Bumper @ Mallow. FIXED

applehunter

4.55
1st 7 Alpha Royale (IRE) 7-1
2nd 22 Laetitia (IRE) 14-1
3rd 21 Keys Pride (IRE) 33-1

Winning Jockey M J Ferris
Winning Trainer C Byrnes
Distances 1l, 6l

This race is causing all kinds of controversy at the moment. The jockey on the second Mr. M G Purcell claiming 7lb's seemed to be cruising and it was only a matter of time b4 he overtook the Alpha Royale, but what followed apperared to be blatent cheating. He appeared to hold the horse back and never got anyway serious with the horse.

What makes it look more shady is the fact that the 1st two home were trained by the same trainer.

applehunter

Ive just seen it on TV. Its a disgrace. Thats the worst Ive ever seen. If I wasnt so passionate about racing I'd laugh. I thought the "good old days" were dead and gone.

There was a large choras of boos at Mallow after the race.

The HRI need to hand out max. bans all around because of this. It makes a mockery of the sport.

Crumbs

I haven't seen it yet myself but by all accounts, it was a shocker. The trainer, Charles Byrnes, is well known to be a total gangster. The jockey has been given a 50-day ban and a €2,000 fine, the horse can't run for 60 days and Byrnes got off free. If that's all that comes from it, then I'd say the connections will be relieved.

A quote from the jockey:
"I'm totally unfit to be honest and got unbalanced in the closing stages. I'm an office man and only ride about once a fortnight. Even when I gave my mount a slap, I actually missed. I just wasn't up to it."

Yes, I'm sure. :rolleyes:

Morgans

Just becasue a horse is stopped doesnt mean that a race result is fixed. There were plenty of horses in the race, not all, but plenty trying to win the win honestly. They werent good enough.

laetitia was given a poor ride by a poor jockey. He should have won, its clear, and he didnt want to beat the stable's favourite, he got banned but at best was only riding to stable's instructions. The focus should be on the trainer and the owners, but you will get Brian Gleeson and the rest of the racing pundits applauding the cute hoor cheek of the trainer to 'plot one up'.

Plenty of it still goes on but its just on a slow day on ATR, and it was so blatant that it deserves the stictest punishment. I'm sure there were a half dozen in behind who were equally injudiciously ridden but impossible to prove as their jockeys were able to achieve their objectives effectively.

applehunter

Morgans wrote:

Just becasue a horse is stopped doesnt mean that a race result is fixed. There were plenty of horses in the race, not all, but plenty trying to win the win honestly. They werent good enough.

laetitia was given a poor ride by a poor jockey. He should have won, its clear, and he didnt want to beat the stable's favourite, he got banned but at best was only riding to stable's instructions. The focus should be on the trainer and the owners, but you will get Brian Gleeson and the rest of the racing pundits applauding the cute hoor cheek of the trainer to 'plot one up'.

Plenty of it still goes on but its just on a slow day on ATR, and it was so blatant that it deserves the stictest punishment. I'm sure there were a half dozen in behind who were equally injudiciously ridden but impossible to prove as their jockeys were able to achieve their objectives effectively.

That's not a good enough arguement. This was blatent cheating. Every horse should be ridden out to win. Aidan O'Brien's 2nd and 3rd string often win at the expense of the star horse.

When I back a horse I do so thinking that he's giving it his all. If I get a doubt in my mind over this I won't bet and others won't either. Downhill from there.

fade2black

applehunter wrote:

That's not a good enough arguement. This was blatent cheating. Every horse should be ridden out to win. Aidan O'Brien's 2nd and 3rd string often win at the expense of the star horse.

When I back a horse I do so thinking that he's giving it his all. If I get a doubt in my mind over this I won't bet and others won't either. Downhill from there.

I agree 100%

allin-king

applehunter wrote:

That's not a good enough arguement. This was blatent cheating. Every horse should be ridden out to win. Aidan O'Brien's 2nd and 3rd string often win at the expense of the star horse.

When I back a horse I do so thinking that he's giving it his all. If I get a doubt in my mind over this I won't bet and others won't either. Downhill from there.

if only this was true but unfortunately you will never have racing completely honest, there will always be people pulling strokes and horses being held back. The difference between A O Brien is that his horses are top class in the biggest races where there is no advantage in holding a horse, its the lower class and handicap races where the strokes are pulled and i reckon there are a couple a week being done

Morgans

Lads, you can count the number of irish handicaps in which every horse is trying its utmost to win on one hand. Just accept it and get on with it. I know horses that have been pulled at Cheltenham. It is in the fabric of the sport.

If you want to alleviate the problem, only bet on the very highest class. Usually they are straight. Even more so on the flat.

The only way that bent racing will be solved is if the handicapping system is completley altered.

There were plenty trying to win the cork bumper, there were at least a half dozen who were trying not to win. Average for a bumper I would say. Most of those jockeys trying not to win were good enough to disguise it well, the amateur on the second wasnt. He should be punished severly as it was black and white, but it is the owners and the trainer that deserve the punishment. The jockey was riding to orders.

I suppose all the punters on the favourite gave back their winnings..

Morgans

Well said, but its worse that what you imagine. I would guess that less than half the horses running in Sligo tonight actually want to win. Its no coincedence that you get some big gambles coming up to Christmas as poorly paid stable staff see pulling a stroke as the bonus scheme or working for peanuts.

allin-king

Morgans wrote:

Well said, but its worse that what you imagine. I would guess that less than half the horses running in Sligo tonight actually want to win. Its no coincedence that you get some big gambles coming up to Christmas as poorly paid stable staff see pulling a stroke as the bonus scheme or working for peanuts.

Totally agree, i do realise how bad it is, racing is and always will be bent and strokes being pulled. I am the biggest mug cause i still have a punt in the these (0-60 rated handicaps).

As i am in the middle of buying a horse i can see why people want to pull a big stroke and recoup some money, i'll let you know when our horse is 33/1 @ bellwstown (evil laugh)

applehunter

After seeing our new horse run for the 1st time last week in a point-to-point, I doubt It'll even get it to the racecourse.

lol

fr wishy washy

without doubt the worst case of non trying i've ever seen in my time.

jockey should be banned for life (and anybody else that could be proved to have contributed to the shambles of a ride) :mad:

Healio

fr wishy washy wrote:

jockey should be banned for life (and anybody else that could be proved to have contributed to the shambles of a ride) :mad:

I agree but not just because of the ride, the "im not fit enough" is more of a disgrace, if he cant ride a race then he shouldnt be riding.