Tuesday, June 02, 2020

Back on track

It's great to have racing back, and it'll be good (if a touch daunting) to head to Yarmouth tomorrow with Hope Is High on the third day of the new turf season (and for its first turf meeting, to run in its second turf race).  I've seen some of the racing over the past couple of days and, predictably, the use of stalls (accompanied by the necessary new instructions) have been a debacle.  Thank you for the feedback on the subject after recent chapters, Neil.  My worry, though, was what to do with horses who play up and do eventually go in, rather than those who don't, and it's going to be very, very difficult.

Predictably it seems as if plenty of trainers didn't get the memo about not running horses who are unruly beforehand or difficult loaders.  There have been plenty of these in just two days and there's no right answer.  If the instructions are followed (which they ought to be) these unhelpful horses can't run again until further notice (whatever that means - presumably the end of lockdown) and their connections will be very unhappy; if they aren't, connections of horses whom they might beat in the future, or connections whose horses are eliminated while they get a run, will feel very aggrieved.  It'll be interesting to see if Science, who was a nightmare at the start at Kempton today before finally going in and then nearly winning, is allowed to run at the forthcoming Ascot Heath meeting.  See what I mean?  There is no right answer.  (Well, there is, but then his connections would feel very sorry for themselves. And he happens to be owned by Ascot's major sponsor).

But these are just minor concerns.  The world's politics (particularly, but not exclusively, on the other side of the Atlantic) are going from very bad to even worse; and, worse still, this spell of glorious weather seems to be coming to an end for the time being.  That's a shame, notwithstanding that a few good showers of rain won't go amiss.  The going at Yarmouth tomorrow has been changed from 'firm, good to firm in places' to 'firm', which won't be to everyone's pleasing.  And it'll obviously be very quick at Newmarket's big meeting (Thursday to Sunday inclusive) unless we get a significant quantity of rain (which looks odds against) although the track is basically in very good condition.  Kryptos is entered there on Sunday but he would be resuming after a near-three-year absence prompted by tendon trouble (and, less significantly, has shown his best form on soft ground) so we won't run if it's firmer than good.

2 comments:

neil kearns said...

Interestingly prior to today the two year olds have been really well behaved at the stalls ,missed today's two year old race will catch up later

Thought Hope ran ok there think you will find a race somewhere

neil kearns said...

I know there are myriad reasons for non runners but with over subscribed races and limited fields one would hope that those who don't turn up should be penalised , as it must drive those unable to get a run to distraction when others don't turn up , First two handicaps at Newcastle two non runners in each not good