Roll With Joe
+ Reply to Thread
Page 1 of 5 1 2 3 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 41

Thread: Are our Monte races put on for fun and laughter?

  1. #1
    Banned Yearling Wayneo will become famous soon enough
    Real Name
    Wayne Thompson
    Posts
    36

    Are our Monte races put on for fun and laughter?

    Before anyone replies anything can you please watch the replay of race 3 on the 14th of December 2013 at Melton. The race is a Monte. Maree Campbell rides Andy's Favorite. Just in case you can't pick which one she is she is the one that is last away from the mobile. I want you to watch her until the horses go past the post to start the last lap and than explain to me if there is any criteria or checks done on a Monte riders experience or ability or strength and balance to make sure that they don't go in a race and get them selves and the horses and the other riders in a very dangerous situation. Or can anyone just rock up to Melton with a helmet and boots and get a ride in the Monte races. Before anyone replies could you also watch the replay of the Monte race tonight at Melton and keep your eye on Maree Campbell riding Cillas Earl. She is the one back last in the pink colors. My question is why is she bouncing and flopping up and down in the saddle. Why hasn't the stewards or the people who's job it is to present the sport to the public not said you can't ride like that on a metropolitan track or even at a tab meeting. What must Maree be thinking when everyone else is standing up in the irions leaning against their horse and trying to be balanced and look a bit neat and tidy and here she is just bouncing up and down with no control of the horse at all. Someone has to tell her that she has to put the irions up a few holes and stand still. Did she not look at Chantell Sutherland in the warm up and at least try copying her style a little bit. I don't know Maree and i don't want people to think I am bagging her out. I just can't believe that on vic cup night one of the sports biggest nights with 2 or 3 group 1 races being run that at peak hour on a Saturday night that that Monte race would be shown on sky channel. I remember being on the drink at a pub and watching the races and when someone noticed the horses scoring up they realized it was people riding the trotters and not seen very often in Australia and within 2 seconds the whole pub was watching this unusual race with interest and within 1 second of looking at sky channel the whole pub starts laughing and laughing and laughing. Not laughing at the horses or the race but at a few of the riders and also at the organisers who allowed it happen. Everyone knew the rider out the back should not have been there and was in big trouble and had no control of the horse because she was either riding way to long or she didn't have her feet in the irions but it was hard to tell because the rider beside her was riding really long and bouncing up and down as well and than look out here comes the clerke of the course flat out from no where to try and help but is a big chance of causing more trouble if he does not have the skill and horsemanship that he obviously does have. And everyone is waiting for the camera to go back to the clerk and the out of control horse and see a major stack but when the camera went back the clerke had saved the day and any rider who had any experience at all would have known just to sit on the horse with your feet out of the irions and the clerke will pull your horse up for you and you will be rite. But no that didn't happen. Maree couldn't even sit balanced on the horse while the clerke had hold of it and was nearly off one side but somehow managed to pull herself back on only to than nearly go completely off the other side of the horse. After all the laughter everyone was just shaking their head realising how lucky the rider was and wondering why when she lost her irions she would steer the horse in close to the other horses and create more risk. To me it was the actions of someone who is inexperienced and went into panick mode and just froze and thank god the clerke had the skill and brains and ability to do what he did. I thought for sure that administration would have seen how embarrassing that was and strate away made changes to make the Monte races look a bit more professional but after watching tonight's it looks like anyone can just turn up and get a start. I will guarantee that if 50000 people watched that Monte with their mates at a pub on Vic cup night than 49999 would have the same thoughts as me about it. If anyone bothers to respond to this can you not bag me or question my ability or skill or experience at driving or riding trotters. Or any spelling mistakes I made. I have never driven a trotter or worked in the harness industry or know anyone that does. I'm not bagging your participants I am just telling you my thoughts on the Australian Monte races I have seen. Tell me if you think the way the Montes are run are like something from the 60s. Do you think Joe public watches Montes for the horses or to laugh at some of the riders.
    Last edited by Wayneo; 03-23-2014 at 04:18 AM. Reason: Forgt something

  2. #2
    Senior Member 4YO Lucky Camilla"s Lovechild will become famous soon enough
    Real Name
    Leigh Stollery
    Location
    With a Kiwi.
    Posts
    358
    Wayne, For someone who claims to have never had any association with harness racing, you sure seem to have a few opinions. I'll make this easy for you. Youve obviously trawled through the thousands of race replays on offer, but apparently havent seen the abbreviations next to the drivers/riders name? If you scroll down to M E Campbells name, you will notice those abbreviations. There is one there that may give you some clue, and that is BG. That stands for BROKEN GEAR. If memory serves. That broken gear was a rein. Thats right Wayne. The steering wheel. If indeed it was the rein, well in my book that was a great piece of horsemanship. One that Chantell Sutherland would be proud. And I wont even mention the clerk of the course. Some of the most brave and skillful people on horses. Much like the clowns at the rodeo without the make up. I'll give you a tip Wayne. Most people in the harness racing industry know and realise some of the shortcomings of our sport (Monte racing not being one of them). But you are so far off the mark on this one its not even funny.

  3. #3
    Super Moderator Horse Of The Year teecee has a spectacular aura about teecee's Avatar
    Real Name
    Tony Cahill
    Location
    New Zealand
    Posts
    869
    http://www.harness.org.au/news-artic...?news_id=19184


    Clearly officials take Monte racing as seriously as other forms of harness racing.

  4. #4
    Senior Member Horse Of The Year broncobrad has a spectacular aura about
    Real Name
    Brad Leach
    Location
    Northern Rivers
    Posts
    782
    Dan certainly didn't miss the Clerks effort, recognising the immediate response and effective horsemanship dispensed to assist Maree who was in diabolical trouble in his call. I may well be in the minority but as a spectacle I love Monte racing.


