O/T Horse racing itv 7 selector..

[clarkey1974]

William Haggis would you say not a bad flat trainer wants meetings reduced by 300 think he means in a season. Not sure if he just means flat meetings. Far too much racing in the summer punters only have so much money for gambling on the horses. This league idea why? All-weather racing was started for when winter jump racing was called off now it's on all year round. I'm a jump racing fan but the idea of making the Cheltenham festival 5 days no leave well alone. I agree with Haggis but will anything change?

It’s only a matter of time for 5 days at Cheltenham.horse racing as to adapt and refresh in some ways is stuck in the past,the racing league and the Sunday series are all good ideas to freshen the sport up..horses that win races here are being snapped up for 250/300k and being shipped abroad sriaght off the plane into claiming races and scooping big prize money and they are getting there money back….small to medium trainers can’t turn that money Down these days so they sell…jumps trainers like Kim Bailey have packed in because it’s simply not a sustainable business anymore…


The 300 race cut was over a seasons fixture list,I have not yet heard an argument for what that would achieve or aiming to achieve..

[gru]

Haggis says field sizes are reducing cause there's too many races for pool of horses there are. No don't agree with you the Cheltenham festival the biggest gambling meeting of the year jumps or flat an extra day will reduce size of fields on the existing 4 days. Racing league, Sunday series never watched any same as all weather racing in the summer. I look at horseracing as a gambler. More races you gamble in means less chance of winning. I've done that stood in a bookies for long enough to lose whatever I've won. Been racing betting in every race again makes it hard to win on the day. I wait now not been tempted on the flat this season won't be. Be a few bets over the jumps when season starts proper.

[clarkey1974]

Haggis says field sizes are reducing cause there's too many races for pool of horses there are. No don't agree with you the Cheltenham festival the biggest gambling meeting of the year jumps or flat an extra day will reduce size of fields on the existing 4 days. Racing league, Sunday series never watched any same as all weather racing in the summer. I look at horseracing as a gambler. More races you gamble in means less chance of winning. I've done that stood in a bookies for long enough to lose whatever I've won. Been racing betting in every race again makes it hard to win on the day. I wait now not been tempted on the flat this season won't be. Be a few bets over the jumps when season starts proper.

It’s the thin end of the wedge.festival went from 3 to 4 and all the same arguments were put then.it’s not about the quality for the organisers it’s all about the money for everyone all round .if they can sell out for a Saturday that’s all they are interested in.cut races from 7 to 6 races in other 4 days and you only have to find two more races for the Saturday.this is how they will be thinking it’s not necessarily my suggestion or opinion it’s how they will be looking at it..the mere fact they are even talking about it is the biggest indicator where we are going with it.

Cutting 300 races will not touch the surface and I will say again who decided that number and where’s the evidence based analysis of that.

[CAMiller]

I lived in and around Towcester from 1982-98 and even back then the standard of the racing there was dire, I don't know how they have managed to keep it going. I think the only thing I never actually saw there was a 0 horse race but it came close a couple of times Sometimes the 6-7 race card only had a total of 25-30 runners. The most horses and spectators I ever saw there was when they used it as a location for the film Champion.

[clarkey1974]

I lived in and around Towcester from 1982-98 and even back then the standard of the racing there was dire, I don't know how they have managed to keep it going. I think the only thing I never actually saw there was a 0 horse race but it came close a couple of times Sometimes the 6-7 race card only had a total of 25-30 runners. The most horses and spectators I ever saw there was when they used it as a location for the film Champion.

The interesting thing about towcester racecourse,in the latter years before it closed.was it was free entry at all meetings.they even built a greyhound track on the inside of course.and did double headers racing in afternoon and then followed by a greyhound meet.all free entry.the trouble was even though it was free it still didn’t attract the numbers of spectators.so maybe it was just location or appetite from locals but it still didn’t work.but was worth a try and something unique I guess.i think closure would have happened in any guise.

[Grist_To_The_Mill]

I lived in and around Towcester from 1982-98 and even back then the standard of the racing there was dire, I don't know how they have managed to keep it going. I think the only thing I never actually saw there was a 0 horse race but it came close a couple of times Sometimes the 6-7 race card only had a total of 25-30 runners. The most horses and spectators I ever saw there was when they used it as a location for the film Champion.

I think there was a race at Newbury recently that attracted zero entries

Prize money of £6.5k wasn’t high enough to attract entries

[CAMiller]

The interesting thing about towcester racecourse,in the latter years before it closed.was it was free entry at all meetings.they even built a greyhound track on the inside of course.and did double headers racing in afternoon and then followed by a greyhound meet.all free entry.the trouble was even though it was free it still didn’t attract the numbers of spectators.so maybe it was just location or appetite from locals but it still didn’t work.but was worth a try and something unique I guess.i think closure would have happened in any guise.

Thanks for that clarkey. I was last in Towcester in 2019 and wasn't aware that it had closed as a racing venue. Looks like it's still being used for greyhounds and events from what I gleaned from a Google search.