2.20 Friday Lessons
Posted in General on Apr 4th, 2025 No Comments »
General
(Aintree, Friday)
Posted in General on Apr 3rd, 2025 No Comments »
I saw one big-field race yesterday (the Fox Hunters I think it was). The close-formation did it, the mood it encouraged was one of discomfort for both horses and riders. When the time came for the signal……. I suspect the jockeys are required to exchange out of the corner of the mouth whispers with the […]
NEMESIS ( Aintree Thu, Fri, Sat)
Posted in General on Apr 2nd, 2025 No Comments »
At present all runners in big-field races congregate in the Start Area (quite close to the Starting Gate) There the Starting Team organise the horses into “close order” and send them off to walk in unspecified directions and for an unspecified period, until Start Time is imminent. This process (“close order”, “on the move” and […]
Cheltenham Blues: I told you so
Posted in General on Mar 24th, 2025 1 Comment »
I told you that starting large fields under NH rules under present arrangements in Britain was impossible and that Cheltenham 2025 would prove the point. It did. It proved that a process invented by Jamie Stier in 2014 (with the objective of improving the time-keeping of Race Starts) would cause chaos – and it did […]
SPORT 139 August 2024
Posted in General on Sep 3rd, 2024 No Comments »
I understand that the the profits accruing from British racing and betting cannot be shared between the two industries on a friendly basis because there isn’t enough money (and/or good will) to satisfy both parties. For roughly 300 years a tragic drama has been unfolding: Racing and Betting have chosen to pretend that they love […]
SPORT 138 (August 2023) TIME OUT
Posted in General on Aug 8th, 2023 1 Comment »
It is the 7th August 2023 and I am now intending to publish every two months unless the pattern of life suggests otherwise (which it may). Let me sum up the state of the game at today’s date. THE WHIP JIM MAHON, who died in 2001, aged 84, invented the horse-friendly air-cushioned whip. He was […]
Sport 137 May 6 2023
Posted in General on May 6th, 2023 No Comments »
Coronation Day I thought I would make a list of all the things that worry me about racing’s health. We have a new king, let’s have a new look at everything. The first cause for concern may be a complete mistake on my part. Not long ago there was a meeting at the very top […]
SPORT 136 APRIL 1st 2023
Posted in General on Mar 30th, 2023 2 Comments »
STARTING What did the winning jockey report to the press after the Cheltenham Gold Cup? “I thought the start was a bit of a joke, to be honest, for a gold cup, and we were on the back foot then. Horses were jumping left and right and jumping into me, so all credit to him […]
SPORT 135 JANUARY 2023
Posted in General on Jan 1st, 2023 No Comments »
Onwards & Upwards for British Racing Before we forget, let us remind ourselves of the unfortunate baggage which we take with us into the future. 1. The whip debate Fact one: the twenty years it took for dedicated horsemen and racing authorities of the highest quality to come up with the padded whip was not […]
SPORT 134 (December 4th 2022)
Posted in General on Dec 4th, 2022 No Comments »
26th November, Newbury, the Coral Cup, £142,375 to the winner, 15 runners, and all hell broke out at the start, which was False-Started about three times (more than twice anyway) Here are a few thoughts: (Postscript) The Becher Chase at Aintree on December 3rd was exactly the same: a disaster area that has been making […]
SPORT 132 (1ST AUGUST 2022)
Posted in General on Jul 31st, 2022 1 Comment »
WHIP In my July contribution I explained that British Racing has nothing to fear from the anti-whip faction because the BHA knows perfectly well that the padded whip now in use worldwide is pain-free. A proper job was done before the padded whip was given the go-ahead by the British racing authorities in 2006. If […]
SPORT 89 (MARCH 1 2019)
Posted in General, Sport on Mar 1st, 2019 No Comments »
More horsemen on the BHA Board? Interesting, but fraught with a considerable difficulty. Something to do with consensual decision-making. It means that if a board member does not agree with the majority, he or she has to accept defeat without complaining. I believe that is the way the BHA runs itself. I have a feeling […]
SPORT 88 (FEB 1 2019)
Posted in General, Sport on Jan 31st, 2019 No Comments »
More Whip Furore? I hope not. The padded whip is the finest contribution to Animal Welfare ever created, and was produced by British Racing. It is now a worldwide winner. With that superb achievement in the bag, all that is required is for the BHA to roll up its sleeves and celebrate this monumental triumph […]
POLITICS 12: SEWER-RAT
Posted in General, Politics on Jul 1st, 2016 No Comments »
Referendum. Madhouse. Cameron opted for a Referendum, which was really stupid, because in a referendum huge numbers of people decide the issue, and huge numbers can’t possibly understand something as complicated as Britain’s EU involvement. Still, Cameron’s decision came as no surprise because he has shown himself to be mentally challenged practically every time he […]
REFERENDUM: NON-REVERSIBLE? WHAT RUBBISH!
