Weather Watch 2025

[FinalFurlong91]

Just watching in the know

Turftrax say 4.4 or lower is heavy

Going stick was 3.7

Absolute amateur hour

[Odin]

Just watching in the know

Turftrax say 4.4 or lower is heavy

Going stick was 3.7

Absolute amateur hour

It takes the piss to a whole other level.
I accept there are some borderline calls where subjectiveness is needed over the going stick, but this was categorically heavy ground from the start and not stating as such means either the going stick is pointless, the clerk is incompetent, or they are just downright lying to reach a quota. Whichever one it is, and I have my suspicions regarding which it is, just isn't acceptable for a multimillion pound professional sport - simple as.

[Bollinger]

And if they aren't there shouldn't even be a market to bet on it

realistically Bollinger has been robbed of winnings

Yep, a little frustrated.

I had an equal amount on both heavy and soft (@7/4) as it was a great price as a cover bet, and i highlighted this well over a week ago. A touch gutted.

The problem is,if they declare heavy half hour before the race, trainers pull horses and Cheltenham really don’t need this.

A moral victory, if anything.

And two fingers up to those who thought I was stupid on betting on grass growing.

Not a chance. It was a market ripe for plundering.

[robith]

Yep, a little frustrated.

I had an equal amount on both heavy and soft (@7/4) as it was a great price as a cover bet, and i highlighted this well over a week ago. A touch gutted.

The problem is,if they declare heavy half hour before the race, trainers pull horses and Cheltenham really don’t need this.

A moral victory, if anything.

And two fingers up to those who thought I was stupid on betting on grass growing.

Not a chance. It was a market ripe for plundering.

I'll bite here - wasn't sure if I was going to cos your posting style makes me think you're a WUM - but since you keep, erroneously, referring to a post I made (for about the fourth time today), I'll engage in good faith and spell it out for you to hopefully put a stop to this.

I made a joke (a humorous light hearted comment) on how obsessed we are with Cheltenham that we were betting on the weather. This was indicated by my post ending with "haha". This indicates laughter, the type someone would make after hearing a joke - alluding to its light hearted nature. It wasn't in reply to you, didn't mention you.

You replied with an absolute diatribe taking this incredibly personally (I would say the lady doth protest too much, however I'm not totally sure you actually believe what you post on here). I replied saying that it was a joke, and left my studs in by saying "enjoy betting on grass" cos of the disproportionate nature of your response. I'm only human.

You have subsequently posted about this (and about what massive stakes you backed on it, a theme in your posts which does make me a smell the aroma you might get beneath a bridge) repeatedly. Please stop, it's so boring!

I'm sorry your bet lost cos I'd rather all money be liberated from its bookmaker overlords and I'm annoyed at myself for giving you the reaction I feel you're after, but there's only so many times I can read a disingenuous dig at me for the only thing I'm good at on here; raising a chuckle.

But now we'll come to the crux - with it laid out incredibly plainly this time, if you continue to wilfully misread my posts on here, I'll know you're not a serious actor and can go about what I probably should've done here, and ignore you

[Carnage at Taunton]

Yep, a little frustrated.

I had an equal amount on both heavy and soft (@7/4) as it was a great price as a cover bet, and i highlighted this well over a week ago. A touch gutted.

The problem is,if they declare heavy half hour before the race, trainers pull horses and Cheltenham really don’t need this.

A moral victory, if anything.

And two fingers up to those who thought I was stupid on betting on grass growing.

Not a chance. It was a market ripe for plundering.

That’s really unlucky and a tad unfair it seems.
Personally I would forget punting on the ground and use that money on finding horses to give you much more punting pleasure.
Respect it’s each to their own though.

[SharpHat]

Deleted. Felt bad.

[Rooster Booster]

I’m sure whoever first thought of laying prices for opening day ground had the same kind of thing in mind as snow on Christmas Day. I’m sure it was never meant to be a serious market scrutinised for betting purposes and more of a fun kind of thing. Had this market not existed we would only have cared about the going stick, the time of the first race etc rather than the official going description provided by the clerk.

Everybody knows how the firms determine the going for this market. There has been a lot of transparency for this meeting, much much more than say royal ascot or goodwood or any other race meeting or festival. I’d be surprised if any of us weren’t pretty sure what to expect in terms of how the track would ride come flag raise for the supreme and that is by far the most important thing and I think everything else is coloured by the emergence of this market. Id say it’s buyer beware for this market and if you still want to play fair enough but you do so with your eyes wide open.

[Odin]

There has been a lot of transparency for this meeting, much much more than say royal ascot or goodwood or any other race meeting or festival.

Have to disagree with this specific part and its one of my biggest issues with this year.
The lack of Goingstick readings on a day to day basis is vastly out of line with previous years and in particular Royal Ascot where I've still got a spreadsheet somewhere with daily Goingstick readings for the five days before day 1 for multiple years of racing. Updating the clerks description of the course on a daily basis isn't good enough now as far as I'm concerned but agree with eyes wide open and fun market aspects of your post.

[Irish Rugby]

Have to disagree with this specific part and its one of my biggest issues with this year.
The lack of Goingstick readings on a day to day basis is vastly out of line with previous years and in particular Royal Ascot where I've still got a spreadsheet somewhere with daily Goingstick readings for the five days before day 1 for multiple years of racing. Updating the clerks description of the course on a daily basis isn't good enough now as far as I'm concerned but agree with eyes wide open and fun market aspects of your post.

What do connections do, just phone up the Clerk every day, if they too can't get the updates?

With everything else going on, small fields, prize money, Mullins dominance, this issue will most likely not get much traction unless some of the media types make a fuss. Lydia Hislop probably the best bet to raise it.

[Hurricane fly]

ITV saying the first race ran soft towards the side of good!


Anyone know how the second looked?

[Mighty]

They’re putting in some swift furlongs, but the Pertempts looked a bit of a burn up. In the Guiness grandstand - light showers dusting the course - I’d be surprised if it wasn’t still soft tbh.

[Irish Rugby]

ITV saying the first race ran soft towards the side of good!


Anyone know how the second looked?

They're only saying what Simon Rowlands has tweeted. He's yet to confirm anything on the Pertemps but we'll probably here more from here as the day progresses.

[Mighty]

Banbridge hated the ground in the Ryanair…

[Irish Rugby]

Banbridge hated the ground in the Ryanair…

He certainly did. Looks like he's a real spring good ground horse. but he's 8, in his prime and after missing last year, he had to go for it.

[Magpie]

Does anyone have a weather report who’s down there please?