taken.
There are many who would not give a second thought to scrapping cross-country races and debacles like Friday’s just give them more ammunition.
Those of us who like the variety these races provide want to see some more credibility.