    I would love to get an expert appraisal from Wayneo of what more he thinks poor Gina Bell could have done last week off the pole in Race 7 last week at Globe Derby. Sometimes shit just happens and there isn't anything that you can do about it.


    http://www.harness.org.au/meeting-re...sa#GDM15031408

  5. #5
    Super Moderator Stallion Richard prior will become famous soon enough Richard prior's Avatar
    Real Name
    Richard Prior
    Location
    Sydney
    Occupation
    Gas Operator
    Posts
    1,516
    Horses
    Intransit
    Well said Brad, The Clerk done a fantastic job that night grabbing the horse just before Maree was about to fall off and it wouldn't have been pretty.

  6. #6
    Banned Yearling Wayneo will become famous soon enough
    Real Name
    Wayne Thompson
    Posts
    36
    Lucky if that horse had broken rein I will give up. And if you believe it had a broken rein than maybe you should. If you look you will see the riders left hand half way up the horses neck holding onto the left rein. Her hand could not be there if she was not holding the left rein. Than have a look when the horse breaks into a gallop. She stands up and reefs the horses head to the right. I will have a rough guess and say if the right rein was broken you would not be able to stand up and pull the horses head to the right. I think that she was riding in her normal style for the start of the race until the horse gallops. If there was any broken reins she could not have done what the video shows her doing. She would of rolled strate off the back of the horse if a rein was broke. I think you will find that the horse begins a fraction slow and when she moves up to other horses her horse breaks into a gallop and her instant reaction was to stand up and snag it back and she has over done the snagging back and she gets herself off balance and the saddle rolls to the side a bit and she ends up with her right leg way down one side and her left leg up higher on the other side. If she had a broken rein she done a good job getting the horse back from a gallop into a trot. Lets see how silly I am with my stewards observation off a laptop in my lounge room. I will say that the horse begins a bit slow and then whilst moving around the last few horses and staying out in the middle of the track to take up a position running about 5th her horse shies at a wheelie bin or something similar in shape size and colour that is positioned on the outside fence of the track causing the horse to sharply veer inwards and break into a gallop causing her to react by standing up and getting off balance and causing her saddle to shift to the right side of the horse and placing rider at severe disadvantage for the remainder of the race. I would also say that the Australian harness stewards don't have an abbreviation for a saddle slipping because monte racing is fairly new to the country and they probably have not had a saddle slip so its just easy to put B down and none of the dummies will know any different. Let me know your thoughts on that.

  7. #7
    Banned Yearling Wayneo will become famous soon enough
    Real Name
    Wayne Thompson
    Posts
    36
    Fellas im the first to say congrats and good job to the clerke of the course bloke and well done but lets also keep it a bit real. If he doesn't have the ability to ride his horse up beside another horse in a straight line and grab hold of it and slowly slow the horse down than being a clerke probably wouldn't be the job for him. Imagine if he rode his horse up behind the horse he was trying to catch and pulled out or didn't pull it off than you would have wonder what his go is and probably find a new clerke for next week. I know it looked all exciting and dangerous and it helped the distressed girl out but before you abuse and carry on slow it down and have a look at it and tell me that you have seen clerkes do things 10 times more dangerous and riskier than that. There was not even a gig attached to the horse bouncing around in amongst other horses. That clerke would not even blink at what happened on the video.

  8. #8
    Senior Member 4YO Lucky Camilla"s Lovechild will become famous soon enough
    Real Name
    Leigh Stollery
    Location
    With a Kiwi.
    Posts
    358
    So Wayne there were mittigating circumstances as to why Maree Campbell had problems during that race. I knew you'd work it out. How much did you drop in that race?

  9. #9
    Senior Member Horse Of The Year Toohard will become famous soon enough Toohard's Avatar
    Real Name
    Paul Humphreys
    Location
    Gisborne, Victoria
    Posts
    818
    Horses
    PalaisDuLouvre,Trip 7s, AnythingForLove
    Just few things

    Monte racing still in its 'infancy' here. Different to other parts of world where been around for ages.

    Andys Favourite - watch other Montes he's competed in. Seen a few live myself when others have ridden him. Heart in mouth stuff sometimes. Not the most tractable of beasts I would suggest.

    Chantelle Sutherland is a professional t-bred jockey in the US-Canada. You're comparing her to someone riding in Monte races over here? Lovely lady by the way. Took time speak to anyone that wanted to talk to her last night. Or have pics taken, sign autographs, etc.

    Horses in Monte races are trotting. Not in 'smooth' gallop as per t-bred racing. Go get on one at local riding school and do both. Which one more 'comfortable'?

    Go Melton every week. Lots there last night. Cold and windy but as always, everyone comes outside to watch the Monte.

    Daryl Douglas in after race interview after winning last night was exhausted. Hard work.

    Everything new the authorities try they are bagged for. Don't try anything new..they bagged

    99 p-cent of people on the drink in pub were laughing? So we base future direction of sport on what 99 p-cent of people on the drink in a pub think?

    No comments on your comments on clerks of course. Else might offend. They do awesome job.

    You question Maree Campbells skill with a horse? Please! Watch replay trot race Echuca Friday night for starters. Can't see any skill?

    Then go back to being 99 p-cent of people on the drink in a pub...

  10. #10
    Super Moderator Horse Of The Year teecee has a spectacular aura about teecee's Avatar
    Real Name
    Tony Cahill
    Location
    New Zealand
    Posts
    869

+ Reply to Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts