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Jrow said:
I think there should be a ratings cap put on the mares race too. Cant be having Lossiemouth and BDA running in the Mares races when they would add tremendous value to the champion hurdle.
Its like Liverpool being able to play in the FA Trophy and bulldozing the opposition at the expense of playing in the champions league. What other sport would allow this kind of nonsense
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I think a mare coming out of juvenile or novice company should be allowed the following season running against her own sex in open company, but once proven to be a level above, i.e. winning the Mares Hurdle or the like at other festivals, then that's when penalties should start to be given out.

It would stave off repeat Mares Hurdle campaigns like Quevega did, it would also have given the likes of Honeysuckle a penalty for returning back to the Mares Hurdle division despite being a two time Champion Hurdle winner, and regardless of the BS 'fairytale' ending too.
 
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Jrow said:
I think there should be a ratings cap put on the mares race too. Cant be having Lossiemouth and BDA running in the Mares races when they would add tremendous value to the champion hurdle.
Its like Liverpool being able to play in the FA Trophy and bulldozing the opposition at the expense of playing in the champions league. What other sport would allow this kind of nonsense
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Ratings cap & Grade 1 penaltys,it'd shift the higher quality mares towards the open contests & those that run in the mares still get their black type for breeding purposes.
 
ComplyOrDie said:
Yep!

Can't agree with the cutting of any of these Graded races. I'd get rid of the bumper before I got rid of anything else.
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I'd keep nearly all the graded races, Do we need a conditional jockeys handicap hurdle though, a mares novice hurdle, a juvenile hurdle, I think the MNH & Boodles are for horses not good enough for the good races, so they shouldn't be there, you're either good enough for the Grade 1's or you go in a handicap and chance your arm, making weak divisions & paper champions just to add another day has decimated field sizes which has given us so many non event races over the last decade....excuse me, I'm just having a few of those days atm.

I do kind of like the bumper though,sorry :sneakiness:
 
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I’d like to see something along the lines of:

Novice Hurdles (3): Supreme, Albert Bartlett, Martin Pipe (handicap but no rating restriction)
Novice Chases (2): Arkle, Brown Advisory,
Hurdles (3): Stayers and Champion Hurdle plus Triumph
Chases (3): Champion Chase, Ryanair, Gold Cup
Handicap Chases (4): Ultima, Plate, Grand Annual, 4 mile open handicap (new NHC)
Mares (2): Limited Handicap Hurdle and Mares Chase
Handicap Hurdles (3): County Hurdle, Coral Cup, Pertemps (win and you’re in - 26 qualifiers. Highest rated runners up. You can run off 5lb higher than the qualifying mark)

4 “Specialist” races:
Bumper
Foxhunters
Cross Country
Sales/Auction Bumper. First 3 to be auctioned at the Sale post-racing.

Bye to Boodles, Mares Novice, Kim Muir, Turners, 3m6f Novice.

6 races a day. Push the lower range novices into the handicaps off of 4 runs. End the day with a fun race. I’ve always liked the idea of a “seller” type race.

If it had to be 7 races a day, I’d add back the Mares Novice, Boodles, a Cross Country Handicap and a “JP
McManus” charity race.
 
More graded races at the festival the better as far as I am concerned, but I wish a way could be found that makes them more competitive plus with more runners than we seem to get a lot of times now.
Maybe it’s time we realised that there just does not seem to be enough graded horses to fill the graded races sufficiently for that to happen?
And if that is the case, something just has to change.
 
Maybe add caveats into the novice graded races above the minimum trip, for example you have had to have ran over the turners distance atleast once to be eligible, same with the barlett. Provide more opportunities through the season to allow the horses to meet the criteria, otherwise you only have the supreme as the option. It may help guide punters, which is the biggest problem we face currently with ante post betting
 
I'd get them to scrap all bar 1 race a day and juggle to leave....

Tuesday - Champion Hurdle
Wednesday - Champion Chase
Thursday - Cross Country
Friday - Gold Cup

But each trainer only gets to pick one horse, and that horse has to complete in all 4 races ...

and then you just get points like they do in F1 or Moto GP for each finishing position in each race :highly_amused:
and you get weight allowances for age, most for juveniles and "old" horses, any novices get to carry a bit less. .... any horse in their prime is the bar



and I just make it up as I go along
 
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There is a way of getting more competitive races with more runners I reckon,but it won’t be very popular I suspect
Supreme and one other novice at 2m6.
Arkle and one other novice at 2m6.
Champion Chase and a reduced distance of the Gold Cup!!! Say 2-3 furlongs.
Quickly puts crash helmet on , and ear plugs!!!
Champion Hurdle and 2m6 hurdle.
 
