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General Chat

Did anyone else find the PTP section a little light this year? It’s still a cracking read but a number of PTP prospects on my list weren’t included.

On a side note, had anyone heard of Funiculi Funicula previously? Like we needed another Mullins Novice Hurdler for the tracker.
 
Just wanna say Mark Howard is a top bloke. Emailed today saying books a no show,have heard nothing since paying for it on the 5th Aug and was getting a tad worried. He mailed me with in an hour with the PDF on the email saying its on its way and read the PDF till it turns up. Brilliant service.

Maybe he's a member and din't want any shit through his letterbox ?
 
No sign of mine either. And I ordered mine at the end of July.
 
Did anyone else find the PTP section a little light this year? It’s still a cracking read but a number of PTP prospects on my list weren’t included.

On a side note, had anyone heard of Funiculi Funicula previously? Like we needed another Mullins Novice Hurdler for the tracker.

Spoke with RTC on Funiculi

Very eye catching debut run, where he kept on well after looking like he'd e swamped coming to the last. One thing I always consider also when looking at horses running over at Auteuil, is when they shun the hugely favoured standside rail.
 
Did anyone else find the PTP section a little light this year? It’s still a cracking read but a number of PTP prospects on my list weren’t included.

On a side note, had anyone heard of Funiculi Funicula previously? Like we needed another Mullins Novice Hurdler for the tracker.

"Big scope chasing type" was the bit that had me refraining from adding him to the team for the Gallaghers and AB. It says he should be a smart hurdler but reading between the lines I think one eye might be on the next season rather than this but he goes into the notebook regardless being with Willie Mullins and could be anything. Think I would prefer to watch him run first.
 
Been slow since the early afternoon. Was trying to read FJ earlier as a bit of light relief from that villa - united game
 
Now I'm getting worried!
I live in a 'not-so-remote' area of Hertfordshire.....

I'll contact Mark if it doesn't arrive tomorrow :boxing:

Mine arrived Saturday morning :applouse:
(I've just been too busy to read any of it yet! :boxing:)
 
Are AQPS horses eligible to run in IRE/ ENG bumpers? I thought not, but not certain...
 
Site update looks nice ….,but is it just me, it’s a bit harder to read on my phone
 
A nice run from the Skelton mare in the bumper at Stratford. We bought her 3 yo half sister by telescope at the Doncaster sales this spring.
forever hopeful . Me. :livid:Not the name :wink-new:of the horse
 
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANs1ClpRX8s

Some interesting stuff about 13 mins into this from the Cheltmental fella.:encouragement:
Check it out, don't want to steal his work but to expand on his point a little.

12 horses based in the UK were rated 160+ (there were 22 at end of previous season) - Yes, Fucking 12.:eek:
NB - Not always aligned to actual handicap ratings but based on performances last season.
And Corach Rambler was one of them who isn't racing anymore, so leaves 11.

And we have at least 30 !!! grade 1 and grade 2 races before we get to the Cheltenham festival (not including novice graded races)

There were only 42 horses in the UK rated 150+ on last seasons running.


That's 53 horses to spread themselves over 30 graded races.

We are so reliant on the Irish coming over it's untrue. They should charge a fee :highly_amused:
I know we'll get improvers over the season, but we'll also lose horses through injury and of the 11 horses rated 160+, 7 of them will be 10 in January. :sorrow:

If the Irish don't bother sending anything for the betfair chase then we will have Grey Dawning (rated 157) odds on to win the race.


In a nutshell, it explains why we lost 2 graded races from the festival this year and why we should lose several more of these graded races over the season also.

And why almost every graded race in this country is fucking rubbish unless the Irish send a couple over.
And why the best dodge each other and mop up easy money.

I personally think some racecourse closures and thinning out of the programmes is whats required.
It has to suit the population of horses we have, and be more competitive for the fans.
Compress the product and make it more attractive.

Cut the fucking chaff.
 
Great post Q. As you allude to, the reason they've made the NHC, Turners and XCC Handicaps again is because Handicap chases are the only races the English can win on a regular basis at the Fez atm and the sad reason that 99% of my AP bets are on Irish horses. Not sure how long the Cheltenham Festival can keep going in it's current format. Think in 10 years we'll all be going over to Ireland to take in their Festivals after Cheltenham has died a death.
 
Further on the current cheery tone Virgin decided to restrict my account yesterday for no apparent reason. They will have one but won't tell me, so I've complained. Anyone had any experience of complaining to Virgin about such actions?

I can envisage the end result but it takes the piss. I placed a losing bet on opening the account, used the free bets on Cheltenham and play their daily free games, from which I have won the grand total of £1. This appears to be the trigger for the account review. I placed the 2 free bets both on the Ryanair and also put a third bet on the Ryanair with my own money.

So winning a free quid and having 3 bets on a single Cheltenham race is my crime. Hardly impacting their profit margin yet they don't want me, presumably because I'm not losing money to them daily. Pricks
 
Further on the current cheery tone Virgin decided to restrict my account yesterday for no apparent reason. They will have one but won't tell me, so I've complained. Anyone had any experience of complaining to Virgin about such actions?

I can envisage the end result but it takes the piss. I placed a losing bet on opening the account, used the free bets on Cheltenham and play their daily free games, from which I have won the grand total of £1. This appears to be the trigger for the account review. I placed the 2 free bets both on the Ryanair and also put a third bet on the Ryanair with my own money.

So winning a free quid and having 3 bets on a single Cheltenham race is my crime. Hardly impacting their profit margin yet they don't want me, presumably because I'm not losing money to them daily. Pricks

They did it to me on two accounts the other year, restricting them within a couple of days for taking in a free bet offer and i didnt win anything, same with livescorebet
 
Further on the current cheery tone Virgin decided to restrict my account yesterday for no apparent reason. They will have one but won't tell me, so I've complained. Anyone had any experience of complaining to Virgin about such actions?

Standard behaviour.
Virgin was one of my more humurous restrictions/closures, opened an acc on a Saturday morning, deposited a grand, had four 50ew bets, no winners, two placed to give me a tiny profit, by 6pm that same evening I'd received three e-mails telling me:
1. BOG has been removed from my acc
2. I'm no longer eligible for promotions
3. Restrictions had been placed on my acc.

I don't know how much experience you've had with acc restrictions but there's no point asking the question, they'll say traders decision and they're not obliged to provide any explanation.

In a normal world we'd have a regulator to manage such behaviour and protect punters but the the shower of shit we have in the UK are so far up bookmakers arses the entire industry works for them.
Shops or the dark side is the future I'm afraid...