Posted in General, Politics on Jun 20th, 2016 No Comments »
If REMAIN wins, Britain can say goodbye any time it feels like. If LEAVE wins, Britain just needs the time to sack its worst enemy (Mr Cameron). Then all avenues are open, including further chat with our euro-friends (but not masters). Best wishes, Donec
General 2: Cameron & Marriage
Posted in General on Jun 2nd, 2013 No Comments »
Here we have a Prime Minister who wishes to encourage, applaud and recommend domestic arrangements between couples of the same sex. Why not? Such arrangements have been common practice and in good standing for several decades. One might share Cameron’s somewhat tardy enthusiasm for this cause – except for one thing. He calls what he […]
BBC: Bottom of the Barrel
Posted in General on Feb 20th, 2013 No Comments »
On the evening of Sunday 17th February the BBC gave us “Problems with Drink,” the finale of its “Blandings” series. This saga first saw the light of day in a book by PG Wodehouse entitled “Galahad at Blandings” – a very readable but by no means top-class example of the maestro’s art, and remarkable mainly […]
BBC v WODEHOUSE: More Foul Play
Posted in General on Feb 15th, 2013 No Comments »
“BLANDINGS” BBC1 10th February 2013 “Lord Emsworth and the Girl Friend” Let the credits roll. Guy Andrews (writer), Spencer Campbell (producer), Paul Seed (director), Michelle Buck and Damien Trimmer (executive producers), and Christian Smith (BBC executive producer). You’ve done it again. An almost complete cock-up of another of Wodehouse’s finest stories. The BBC […]
BBC SAVAGES WODEHOUSE
Posted in General on Feb 4th, 2013 No Comments »
On Sunday evening (Feb 3)) I watched something called “Blandings” on BBC 1. This is based on a book of Wodehouse short stories called “Lord Emsworth Acts for the Best.” This particular episode was based on a story called “The Crime Wave at Blandings.” The main features of the story are an airgun, on the […]
MUNCH SCREAM NOT RUBBISH
Posted in General on May 11th, 2012 No Comments »
THE SCREAM by EDVARD MUNCH has recently become the highest price artwork ever to be sold at auction. THE SCREAM is a danger signal, a warning that human existence can at any time destroy such peace of mind as the viewer (of the picture, as well as of this note) may have achieved. But it […]
General 1: Democracy
Posted in General on Dec 23rd, 2009 No Comments »
If democracy is adopted by a local community, local decisions will be made by the majority of those who live in that community, and know a bit about what goes on – so that’s all right. But if democracy is extended to cover national decisions, those decisions will be being made by people, the vast majority of whom […]
BBC Part 1: Could there be Life After Death?
Posted in General on Jul 28th, 2009 No Comments »
The parentage of the BBC was a marriage between the national despair at the pointless waste of human life for which the First World War was responsible, and the hope for a better future, something to which the brand new technology called radio might well make a significant contribution; at a time when mankind was […]
CULTURE 1: Poetic
Posted in General on Mar 10th, 2007 5 Comments »
There is a poem which goes as follows: Le tems a laissie son manteau De vent, de froidure et de pluie Et s’est vestu de broderye De soleil riant, cler et beau Il n’y a beste ne oiseau Que en son jargon ne chante ou crye: Le tems a laissie son manteau. Riviere, fontaine et […]