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The Great, The Very Good and the downright Terrible - Cheltenham Review 2023

Discussion in 'Horse Racing' started by NassauBoard, Mar 18, 2023.

  1. OddDog

    OddDog Mild mannered janitor
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    The French lad on Gold Tweet in the stayers hurdle summed up the week for me. Sat out the back as if he were riding Arazi in the Breeders Cup juvenile, and just continued to sit there motionless all the way home as the race played out in front of him. Reminiscent of all the UK trainers Nass mentions, watching on from the sidelines as the Irish won almost everything. Almost as if they've given up.

    Constitution Hill did as was expected but also sadly confirmed the lack of serious opposition in the champion hurdle division and connections will have to go chasing to turn him into a legend - thrashing Not So Sleepy and State Man the next 2 years won't cut it. See Honeysuckle.

    I am a little uneasy about the whole Jack De Bromhead / Honeysuckle / unbridled emotion thing. I have no doubt whatsoever that the racing community rallied around the De Bromheads in what must have been an unimaginably difficult time. But to me it seemed insensitive that ITV had to raise this in the interview with him after Honeysuckle's victory and somehow claim it as a triumph for horse racing - It felt a bit hollow. The bereaved family will have gathered strength from small gestures and quiet moments since Jack's death and I felt like ITV wanted to somehow cash in on that. It felt wrong.

    When it comes to Cheltenham the money men have taken over and for me the festival has lost all its romance. It has become a pure money-spinner and is the worse for it. Looking back we had a superb Champion Hurdler and a super Gold Cup winner and a potentially very smart Supreme winner but that's about it. I may not even bother next year - I think I've lost interest.
     
    #21
  2. Chaninbar

    Chaninbar The Crafty Cockney

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    I had a little study of the trainers standings and the number of horses in training that Mullins and Elliott have between them is staggering. According to that website Elliott has 482 and Mullins has 399. The mind boggles at the operational structure needed to run a stable or stables with that many horses. For context De Bromhead has 120. By contrast over here Nicholls, Henderson and Skelton have around 150 each. Fergal O’Brien seems to have the most HIT over here at 169. Elliott/Mullins must have some great staff keeping all those owners happy. Fair play to them.
     
    #22
  3. stick

    stick Bumper King

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    The biggest problem in all this is the people now sending horses to Mullins and Elliott that should be sending them to Henderson and Nicholls. A few that spring to mind would be Souede&Munir, Cheveley Park, Tony Bloom and I am certain you guys can think of many more. These owners have sent their horses there just to remain competitive. Its a very sad indictment on the problems NH racing is facing in the UK currently and trend that is very hard to see reversing. I think the Wylies probably started it.
    Fergal may have 169 names but many of them are at the satellite yard under McPherson and a whole lot more are injured and are either out in a field nowhere near the yard or on long term box rest.
     
    #23
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  4. NassauBoard

    NassauBoard Well-Known Member

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    Interesting Oddy, given the festival did the opposite for you to what it did for me. It is interesting how different the views are, I think the Constitution Hill point is unfair, he doesn't need to go chasing to be a legend, he just needs to completely demolish fields on the bridle to do that. It is like the old Frankel/Sea The Stars argument, the fact Frankel could demolish fields made his legend. He didn't need to run in the Derby or the Arc to be a legend.

    In terms of Jack De Bromhead, I didn't see the coverage on ITV, so can't comment on what they did, but it was clear from racecourse interviews that the Honeysuckle win meant an enormous amount to the yard, and that part of it was about Jack. Given how Jack died, I think it does have an intrinsic link to racing and the sport pulling together. The image of the week for those on the racecourse may have been the jockeys who rode in Jack's last race giving the trophy for the Mares Novice Hurdle. The Snowdon team and owners quite rightly allowing centre stage to be taken by those young lasses and lads. The grass roots of the sport have to be so tightly linked to the NH sport, and this was another show that it was.

