Horse Racing Thread

[PeterWithe]

I'm going Back on the Lash!

Edit: should read going "with" Back on the Lash"

I selected that, backed it at Cheltenham as well, Harry Redknapp owns it I think. Dont think it finished. Had Delta Work which also fell, had an EW on Noble Yates in 4th.

[Jon Crofts]

Just seen a re-run of the National, pretty grim viewing.

Yeah and sadly another fatality, a field of 40 horses is far too many, should be half that.

That and fence heights that are completely unnecessary.

[Nev]

I adore jump racing but yesterday was beyond the pale. Too many runners, too long a distance and the fences are too large. The sight of at least two animals practically stranded on the fences along with the other carnage was sickening. You don't get this in any other races apart from those over those horrible obstacles. It was indeed grim viewing and an awful advert for the sport at a time when it is under huge pressure. One look at that race is it any wonder people want it banned? Fortunately it's not representative of the sport in general.
I've had my last bet on it, the small amount I won yesterday will go to charity.

Never again.

[Gareth]

There are definitely too many horses in the race, I don’t know enough about racing to know if the fences are too high but it looks like chaos particularly on the first circuit….would 20 horses rather than 40 make it safer?

[Jon Crofts]

I can’t understand why one horse is made to jump fences like that in the first place let alone whether 40 of them jump them. Like fox hunting, hare coursing and badger baiting it’s had its day.

[UK Redsox]

I can’t understand why one horse is made to jump fences like that in the first place let alone whether 40 of them jump them. Like fox hunting, hare coursing and badger baiting it’s had its day.

I agree.

Horse Racing is not a sport, it's just a vehicle for gambling.

If it wasn't for the betting aspect, Horse Racing as we know it would not exist. It would just be as few countryside/posh/rich people doing point to point.

[Nev]

I concede that if there was no gambling then racing wouldn't exist although I regularly watch races not having had a bet because I love to see the horses in action but while racing continues, their welfare must be the priority. It cannot be described as a blood sport such as hare coursing because there is no deliberate cruelty and aside from Saturday's unedifying spectacle, in general terms horses are very well treated. They are bred to jump but if they don't want to race they won't. There are a number of notable horses who refuse to race from time to time and I love to see that.

I've long been a proponent of a whip ban, it should only be held in the hand to steer the horse, if you're having to hit the animal you've immediately lost your argument.

I can see why there are calls for an outright ban and I can see why people would like it to continue but large sections of the racing community need to knowledge that the scenes on the first circuit in the National do far more damage to the sport than anything else and if they don't, then the calls for a ban, along with the direct action of the type we saw on Saturday will continue to a much greater extent.

[PeterWithe]

Who are we going for in the Gold Cup then?

I didn't go this time, cost and weather last year put me off and I didn't miss it, and have only had two small bets. Rather annoyed that my betting app reminded me that I'd won money on Protektorat in the past  but I couldn't be arsed to register a new card to put funds in my account, and missed it winning at 17/1.

[PeterWithe]

Had Absurde at 16/1. Nice start.

[PeterWithe]

During the Cheltenham Festival I was wondering where Constitution Hill had got to, and then I promptly forgot about it. Any road, I was reading today that he had basically lost his nerve and wouldn't jump the fences falling on 3 out of his last 4 races. He's now on the mend and doing pretty well on the flat. But we are unlikely to see him jumping again.