Top Ten

[ahorsnall]

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I think the top ten competition should be dropped to 15 appearences and here's my reasons why.

1. Injuries- Competitiors who are going for the Top Ten wont have to run there dogs into the ground to win it because sometimes to win the competition the dog is never the sam again the year after. Animal welfare is paramount

2.Open to those with differing available finances- The competition will be available to those who may not be able to spend £50 on fuel week in and week out. This can only be an inprovement cz every competition should be accessable to all.

3. The big un's count more- The larger opens will have a larger bearing on the outcome of the competition. i.e the classic wins will count more for the positions. For example i remember when biddy won loads of classics and the straight champs and had to beat the best and wasnt even in top ten comp

4. Available to the far south and north-Racers who live far south or north may only have bout 10 opens close to them so will struggle to compete in top ten but this change will mean they may be able to travel up only a few times and still manage to get a place if the dog has the quality.

5. Straight dogs get more opportunity- Dogs which arent built for the straights or owner who prefer not to risk there dogs on the bends can still compete in the top ten competition and should get there 15 appearances without hammering them over the straight season week in and week out.

I cant think of any negatives by dropping the appearances, what does everyone else think.

Anthony

 

[sherry]

have never really given it much thought but its an interesting topic. i never used to take any notice of the top ten.... until i got a good dog lol ( mickey whizz) he never won the top ten but had two years very near the top and he had loads of injuries and didnt bend race and i wudnt even say we hammered him i think he only had 22 races that year but prob won 20 of them but thats scratch racing maybe thats a bit different. when u think though for a yds for 1bs dog they have to race maybe three or four times in one day to win an open hence gaining points. im not sure but do u get a point for a heat win? or id it just a weight class win u get points 4? i think maybe reducing it to 20 wud be good as 15 races isnt an awful lot maybe 25 is a bit too many so a good compromise wud b 20.

wot about having different points for bends and straights? but then that wud be two diff comps?

 

[NEILPEM]

i think top ten is waste of effort and money.

 

[rocky]

Excellent ideas Anthony. I also, apart from your ideas think bend and straight racing should be in separate competitions as the racing is so different and it puts the supreme runner in each event at a dissadvantage having to run all year in something he or she finds harder to run in

 

[sharon whincop]

I agree there should be less top 10 but they should be shared out fairly. I know its the same old story but it all comes down to money. I run a club and we need £300 a year just to stay open. The handy cap provides half of this but opens provide the rest and if its not top ten then you don't get the people. And having less top 10 opens won't change this. It wasn't long ago that there was suppose to be less top 10 open thats why every club is only allowed 1 per year. Maby every club could have 1 top ten open and the other to coun't for there own top 5 and top gun awords.. After all both the BWRA and the NWRF have there own top 5 and top gun. But what every way it runs the whippet news top ten does bring racers together and i for 1 think they do a good job.

 

[unwanted]

the penny finally drops after all these years and god knows how many track closures.when every one took off open racing and forgot all about handicap racing.all this size weight bollox as well most of us av put 20ld dogs/bitches in with 30ld40ld dogs/bitches,now all the elete want to cut the opens down to a minimium.i think its to later personally.GET BACK TO OLD TIME WHIPPET RACING U MIGHT GET SOME OF THE GOOD OLD DAYS BACK

 

[unwanted]

SORRY chris or anth just me been very passionate about a sport i have been in all my life.SORRY AGAIN LADS :thumbsup:

 

[decca]

is that you in the picture george

 

[JOHNG]

some good points there anth but IMO i think 15 is'nt enough i would prefer 20 appearances, also the classics you should be awarded more points ,also it would be a good idea to have two seperate top-tens for bend & straight, reason being that you can have a dog that is just in the top ten when the bend season starts that does'nt run the bends then gets knocked out by a dog that is just outside of top ten that runs both )

 

[DavidH]

good idea bend/ straight top ten.

