English racing a mockery again
Am I Blue, the 33/1 outsider in the morning Racing Post forecast, with a formline of 7-0-0, wins by about 20 lengths (19 officially) in the 3.10 at Hereford after a huge, sustained gamble.
Dean Coleman, a 5lb claimer, is named to ride the horse, the money goes on (started 5/1 second favourite) and lo and behold, the jockey is replaced, and on goes leading jumps jockey Richard Johnson.
Trainer lying through her teeth after the race to say 'we haven't backed it'. Yeah sure. OK, perhaps she didn't, but it was certainly set up for a sting. Lives next to Tim Vaughan, pure coincidence that the Vaughan stable jockey goes on and it bolts in.
1 - surely an investigation is required after a horse looks completely useless in its previous three starts, and then wins by panels.
2 - it's ridiculous that a leading senior jockey is allowed to take over from a conditional jockey. Ireland and Australia have a 'like-for-like' rule - i.e. a senior jockey can only replace a senior jockey, and preferably one of similar ability/standings.
Matt Chapman on ATR after the race mixing between slamming racing for allowing to happen, and being sarcastic about the trainer's answers.
How can racing in the UK grow and thrive when crap like this is allowed to happen? Very poor for the image of the sport - when punters can not have confidence that form is genuine, then they won't bet. And when they don't bet, there's not much money going to the BHA for levy payments....
BHA farce UK racing
Labels: BHA farce UK racing
SimpleBet 1 September 2010 at 16:43
Spot on analysis, as usual.
Guess its always going to happen though. Horses are running for such poor prize money that landing a touch is sometimes the only way to cover expenses.
That said, like for like replacements must be a rule that has to come in. It does help those who want to land a touch do so much easier.
SimpleBet
Scott 1 September 2010 at 17:33
perhaps it's time we stopped this illusion that lower-class racing is for prizemoney, and if bookies want to bet on races of such poor standard with peculiar formlines, then good luck to them?
The trainer put the turnaround in form down to treatment on the horse's back and a change in tactics. It's possible, but questions should have been asked before the race, and perhaps even a system where the trainer lodges reasons for form improvements (or potential sharp declines) BEFORE the race in a sealed envelope, only to be revealed after the race if needed. Ideally I'd like all this stuff declared to the public at least an hour before the race, but in a non-tote monopoly system, that would never be accepted.