Had an email this morning, for 48hours they are doing Festival tickets at November prices
"The Festival™ Presented by Magners are four days that you don't want to miss, so we are giving you an exclusive chance to book your Cheltenham Festival Tickets at the November price, saving you £14 off the on the day price. For 48hrs only!"
Last edited by Diamond Geezer; 10th December 2018 at 2:34 PM.
The BHA on Wednesday released the findings of its review into the fatalities at this year's Cheltenham Festival, with changes aimed at improving welfare including a reduction to the maximum field sizes in two-mile chases and the removal of weight-claiming allowances in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle.
The report contains a total of 17 recommendations for all Cheltenham fixtures and across jump racing as a whole following an investigation into the death of six horses at the festival in March.
Among those is the lowering of the safety factor to 20 (from 24) in two-mile chases, with the Grand Annual – in which three horses suffered fatal injuries last season – the race most likely to be affected by the change.
The race conditions of the Martin Pipe will be altered to remove all rider weight-claiming allowances in an attempt to encourage connections to secure the services of the most experienced jockeys.
In another development, pre-race veterinary checks will be increased to include all runners at the festival.
Headline recommendations from the review
- Pre-race veterinary examinations will be increased to include all runners in all races at the festival, with a view to identifying any risk factors that might make it necessary to prevent a horse from running in a race
- Reduction in safety factor (maximum field size) in all two-mile chases run at the course from 24 to 20, with the race most likely to be affected by this being the Grand Annual Chase
- Race conditions of the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle to be altered to remove all rider weight-claiming allowances, thereby incentivising connections to secure the services of the most experienced jockeys
- BHA to engage with participants to further identify factors that contribute to risk. This will include undertaking analysis of faller rates by trainer and jockey for Cheltenham and all jump racing and engaging with those who have an incidence of fallers significantly higher than the average, alongside a wide range of other relevant participants
- The industry must support a major research project to develop a predictive model for identifying risk factors for all jump racing, including horse history and performance, rider and training factors. Any risks arising from this significant work will be addressed and mitigated appropriately
The six fatalities at this year's festival represented a rate of 1.3 per cent of 2018 festival runners, compared to the nationwide jump racing average of 0.4 per cent.
Following the analysis of the Cheltenham Festivals staged between 2007 and 2018, the report claims the evidence found that "no single factor was definitively responsible for the equine fatalities at the 2018 festival" and "non-track factors – such as veterinary, participant, and race condition factors – could potentially be of equal, or potentially greater, significance than track-related factors".
The publishing of the report comes two months after a debate was held in parliament as a consequence of animal rights organisation Animal Aid gathering enough signatures on a petition calling for the BHA to be stripped of its role as the body with responsibility for equine welfare.
BHA chief executive Nick Rust said: "British racing must work together to reduce the risk of injuries occurring at the festival and indeed jump racing as a whole. The recommendations of this review are designed to achieve this.
"I commend this review for the rigour and thoroughness of its approach. I also support the fact that its recommendations are intended to further raise the bar when it comes to welfare, not only at Cheltenham but across all of jump racing.
"British racing has consistently and continuously improved its record on welfare outcomes over the last decade. However, parliament has recently sent a clear message to our sport that we must raise our ambitions for welfare further. At the BHA, we share this view, and I am today calling on everyone in the sport to help us achieve even higher goals for welfare."
He added: "The Cheltenham review helps demonstrate our sport’s commitment towards higher goals, but it is far from the end of our ambitions on this front.
"A cross-industry welfare board is currently being formed, with the intention of delivering a new strategy for the sport. I hope that everyone involved in British racing will join us in working to further enhance our good track record, and ensuring the sport remains relevant, understood, accepted and embraced by the British public."
According to the report, an action plan for the implementation of the recommendations will be developed by February 2019.
Alcohol, because no good story ever started with "I was eating this salad..."
Won't be that long before they ban the whip. I give it 5 years. Luckily Blake wrote an excellent article regarding it the other day.
Only race I remember that shouldn't have been run was the amateur race (Foxhunters) if I remember correctly. Was an absolute disgrace.
They will end up changing the name of the whip to start with
Correctional aid or direction rod
Some people say he’s the best since Arkle and that’s certainly true when you look at what he’s done
Entries for the Gold Cup, Ryanair and QM close on Monday. I think they'll be released on Wednesday.
The older I get the better I was.
Indeed; Nicky's PA on holiday this past few days but due back at the office before weekend for this reason.
Reasons to be cheerful archie !
I'm not sure where to put this, but Shantou Flyer, second in The Ultima last year, entered in a Hunters Chase at Taunton on Wednesday.
granger (5th January 2019)
Dates of Festival entries
8 Jan Cheltenham Gold Cup, Queen Mother Champion Chase, Ryanair Chase
15 Jan Champion Hurdle, Mares Hurdle, Stayers Hurdle
22 Jan Arkle, National Hunt Chase, RSA Chase, JLT Novices Chase
29 Jan Supreme Novices Hurdle, Ballymore Novices Hurdle, Triumph Hurdle, Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle
19 Feb – Ultima Chase , Close Bros Novices Handicap Chase, Coral Cup, Fred Winter, Pertemps Final Hurdle, Festival Plate, Kim Muir Challenge Cup, County Hurdle, Martin Pipe, Grand Annual
26 Feb – Cross Country, Bumper, Mares Nov, Foxhunters
archie (6th January 2019), Grasshopper (6th January 2019), Grey (6th January 2019), Maruco (6th January 2019)
In all cases, I believe that entries for non-UK horses close the day before the above, eg
http://www.hri-ras.ie/Programmes/181...%20January.pdf
The older I get the better I was.
See how good Shantou Flyer is in Hunter Chases tomorrow then...
Shantou Flyer should be very short tomorrow but even 5/1 NRNB for Cheltenham wouldn't tempt me, not when you see what else could end up in the race:
https://www.oddschecker.com/cheltenh...s-chase/winner
Illegitimi non carborundum
Yes I'm the same as you. I've no intention of backing him but will be interested to see how he gets on in any event.
Only mishap can beat him tomorrow.
I've backed The Last Samuri for the Foxhunters (10/1 NRNB/BOG, Sky) and put him in doubles with the same firm/concessions to smallish stakes with The Worlds End for the RSA/4-miler.
Illegitimi non carborundum
43 entries for the Cheltenham Gold Cup (38 last year) *** Entries announced Wed 9th ***
22 in the Queen Mother (30 last year) *** Entries announced Thurs 10th ***
44 in the Ryanair Chase (44 last year) *** Entries announced Thurs 10th ***
Last edited by Diamond Geezer; 9th January 2019 at 10:43 AM.
I couldn't have anything other than Gilgamboa on my mind for the Foxhunters. On the face of it 5/1 doesn't look like much of a price but if he wins any prep race (which I'd expect him to do) and lines up on the day then I find it hard to see him getting beat and the 5/1, which is NRNB, would look good - bigger prices out there without the concession of course.
Alcohol, because no good story ever started with "I was eating this salad..."
Flights booked for baldeagle and myself.
All got ante post without NRNB
https://www.racingpost.com/news/grad...-points/303232
This article includes quote essentially saying Gilgamboa is over qualified for the Foxhunters at Cheltenham. Can't find anything to gainsay this.
Me no understand.
Just seen the date- 2017 Doh!
Last edited by Tout Seul; 9th January 2019 at 6:52 PM.