I agree with him on the finishes, it's just not a factually accurate story he has put across. With the floodwater, perhaps we can play water polo (sorry one and all)
one of the cross country races (punchestown) i'm sure has joe's water splash. they could just have a very big one that takes up half the course.. ok maybe not. it's early in the season to have a lot of unlucky adandonments. usually it's the track freezing or snow. that'll be on its way soon enough, just hope we can get through the christmas holidays without it starting.
Nass - i think it's quite disrespectful to describe someone's opinion as drivel. My comment had nothing in it that could be factually correct or incorrect as it was opinion and an attempt at humour with the Blackpool beach comment. You can disagree with it which is fine, you can think it's a great surface providing great racing and your opinion could neither be more or less correct than mine or any other, but i thought you you had more about you than calling someones opinion drivel. There is simply no need for it, it is insulting to me and the forum.
Give over, the comment you made about Blackpool beach was more insulting to Southwell than my 'drivel' comment was about your views. The simple fact of the matter is that Southwell has been used by the best trainers around to find out whether their horses are likely to run well at the Breeders Cup, whereas you commented that people prep their horses for Southwell by running them at Blackpool. That in my view is drivel, it isn't particularly amusing, and it isn't giving the surface the creditability that it deserves. You may not like the racing on that fibresand surface, and I may not either, but you have to say that it does have its place and it will be missed by some (horses/trainers/punters). So, to summise, if you think that my comment was insulting, I am sorry, but I think your comment wasn't amusing and it was insulting to the worth of Southwell and the fibresand.
Nass - I understand the point you are making but feel the description of my comments as 'drivel' could only be reasonable if my comments were taken as serious or presented as factual in the first place. I dont however watch Southwell on a x2 fast forward and have never seen a trainer on Blackpool beach driving in front of his horse and throwing sand in his face to ready it for a race at Southwell. I think you know they were attempts at humour which may or may not have succeeded, but that's not the point. Even if they were taken as serious it could have prompted a good debate which may have encompassed points about prize money average, standard race times, public attendance and specific trainer endorsment, it could also have included the fact that Aiden O' Brian once took Galileo there to prep him for a Breeders cup race and indeed the fact that it provides a outlet for lower rated horses, and all of this would have been valid and the point of the forum. I certainly would have been less seeking humour and less flipant if this debate would have been engaged, i would no doubt have ended up agreeing with many points made i feel sure. The thing however that pushed the button in me was the 'drivel' comment and even when you replied to Dex's post you used the term 'his' rather than simply say Bluesky or Blue and it came across again as disrespectful. I feel with a new poster or even some old timers like ourselves i would have not mentioned anything but I know you are a long term and respected member and would have hoped for better, i also know you will be aware of the impact of our language and how it will either facilitate unity or division among us. I feel that Ron is trying to build a good forum and part of that is that we have at least minimum standard of respect and how we speak to each other. I am not seeking to create an ongoing thing with you Nass and asure you my comments are completely sincere.
