Tuesday April 14, 2015.

 

 

 

 

Newmarket (GB)

 

INTERNATIONAL HORSERACING 

Racing Right Global Equus Zone (GB)

Your adventure into the world of Global Horseracing

a warm welcome to  

Nicholas Godfrey (GB) (Racing Post)

 

CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL AND AINTREE GRAND NATIONAL MEETING  2015

 BOTH TRACKS OWNED BY THE BRITISH JOCKEY CLUB:

 

Racing Post today, Jon Lees brings news “Major review of jump racing launched. “

 

British horseracing government has embarked on a major review of jump racing designed to ensure everything “beneath the bonnet” runs as smoothly in future as show case fixtures at Cheltenham and Aintree.

 

JMC: This year the two top jumping tracks Cheltenham Jump Festival (March) and Aintree Grand National Festival (April) both racecourses owned by the British Jockey Club as usual show the massive interest there is in this sport. The problem being however that 85 per cent of the people who attend inclusive of owners don’t understand what they are watching even. Whereas in the sport of cricket, football, rugby and tennis people do realise the skills of each player, massive crowds attend and do understand what they are watching, as well as understanding the rules. This is what needs to be the case in horseracing. The only people who racecourses don’t pay for working on their racetracks are the trainers and their teams, without which there would be no racecourses.

 

“Former Cheltenham  managing director “beneath the bonnet” Edward Gillespie yesterday chaired the first of a series of committee meetings that promised to identify the challenges ahead for the sport, for now basking in the glow of two fabulous festivals. It is understandable that the owners of both these racecourses “The Jockey Club” are stated to be basking ”beneath the bonnet” of their two massive financial coup.

 

“In the first review of the code in 11 years, the BHA government pledged to examine the race program, field sizes and horse population, and will also address regional variances, with particular attention given to the grassroots and middle-tiers.

 

“It begins a month after trainer Donald McCain complained of a “criminal” shortage of suitable races in the north in the wake of a Cheltenham Festival at which the region gained just two fourth places from 25 runners. McCain is a member of the twenty-strong panel expected to complete its report and publish recommendations within the calendar year.

 

“Government director Ruth Quinn said: “Having just come off the back of a successful Grand National meeting, which was itself hot on the heels of another memorable Cheltenham Festival, some might be forgiven for thinking jump racing is in perfect health “Beneath the bonnet?” Ruth Quinn may be looking in the wrong place however. The winner of the 2015 Grand National Many Clouds does not have a bonnet however.

 

No one could have failed to notice the distress Many Clouds was in following this  four and a half mile + jumping track with 28 huge chase fences to clear, going stated by the bloodhorse illiterate to be G0OD TO SOFT (good in places.)  Many Clouds nearly lost his life out there on the racetrack, finishing exhausted to the point of collapse and death. Leighton Aspell taking the saddle and weight cloth off him out on the track and walked back to the weighing room alone. Whilst Many Clouds was prevented from going down, by people throwing buckets of water over him in an effort to save his life.

Who wants to see the winner of the British Grand National in any year finish in such distress? So distressed that he can’t make it back to the winner’s enclosure? There is far too much suffering, distress and hardship in this world today already, without the likes of this going on in the name of sport. What happened to Many Clouds on Saturday is nothing to do with sport. It is to do with the bloodhorse illiterate incompetence of the British Jockey Club who own Aintree racecourse, and who do not have to answer to anyone.

 

Massive government debt is owed to all true horsemen by corrupt government parties a multi- billion pound horseracing industry, an industry being dishonestly run as a charity. With no true horseracing rules, no true career structure, and no true wage structure accountable for skills achieved.  With dishonest government fob-off lip- service being the order of the day, every day. No steeplechase should be run with 28 fences, 12 fences needs to be the maximum.