The 6yo is just a discussion that was brought up in a earlier post sounds like most guys have already decided it should be 5UP but I think the mean one that the Novice Chaser should be a 5YO and all future chases should also be at least 5.

Gray

I am most certainly not on the fence, 6yo and up for open chasers is a stupid, daft, crazy, nonsense load of old tosh of an idea and should quickly go the way of the dodo.

Josh I wasn't talking to u because aired u opinion on it but I'm talking to the people who have said i"l go along with the majority, get of the fence people and everyone is in the majority until the vote then afterwards some people become minority.

I have stated my opinion John i could not have made it plainer than I have
im not one for rocking the boat if the majority want it fine we have to go with it
if that makes me a sheep in your opinion than fair enough I'm not going to waste
my time to convince you otherwise

we are all different that should always be respected


im also not one for ramming my beliefs down peoples throats either.

Lets bag the name calling childish stuff lads we are better than that id like to think
no harm in continuing the discussion we need that to progress but also
as i have said before its not life or death I dont think everything needs to be taken like
thats the case.

So do u think i'm ramming my opinion down people's throat, I have never ever tried to convince anyone of anything ever and I firmly belive everyone has a voice so u it and don't sit in the corner after everything has happened and I say I didn't vote either way so don't blame me, if I'm on my own on this one then I'm fine with it and if we get a vote the majority will win out but for people to say I'm going with the majority is a cop out and shows no conviction.

Well said Paul, its not life threatening & we are all individuals and our opinions should be respected by all, whether we agree or not and lets be honest over 50% of the league managers will follow the line without an opinion here on the forum, that's alot of sheep John (Is that a Welsh thing with the sheep JOKE:)

Have u never heard that one Stu about the sheep And people say it's just a game but how many other things in u life ( no filth boys)do u spend as many hours doing , probably not many. Perhaps this is the end of the road for me ( no more ramming down people's throat) but this is the worst idea ever and when u vote on it ( if so) then I hope it works either way.. As Ringo says Peace and Love

Totally agree with the time spent.

But I for one and I imagine many others would not like to see the back of you, so don't let the heat of the day (is it not cold there?) cloud judgments.

Lets see what transpires from the discussion.

"Please don't go, don't go away, I'm begging you to stay" who sang that ?

Now you are putting words into my mouth John

As i have said i have stated my opinion voted in both polls and by the way
everyone HAS to go with the majority so what do you want me to do next comrad
want me to start a Reevaluation or a mutiny against Gray.

lets continue the conversation as adults this schoolyard name calling character
assassination is not needed.

lets move on

I Knew that would be coming next John thats your call that would be very sad indeed.

In the first place you misinterpreted what i said

Not once did i say you were ramming your beliefs down anyone's throat all i said was im not like that
or made that way

I think everyone needs to chill out seriously

WOW, this escalated quickly! Here's my take on it, although the thread title should now read as NH age issues as that is what it has become.
We have to decide whether we want the league schedule to be totally realistic or a semi realistic representation that best suits the game and players.

If we take the realistic approach (We still have to make the slightly unrealistic assumption that all races are post January 1 because we cannot age our horses mid season) then the following applies:
NHF - 4,5&6yo only
Juvenile - 4yo only
All Hurdles - 4yo+
All Chases - 5yo+ (4yo do run in chases but not January to April)
Grand National - 7yo+

If we want a semi realistic approach then we can adapt all of the above to suit and have lots of polls for all the possible variants. We could make everything 4yo+ and have done with all the uncertainty.
I won't sit on the fence and I believe we have 3 solutions, either adapt the realistic ages above (ok with me), leave as is (don't like) or the following radical approach:

As a middling to low trainer I think that BY FAR AND AWAY the single most productive thing that could be done to help all of the lower tier trainers would be to totally abandon the whole novice system. It is a huge help to all of the top trainers but a hindrance to all others.
For example:
If a top trainer has two top 3 mile chasers (in reality he will have loads) he can upload one as an open and one as a novice. They will compete separately all season, both in graded races, and never have any conflict. If I upload two 3 mile chasers they both get stuffed in their respective maidens and are then both eligible for pretty much the same handicaps throughout the season so their opportunities are severely limited. For a low level trainer a standard novice race is the equivalent of a group/graded race. Basically if you have lower level horses there are only really two types of races, Handicaps and races that you have no possible chance in.

I know it is extremely radical but the novice system reduces the amount of handicaps and adds a second level of graded race for the top trainers to compete in.
Darren

Fear we are getting off tack here. So we have polls for the national and handicapping would this not just be more easily addressed in the same way. Though I have still yet to see a reasoned or compelling argument as to why 6yo and up chasers is a good thing.

And Darren actually makes a valid point, I do precisely that split my best two horses per division and class between novice and open. However in doing something this radical you have to consider the impact on all, not just the lower or mid tier trainers for whom a lot of change has already been driven for. Going through the ranks is not impossible, I know as I have done it, just takes a bit of work, degrade the top level too much and there is nothing to aspire too.

The point of this Game and League is to represent the daily Racing game if you chop the novice races you are cutting the league in half and Cheltenham well comes a two day meeting what is the point of that sorry but this is getting way over the top come on Guys if Paul Josh spilt the two best horses between Novice and Graded I believe doesn't everybody? I don't put my worse 2m Chaser as a Novice that would be my 2m handicap chaser.

we are suppose to discuss about age in the NH not about having graded and Handicap Jumps League.

Gray

Darren's 'radical solution' was something akin to what I first debated with Martin - the whole novice/open to me seemed so muddy and complicated - do away with novice racing - stream line the whole game and make it simpler to use and understand in the league. Personally I think Darren is right. We can keep all the hunt races in the league but the title novice and open is in name only - the big trainers will still win the big graded and handicap races and my horses will always run last in the big races.

But having debated this with Martin over the phone on many occasions - I think Martin has the middle ground from 'the radical' with his suggestion of novice being 4 and 5yo only and 6yo+ is open. It is still a simplistic solution that keeps an eye towards realism and makes it easier for everyone one to understand.
Martin's and my solution may be Mickey Mouse but at the moment it's Micky, Minnie, Donald, Snow White, Bambi and Goofy.

Darren's radical solution stream lines it like the flat and Martin's idea straightens it up and steers it towards realism.