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Some years ago, when I first came to NZ, a number of we RNZAF lads used to work part-time on our free weekends for a Labour MP [NZ Labour that is! Scouse would have been proud of me!] who owned a catering business and had the contract to operate food and beverage outlets at various local race courses.
So many a Saturday I’d be in my white shirt and bow tie,working the Members, Owners and Trainers bar. I very quickly learned from listening to these guys that the only people guaranteed to make money out of horse racing are the feed suppliers. Everyone else lives on hope that "One day......"
Of course the proof of the pudding was that, while I had no interest whatsoever in betting on any particular horse, we used to get many winks and nods as to where to place our bets! I didn’t bet but as far as I could check none of the tips from these ’experts’ ever came to fruition in the form of a win! I’ve found that regular punters who assiduously study form books will often tell you when they had a win, but will never reveal how many losses they had!
I have a friend whose daughter is a vet, and though not a horse vet, she tells me that if a horse falls down and breaks a leg, then it is almost impossible to fix because you can’t immobilize a horse in plaster standing up. Horses are big animals that do not tolerate long anaesthetic periods. They have an absolute requirement to be able to stand on all four legs.This means, in practical terms, the surgery or operating time should not exceed three to four hours and that immediately after surgery, the horse must wake up from the anaesthetic and be able to use the repaired broken leg to stand and walk.
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I know that the Grand National is a British Institution and is watched by many millions of people throughout the world and, indeed, I watch it myself in an almost horrified way because I know that some horses are going to die. Like many of you I deplore the sight of these brave animals performing almost impossible acts only to die in the attempt to win this overlong race. Would it be too much to hope for that the race be confined to the annals of history?
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Quoting: Colin Davies I’m sure that if the owners had the choice they would save the horses, but the on course vets make the decisions in the interest of the horse, I am absolutely sure that if Synchronised could have been saved he would have, as a Gold Cup winner he would be worth a fortune in stud fees.
Any tears for the punter who Ladbrokes claimed placed a £50,000 to win wager on Synchronised?
Carl
I fear the geek, even though he comes bearing gifs.
