Popular Alm FFA at Melton tonight

[Flashing Red]

Don't start him on 2yo racing Tahn.
It'll be like tossing Handsome Pete a quarter. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tc5swu54aPs

Oh, don't worry, he was put in the "too hard basket" yesterday Keyboard warriors...

[A BIT DUSTY]

Oh, don't worry, he was put in the "too hard basket" yesterday Keyboard warriors...

Dearest Flashing Red

I hope by this post you don't mean we won't clash horn's again,cause I love a good stoush. Now before you get all huffy I would like to clear a few thing's up. Now firstly you mentioned that you had been posting on here for 12 month's without anyone challenging you. I already know this because I have been an avid reader of this site for aprox that time, and have enjoyed reading your and most of the other regular forum users ( excluding the serial pest Ring man of course) thoughts . I generally agree with most of your post and some I don't , but as you may have noticed I am filthy on both the slow sections rule and also the change of tactic rule, the reason I hate both of these rules are because I believe they take away a huge amount of the tactical part of driving. I would ask you to tell me of any other competitive sport in the world that has rules were you have to tell your opponents what your tactics are before the race , and then the leader of the race is suppose to run at a certain time, I honestly can not think of one sport that has one of them let alone both. Can you imagine the jockeys in the Melbourne Cup being told the leader has to run furlongs in even time ( 12 SECS I think) we would the laughing stock of world racing, Can you imagine Queensland having to tell N.S.W what tactics they were going to use in the state of origin. I know it is all to do with the punter , I have been a punter since I was 15 and have done more money than I would like to think of , but I have always known that I was gambling and that I was taking an informed view of how a race might be run , but if it didn't pan out that way I copped it fair and square because I knew it was a punt.
I know the punting dollar is important to the survival of our sport , but I feel with these two rules they are pandering to much to the punter.

So when I read your post where you were giving the opinion that fast run races were fairer I saw red and went on the attack witch is a bad habit of mine so I do apologise if I offended you, but you hit a raw nerve.

Hope you take me out of the " too hard basket" soon as I enjoy a good debate

Cheers Denny

[eliteblood]

I'm with you Denny.
Why should you have to disclose your tactics to the opposition before the race. Who knows beforehand what is going to happen in any case that totally throws plan A out the window. A good driver needs the flexibility to respond to situations as they arise without being hamstrung by what he has declared to be his tactics before the horses are even geared up.
Why also should the lead driver be required to drive his horse at a pace that is detrimental to his chances of winning the race. IMO, Amy Tubbs drove the correct race on Melpark Major by getting in two very soft quarters when the other drivers allowed it. She did what she is supposed to do - gave her horse the best opportunity to win the race for her owners and for the punters who backed her horse. If that doesn't suit the driver of ITMQ or any other horse, too bad, the ball is in their court to do something about it. If the authorities want "fairer" racing then they need to continue the move to bigger tracks and sprint lanes. It is much harder to slow the speed on bigger tracks where you don't have the protection of a turn coming up every couple of hundred metres.

[strong persuader]

I agree with all but one thing that Denny and Trevor have said. Drivers shouldn't have to advise their tactics beforehand, sectional times should be abolished, sprint lanes should never be built.

[A BIT DUSTY]

Can I give tell you a little story that tickled my fancy at the time, up here in Newcastle we have an elderly driver that gave the game away several years ago and has recently renewed his licence.
Now I don't want to mention his name but if you follow the game up this way you may work out who I am refering to. He has been training & driving a known front runner and it week after week run along in front at a strong pace often the 1st half in 57 or better over both the mile or 2090 mtrs, he got home a couple of times ,but as he got up in grade more often than not he got run down. His tactics were well known and the other drivers would take hold and sit back and have the last shot at him. Then one knight as was the norm all the fancy runners where dragged back to the rear fully expecting the old fellow to let his horse bowl along. Well the old fellow went to the front alright but ran the 1st half in about 65 and blew them away . I didn't back him but cheered myself hoarse for him as I could appreciate the cleverness of his drive and the lack of ability of his much younger opponents to read the race. He probably copped a fine for slow sectionals but I think he should have been given a bloody medal for his drive.

I'm with you on sprint lanes Phil I don't like them either.

I know I am sounding like a winger but there just my opinions

cheers Denny

[Greg Hando]

Greg and Scott you guy's seem to forget it's not about YOU its a competition were tactics play a huge roll. Connections of I.T,M.Q advised stewards they were going back , so what else do you think Amy Tubbs was going to do carve out a 57 half or something. She drove a brilliant tactical race and still only won by a head or so . To bad you fell asleep Scott as you missed a very exciting last half.

Excuse me for having an opinion Denny. I don't think it has been said anywhere that it is about YOU as you put it and i have never said anything was about me, i was agreeing with some comment's written that to some who watched the race thought it to be a boring race to watch.
I don't punt very much at all (occasionally on my own horse's ) so don't really care who win's most of the time but i like to see a truly run race not walk then a sprint home or use a squib lane to win in some cases.