    In terms of money and Cheltenham, I can't disagree, but the festival hasn't lost it's romance, we had brilliant stories like the Foxhunters intertwined with the big and the expensive meeting in the other races. In the smaller attendances this year, I felt space to breath, a space to enjoy and a space to catch up with friends and other NH fans. It was worth every penny. Even the £7.50 for the Guinness.

    So the message to @OddDog and linked to @stick point is "See you at the festival in 2024" ---- you know you won't regret it!
     
    #24
  5. NassauBoard

    NassauBoard Well-Known Member

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    169 sounds bonkers, given they've got less than 100 boxes at the main yard, and the second yard is set up for "30 horses maximum".

    It does show how many are elsewhere, be it in pre-training or fields.

    On that note, worth finding the week before this' Countryfile for their visit to Jason Maguire's yard Ivy Lodge. Really interesting piece of footage.
     
    #25
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  6. NassauBoard

    NassauBoard Well-Known Member

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    Just wanted to share another story.

    I was stood at the parade ring, near the jockeys room when the horses paraded for the Turners Novice Chase, and two things really struck me -

    1 - How many Ownersgroup scarves and colours we could see around the parade ring
    2 - One such member then talking to us, and he had travelled on the morning from Troon!! A six hour drive to go and watch a horse that you have a tiny share in! The chap had left home very early (obviously) and was full of the joys of having a runner at the festival.

    Now a share in a horse like Stage Star costs sub £100 and is one of 3000 or so shares, but the absolute joy and pleasure that horse is giving its "owners" is something else. I am normally cynical and sarcastic about the micro-share approach, but it did show its worth to racing on Thursday. I did joke that the attendance that day was so much higher than Wednesday purely on the running of one horse!!

    So a question to the forum, does anyone have shares in an Ownersgroup horse? and if so, how do you find the experience? Would you drive 6 hours to watch it run?
     
    #26
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  7. OddDog

    OddDog Mild mannered janitor
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    Does every shareholder get an invite Nass? Surely 3000 of them turning up just wouldn’t work? Is there some sort of ballot?
     
    #27
  8. NassauBoard

    NassauBoard Well-Known Member

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    Yes, ballot for owners tickets, I think they had about ten tickets for the parade ring for Stage Star.

    Still doesn’t stop them buying tickets and turning up in good numbers.
     
    #28
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  9. Archers Road

    Archers Road Urban Spaceman

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    So NH racing is no longer all about Cheltenham? That's a good thing, isn't it?
     
    #29
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  10. Chaninbar

    Chaninbar The Crafty Cockney

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    Not me. I’d love to be involved in a syndicate but always felt it wouldn’t be worth the bother unless the share was a leg. However the chances of that are slim so I may consider a micro share. Semi retiring at end of May with the intention of doing more stuff I like. I’d happily have a small interest if it got me a day out at Bangor, Ludlow or Hereford.
     
    #30
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  11. Dexter

    Dexter Well-Known Member

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    Thankfully, we have been spared the nonsense of a five day festival but there still remains room for improvement in the schedule and content.

    The Irish dominance is not to do with money. Paul Nicholls has a stable full of horses that cost more than £250,000. Jonbon cost £520,000 and is with a British based handler. Nearly every decent bumper run in the UK has loads of dark black type attached to the fancied runners.

    The cuerrent situation is redolent of Coolmore's ascendancy over Godolphin (only recently has that been redressed). The Arabs had more money, spent more money and owned twice as many horses. They simply didn't have the expertise in the breeding aspect or buy the right horses or have the right staff. They had John Ferguson. Nicholls etc don't have the relevant connections in the bloodstock world atm either. Willy Mullins has Harold Kirk et al.

    They moan,especially Hendo, about lack of races for their charges in a ridiculously saturated pattern calendar. Henderson opined that from Boxing Day there was nowhere for CH to run. Nonsense.The Irish Champion Hurdle was an option and many runners from that meeting also won at Cheltenham.

