Aintree 2017 I think Woolly, at the earliest: http://www.sportinglife.com/racing/video/24812/10210852/pendleton-rules-out-aintree
As mentioned by one at 5.30 Friday afternoon, I knew. Papers so far behind these days What do they call it "schooling in public" see her in Grand National next.
If Betfair want to give me £250k to tackle the Aintree fences in April 17 then I'll give it a go. Having stood next to Bechers last April that speaks volumes for my current employer! The 4 stone I'd need to shift might be an issue too. Still I could start gently on a shire horse.
How did she do last week? sorry to admit I was out of the country and missed the whole thing. I know she came in around 4th or 5th but what was the ride like? Did anyone spot the ropes tying her to the horse?
Put it this way if anyone else had been riding they'd have been called in the stewards room for schooling in public. The horse genuinely should have won, it finished full of running. She's still learning though, so we'll let her off. She was probably to scared to really attack the last few fences to try to win the race. How on earth could you deal with missing Cheltenham week? There is no holiday in the world that would make me leave the country Cheltenham week, and I'm not even saying that as a joke
I am afraid it was work related and not by choice Shergs, although to be fair in reality it probably saved me a few quid if recent festivals are to be gone by, as a flat man were it Royal Ascot I would have been a lot unhappier. Just watched it and I must say it was very kind of the owner to pass up a Chletenham winner for that little venture of getting her to the festival. It would have won with a jockey on, the contrast in ability and riding style between her and the other leaders was vast. Just watched the Gold cup and Cue Card looked very unlucky.
Yeah the owners must have been thinking we could have won that afterwards, though the Stewart's are hardly lacking in Cheltenham winners down the years, so they probably don't mind. Especially as it's only one of the egg and spoon races. And I'm not gonna bite on this thread regarding Cue Card
Very good restraint there Shergs. I just went and read the thread from the day and I now see why you were reticent to go there again. I can see your argument for DC outstaying him but he was going ominously well. As you say best left now however as simply another of the we will never know races, thrown up so often by the jumps. Good to see a few on here had some nice winners however..
He was going ominously well in the Melling chase last year, and emptied like a sack of potatoes when Don Cossack started to apply pressure. Don Cossacks running style is deceptive, he's not a flashy traveller, but he always finds a lot when asked to go win his race. Watch his win at Punchestown last year aswell, first off the bridle but still went flying past Djakadam and Road To Riches.
She can't ride at Aintree this year as she doesn't hold the right kind of Licence. I forget which one is which (Category A or Category B) but to ride at Cheltenham you need one type of Amateur licence which only requires you to have been signed off by a panel. To ride at Aintree you need a different type of licence which requires you to have had a minimum number of rides, either under Rules or point-to-pointing AND you have to attend a riding course at one of the Racing Schools and be signed of as competent by their instructors. I was a bit annoyed that Andy Stewart said after Friday's race that he was talking to people to see if they could get the rules changed. The rules are there for a reason, to protect horses and riders.
We saw many worse rides at Cheltenham this week, namely that on Johnny Og when failing to pull the horse up when beaten. PN can you explain why jocks aren't punished when they don't pull beaten horses up? But are when horses are heavily eased ala Long Run yesterday?
I have no sympathy for the ban Sam Waley Cohen got, they deserve it for running an old Gold Cup hero in a class 6 hunter chase. Complete ****ing idiots if you ask me. The horse has clearly had enough of racing, and shouldn't be run into the ground like that, when he's clearly lost all ability.
Honestly Nassau, I can't explain it. I can only assume that the rules are written in a deliberately ambiguous manner so that the Stewards can apply their own interpretations. The next issue is that the Stewards are not "professionals" and therefore one group of Stewards will often give a different decision to another group.