 

[DavidH]

only problem what if you have a few dogs some good on the straights and some good on the bends could be more expensive.????? :wacko:

 

[debbie]

excellent idea about less top ten opens, i know exactly what you mean about the dog not been the same the following year, take Oscars Pride, not the same dog this year after winning the fed top five and whippet news top ten last year, but then he is a veteran this week, but still a classy dog none the less,.

 

[unwanted]

these top ten things are ok but if money is tight and some people cannot afford to travel week in week out which by the sounds of it,its happening that way wots the point of them.i feel sorry for the scottish dogs.how they suppose to travel week in weekout down south

 

[kate lynch]

i will add to that

especially when the fuel; prices are going up and some many little opens that get not thought about because of the top ten points. this cost lots of people lots of money, this is why not as many people turn up to many opening down south if they from the north or up north if they from the south.

 

[mutley]

too many defiantly

 

[D.Dan]

i think 20 is ample for top ten.i also agree that bends and flat should be separate.our dogs dont do bend racing ,so IF we wanted to got point chasing (WHICH WE DONT)we would have to run their legs of.we think more of our dogs than points,we also cannot get to southern opens coz they to far,but we usually travel for 3 hour maximum ride.and then the fuel costs come into it,can we afford to go sat and sun if its a long way?like you say different point for classics etc and maybe some club racing between other local clubs,say some from stockton,aycliffe and dawdon run at wallsend one week and mix them around ,at least then it might keep the clubs open.jmo.nobody seems interested in club racing anymore so lets try to make it interesting.it might work.jmo.

 

[rocky]

I agree wholeheartedly with D Dan. Bend and Straight racing should be separate to save dogs running all year. Also the distance, only for me its the other way around. I also cannot afford to travel more than 3 hours each way to an open and this now that Devon has closed means only Worcester and Thurrock. Old Hall is the next and takes about 3 and half hours. All these I cannot do in a day and need to camp at. I make a special effort to get to the two championships but it is a VERY expensive affair. My own club Fordingbridge is suffering from lack of workers but I hope at the AGN Sunday 19th everyone will pull together and we can have some exciting CLUB racing.

My ideal would be to see only about 2 opens per month, these large and well run affairs to count for any points at all.

 

[sharon whincop]

I have read all what is on here and what's in the w/n. And i have even replied on here. But at the end of the day it's the owners of these dogs that have the final say.

When I ran Mo and was runner up in the top ten, she could have won it. all I had to do was run her in the last 3 open's and it was her's. The last race she won she wasn't her self and she didn't enjoy racing like she did. I made the disision there that I wouldn't run her in them last race's. Giving the other dog the top ten. It dosn't matter how many races are on the calander it's ther owner's of the dogs that have to say enough is enough. If you want to run in the top ten then do it. If not then don't. But give the member's that choise. Personally I know what I would put first and that's my dog. AFTER ALL NO ONE PUT'S A GUN TO YOUR HEAD AND MAKES YOU RUN YOUR DOG.

 

[jackie thubron]

I say you dont try and fix whats not broken. :- " There are loads of polls going around about is this better or that better but I think we need to concentrate on the whole picture. I think we have lost to many clubs over the last couple of years because people wont travel unless its a top ten open so clubs are finding it financially harder to stay open now as its just one top ten open per club per year, If you reduce the number then people wont travel and clubs

wont get the money in they need for insurance and things. People will end up running their dogs in their own area and then we WILL have a north south devide because people dont need to travel.

We enjoy the social side of racing and decided to get a whippet because we thought it would be good for the whole family and I think thats what we need to encourage in the sport good old family fun :thumbsup:

Our first priority is our dogs and if they are not right we dont run them. We have gone through good times and hard times with our dogs getting them back to race fittness the same as every one else but I think our main aim for all of us is to enjoy the sport as it looks to me as its declining enough

I hope I havnt upset anyone its just the way I see things at the min and time, o

 

[JOHNG]

well said jackie

you have a point there about the clubs they can't survive off club racing alone they need the extra revenue from top ten opens.

i.e. raffles ect )