    The crowds this year were slightly less thsi time but it's still best to have your own secret spot where you can enjoy the action unmolested. I'm reticent to divulge my spot but you may have seen my snorkel poking out of the water jump during the Champion Chase..
     
    #31
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  12. Chaninbar

    Chaninbar The Crafty Cockney

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    A little follow up on this micro share malarkey. Earlier this week I had a look at the Owners Group website to see what was available. Some shares available in older NH horses and a couple of flat trained which didn’t appeal. One that did draw my attention was Bond Broker under the care of Paul Nicholls. Only 4 years old, has 4 legs and a tail and has won a point well enough. Nicholls talked about getting him going this Autumn and I thought I’ll have a share (£55). Anyway went back on the next day to invest and sold out! Just shows how popular this is I suppose. I shall keep an eye out for BB over the coming season.
     
    #32
  13. NassauBoard

    NassauBoard Well-Known Member

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    Certainly a very popular way of being "involved".

    I suggest you would be better placed at looking for a racing club with trainers who are based around that area, someone like Henry Daly or Kerry Lee will likely have an option available. Honestly, I would get in touch with them and see if they've got anything suitable. The trainers map - https://crate.horseracing.software/tom/# is very useful
     
    #33
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  14. Sir Barney Chuckles

    Sir Barney Chuckles Who Dares Wins

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    Re The Owners Group they have just announced that a new trainer is to join their ranks - Chris Gordon. He will train the 5YO mare Fortune Dancer for them.

    The cost is £53 and I quote 'this syndicate is divided into 3,500 shares and lasts until 1 April 2024. There are no partners or others sharing this horse and therefore 3,500 shares represents 100% of the ownership of the horse'. Good value??? You decide...
     
    #34
  15. NassauBoard

    NassauBoard Well-Known Member

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    Depends what you want for your £53, is it one gin and tonic at the Cheltenham festival or is it some emails and photos of a horse, and an entry into ticket tombolas.
     
    #35
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  16. Bustino74

    Bustino74 Thouroughbred Breed Enthusiast

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    I agree with Tamerlo totally on this. Many of the races are so uncompetitive and look more like an awards ceremony than a race.
    It should return to 3 days and 6 races per day. Then divide these made up races the BHA feels we need over the previous 4 months.
     
    #36
  17. Bustino74

    Bustino74 Thouroughbred Breed Enthusiast

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    And another thing.......
    The Grand National is being run next Saturday. Why?
    It was the race that got me interested in racing (1961 Nicolaus Silver) and I can tell you it's never been run this late (well not in last 60 years). So, why?
    Well it's obvious. It should have been run on the April 1st (as it has been often before) but as Cheltenham is so important and most of the UK's NH horses appeared there (in one of the 50 or so races run there: well it sometimes seems that many) the poor souls have to have more than a month off.
    It is again Cheltenham pulling rank on every other course and race. To my mind, to NH Racing's detriment. But also here to all UK Racing's detriment.
     
    #37
  18. rudebwoy

    rudebwoy Well-Known Member

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    normally the national would have been this weekend apart from some religious activities........
     
    #38
  19. NassauBoard

    NassauBoard Well-Known Member

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    Not sure you can lay this at Cheltenhams door.
     
    #39
  20. Bustino74

    Bustino74 Thouroughbred Breed Enthusiast

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    .
    You may be right because of course it's the BHA. There seems to be a redline that there's no turf racing in the UK before the 1st April. At one time the Lincoln would have been run on the 25th March (in fact before that the 23rd, as it was run on a Thursday) and if there was some sense they'd have run it on the 25th this year. Instead they didn't and we have the Greenham and Fred Darling being run on the 22nd April, just 2 weeks before the 2000G and 1000G.
    I can't help feeling this has come about because they are too precious about Cheltenham
    Of course they'd have been alright with the Grand National if Easter didn't land on the 9th this year. But Easter has been at different defined dates for centuries, and it's rarely caused a problem before (can be any date from the 23rd March to 2othe April: as a Yorkshireman as QM)..
     
    #40

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