Carnage at Taunton said:
There is a way of getting more competitive races with more runners I reckon,but it won’t be very popular I suspect
Supreme and one other novice at 2m6.
Arkle and one other novice at 2m6.
Champion Chase and a reduced distance of the Gold Cup!!! Say 2-3 furlongs.
Quickly puts crash helmet on , and ear plugs!!!
Champion Hurdle and 2m6 hurdle.
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So basically the DRF?
 
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Carnage at Taunton said:
Hadn’t thought about that.
But yes, suppose so in a way.
Still be the Cheltenham festival though.
And still a different meeting 5 or 6 weeks later.
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I just think the Cheltenham Festival was absolutely fine as it was back when the 2m4f Novices Handicap Chase was a thing (it is again now, but I'm on about the race back on day 1) but now they've started pissing about with it and they don't know when to stop now.

Is it as competitive as it once was? Probably not. But that's not a race issue, IMO, that's a trainer/owner issue. I have zilch against Willie, he's remarkable at what he does, but other trainers need to do better and get to his level, that's on them, not the races. Restrictions on number of runners for trainers/owners may help a little bit.

I think they'll continue down this path of change until they can stop one trainer being so dominant, but given the ability of Willie that could be a fair while now.

It's worth pointing out that Nicky Henderson has 4 short priced runners in markets too. He was once pretty dominant at the festival, until Willie done his thing. I don't remember them making continuous changes back then.

As for Maddy Playle and her little piece on the RP, it can get in the bin, IMO.
 
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cpfcpatriot said:
I’d like to see something along the lines of:

Novice Hurdles (3): Supreme, Albert Bartlett, Martin Pipe (handicap but no rating restriction)
Novice Chases (2): Arkle, Brown Advisory,
Hurdles (3): Stayers and Champion Hurdle plus Triumph
Chases (3): Champion Chase, Ryanair, Gold Cup
Handicap Chases (4): Ultima, Plate, Grand Annual, 4 mile open handicap (new NHC)
Mares (2): Limited Handicap Hurdle and Mares Chase
Handicap Hurdles (3): County Hurdle, Coral Cup, Pertemps (win and you’re in - 26 qualifiers. Highest rated runners up. You can run off 5lb higher than the qualifying mark)

4 “Specialist” races:
Bumper
Foxhunters
Cross Country
Sales/Auction Bumper. First 3 to be auctioned at the Sale post-racing.

Bye to Boodles, Mares Novice, Kim Muir, Turners, 3m6f Novice.

6 races a day. Push the lower range novices into the handicaps off of 4 runs. End the day with a fun race. I’ve always liked the idea of a “seller” type race.

If it had to be 7 races a day, I’d add back the Mares Novice, Boodles, a Cross Country Handicap and a “JP
McManus” charity race.
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Love this, not far off what I've suggested in the past. Probably keep the boodles as you need to encourage juveniles in racing, and no need for the extra bumper.

No need for 7 races a day, the objection to removing a graded race to be replaced by a handicap I understand but that doesn;t have to happen.

6 Quality competitive races with time between races in absolutely fine IMO
 
It's festival handicap chases that Willie has a poor record with, does he even properly target these?

So, lads, let's have some more handicap chases. That'll stop him.

Be quite the laugh if Willie does win one of these, next month.
 
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Irish Rugby said:
It's festival handicap chases that Willie has a poor record with, does he even properly target these?

So, lads, let's have some more handicap chases. That'll stop him.

Be quite the laugh if Willie does win one of these, next month.
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He might win one with a jp owned horse, as they do they're own race planning. Dinoblue should have won the grand annual years ago but for her jumping falling apart late on. Sa majeste this year might do it.
 
It might be a case of him winning none for years then popping up with 3 in a week - that'd be Willie all over

and someone will land a massive EW Willie Trixie and we'll all think it was so obvious
 
ComplyOrDie said:
I just think the Cheltenham Festival was absolutely fine as it was back when the 2m4f Novices Handicap Chase was a thing (it is again now, but I'm on about the race back on day 1) but now they've started pissing about with it and they don't know when to stop now.

Is it as competitive as it once was? Probably not. But that's not a race issue, IMO, that's a trainer/owner issue. I have zilch against Willie, he's remarkable at what he does, but other trainers need to do better and get to his level, that's on them, not the races. Restrictions on number of runners for trainers/owners may help a little bit.

I think they'll continue down this path of change until they can stop one trainer being so dominant, but given the ability of Willie that could be a fair while now.

It's worth pointing out that Nicky Henderson has 4 short priced runners in markets too. He was once pretty dominant at the festival, until Willie done his thing. I don't remember them making continuous changes back then.

As for Maddy Playle and her little piece on the RP, it can get in the bin, IMO.
Click to expand...

Bit of Hemo15 and a willing vet would help in that regard.
 
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