I missed the racing from Te Rapa on Sunday, but from what I hear, that was a good thing.
The descriptions of the carnage on national jumps day make for sorry reading and, to be honest, I'm not going to go out of my way to watch horses and jockeys fall at a fence.
The timing was awful, as I recall a press release from the animal rights group SAFE landing in the inbox last week advising all and sundry to boycott Sunday's meeting.
Nobody wants to see horses die as a result of misjudging a hurdle or steeplechase fence, but let's consider the wider threat. Many of these horses are not competitive on the flat and as much as some of my colleagues might naively believe there is a home for every horse out there, there isn't.
Thoroughbred breeders don't set out to breed slow horses. They want their horses to succeed on the race track but some of them just aren't quick enough. Jumps racing is an option which in some cases prolongs a horse's racing career for three, four or even five seasons.
The alternative isn't the sunniest of outlooks for a galloper - particularly a gelding - getting thrashed by its rivals at every start.
With financial pressures hitting breeders, fewer horses are being bred each year which is subsequently putting the squeeze on field sizes. The last thing the industry needs is fewer horses, but those horses who don't make the top grade and aren't suitable to be re-homed need another option
.. . . for jumping's future
There are a couple of quick questions and fixes as far as I can see.
Firstly, why were there hurdle races run over 2400m on Sunday? Excessive speed into an obstacle is - by all accounts - one of the biggest dangers for a jumper, and sending a field of jumpers around over a distance which is a fairly standard staying test is asking for trouble.
I know starting points differ from track to track, but the further they go, the slower the races get. That seems like common sense to me.
And the other way to slow the speed into an obstacle? Make the obstacle obvious and - well - an actual obstacle. Even Blind Freddy could see what was wrong with Australian hurdle racing in particular a few seasons ago - hurdles that were more like a small bump on the ground than a fence. That said, our hurdle fences are considerably better than Australia's were.
Lazy Fiver
We're going through a bit of a rough patch at present. Let me seek some solace (and hopefully some dividends) on the grass at Methven on Sunday. Trip's On Me (race 10) loves the grass and it's one of those big Methven trotting fields, so the prices should be spicy. She should be able to make up her 20m handicap with few difficulties.
