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Gorgeous George
11-13-2008, 04:43 AM
Is there jump racing in the US? Do any of you watch it in England and Ireland?

I have been watching jumps racing all my life and love it. Dont get me wrong flat racing is a privledge to watch aswell but during the jumps season you can watch the same horses year in year out so you can relate more to them. There is also alot of money to be won!!!

Humph
11-13-2008, 05:57 AM
Yes and no to your questions.

I was born and raised in England but never enjoyed 'NH' racing as much as the flat ( I do appreciated that the winter game is a least as popular as the summer code in the British Isles- probably even more so , particularly in Ireland).

And sure, many flat stars do get whisked off to stud quickly - someone has to keep the breed going ; and the slow ones get to be jumps stock - without having built too much of a rapport with the public, but the jumps doesn't have a monopoly on enduring stars - the likes of Persian Punch, Double Trigger, Borderlescot, Yeats, The Tatling, Ouija Board ,and many more, can attest to that.

gregrph
11-19-2008, 08:01 PM
If "jumps" is the same as what we call steeplechase, then yes. Saratoga, NY from late July through Labor Day (first monday in September), the first race on Thursday is usually a Steeplechase. I enjoy the change!
Greg

Is there jump racing in the US? Do any of you watch it in England and Ireland?

I have been watching jumps racing all my life and love it. Dont get me wrong flat racing is a privledge to watch aswell but during the jumps season you can watch the same horses year in year out so you can relate more to them. There is also alot of money to be won!!!

Norm
11-19-2008, 10:12 PM
Steeplechase racing is a lot of fun for me. It makes you throw away all the rigid rules and handicap by the-seat-of-your-pants. Although less popular than flat racing, there is quite a bit of it on the East Coast in the U.S. Here's a link to a site where you can see the scope of steeplechase racing such as it exists in the U.S., including a schedule and a list of venues.


http://www.nationalsteeplechase.com/index.html


My favorite steeplechase jockey was a guy named Fishback whose claim to fame was that, at one time or another during his career, he had broken every bone in his body.

Marshall Bennett
11-19-2008, 10:37 PM
I enjoy watching them from time to time . Its probably a good thing we don't have more . PETA would have a field day with all the fallen horses .

Gorgeous George
11-20-2008, 03:58 AM
Steeplechase racing is a lot of fun for me. It makes you throw away all the rigid rules and handicap by the-seat-of-your-pants. Although less popular than flat racing, there is quite a bit of it on the East Coast in the U.S. Here's a link to a site where you can see the scope of steeplechase racing such as it exists in the U.S., including a schedule and a list of venues.


http://www.nationalsteeplechase.com/index.html


My favorite steeplechase jockey was a guy named Fishback whose claim to fame was that, at one time or another during his career, he had broken every bone in his body.

thanks for that, i enjoy it aswell as theres more to it than flat racing it involves the ability to judge, jump and execute a fench. Alot of flat horses tend to go over hurdles and become legends.

Nacumi
11-20-2008, 08:53 AM
I enjoy watching them from time to time . Its probably a good thing we don't have more . PETA would have a field day with all the fallen horses .

I get to see a lot of jump racing here in the MidAtlantic, because our turf horses do a lot of their prepping on the flat at the regional hunt meets and point to points. With regard to the national fences, while you do seem some spills, for the most part, the horses and riders both get right back up again, which is not often the case with dirt races at the track.
The only jump racing I have a hard time watching is timber, which is very popular in VA and MD. Those 5 foot rigid wood fences can be daunting, especially over 2 miles, carrying 165 pounds. But most horses love to jump anything; it's in their nature.
I love seeing ex-flat horses flourish at the 'chase. McDynamo was a pretty indifferent flat horse and what a champion he became! :jump: