well looks like its firm ground then real shame to get it at cheltenham when we have put all the time in to planned all our horses for this week

hopefully firm and hard ground will be taken out of the nhc for next season if we want this league to be realistic

Right off to retrail for cheltenham because i have no idea how mine will do on firm ground do have alot of good ground runners that may like it

The thing is many people are in the same boat, you can't upload new horses really as they are eligible for only 2 races.

Noone is suggesting re-rolling weather we don't like, for instance good to soft. That would be absolutely ludicrous. The issue at hand is weather firm ground should be an option during Spring conditions. Yes or no.

I'm competing regardless, Pickpocket likes soft ground but he'll take you on over firm ground any day.

And I'm tempted to run Red Rooney in the Gold Cup, even though the stamina will stretch him he might get home on firm ground

i agree with david - firm ground isnt really seen in jumps racing whatsoever never mind at cheltenham as it just isnt the right kind of ground for this discipline

having it at the highlight of the season is what has led to the outrage and even tho, like others, i can use it to my advantage with some horses but it just isnt right in this case surely people can see that.

The dedicated nhc trainers breed horses for good - soft ground as this is the ground jumps horses race on. people shudnt think changing the ground would be a case of favouritism, it would be to make this league realistic.

why do i and other trainers do comms, race previews, tipster competitions, reviews of week by week performances??? to make it more realistic!!

im laughing here coz i cnt emphasise enough how daft this is to have cheltenham on firm!

ok lets go sort or heavey same every year
2 b honest i dont care show me the races

Good to firm ground has occured statistically a sufficient amount of times (3 in last 22 if I remember rightly from my earlier research).

Firm ground does happen quite a lot in the summer NH racing.

It would have been fine if it had came up G/F, though it's not ideal going for the Festival. But Firm is just crazy.

I've got no chance what so ever in picking up a Festival winner. Feels like i've wasted 8 months breeding good and soft ground into my horses for this to happen.

Game wise i dont know if there is much difference between good to firm and firm.

I actually went to a point to point last spring. Hells angels that ground was hard. I walked the course and i had never felt anything like it, but racing went ahead anyway... Again i'm not fussed what we do with this ground, but it's worth mentioning... it is no impossible for Britain to be dry during the spring even though these days it does seem like a stretch.

I know we train our horses for grounds ranging from good to soft/heavy, but we are talking about realism here. And in the real world trainers do encounter ground conditions they don't like, but are powerless against it regardless how we feel. No need in withdrawing incase you look bad.

If trainers withdrew their horses due to conditions they see too extreme, then the 2001 Grand National wouldn't even have 2 runners, nevermind 2 finishers!

yeh but pete the point is cheltenham would water if it was hard ground, there is no disputing that!!!

and i bet the 3 times it was ran on good to firm the weather forecast was for rain!! bet u any money in the world

Leave it has it is Rich.

For what should have been the best week in the league has been made into a farce in my opinion.

Let the Flat boys have there ground.

in response to this - the cheltenham festival is not a point to point. no one cares about the donkeys running in these and they could probably only water the course with a watering can !!!

Nobody cared about Denman then when he won his point

Gd to Firm ftw

I think there is a fair difference between firm and gd to firm in the game, times suggest there is anyway.

so which race did u care about more joe - his point to point or his gold cup win?? fact is denman would never have even raced in the gold cup on firm ground!!

ll tell you why i believe this isnt going to be changed - and i want everyone to remember i have more firm ground horses and could have a great festival:

this ground isnt being changed because people know it damages hooley and hemz . im sorry i have to say it - i believe if hooley hemz and myself (the top 3 nhc) had all firm ground horses then it would be changed for the reasons people have been saying it should change on this thread. the fact is because it damages the best 2 trainers in the nhc (and 5 of my big chances for a winner) it wont be changed.

its probably the same thing with me managaing colins stable next season - its a no go coz he was one of the best, if he was down the bottom of the trainer championship people probably wouldnt have opposed it so much.

never mind tho , i will still enter my horses for it , and as ive always said shudnt do things which upset other trainers.

well done however to those who did vote for a change and gave their reasons for doing so!

I voted to change it and i dont even have any horses entered.
To be fair all of my flat horses are firmer ground and all apart from maybe 2 meetings(not weeks, Meetings) the ground has gone against them!!!
As for the thing with ryan taking over colins stable, yes i am against it, I struggle to get even a placing in the league, with ryan inheriting a stable that has no doubt got multiple group 1 winners in waiting it would put me even further away from grabbing a win in a big race that I have played over 50 seasons in my current game for(i lost my game just before the league started, about 25 seasons worth).
I'm no longer playing the game at the mo as i can sense things are starting to go pear shaped again, small arguments starting, No odds on flat races until a day before the races, and schedules dont permit to utilise the full 21 berths we have in our stables anyway.

I'll just keep plodding with the nags i have and hopefully pick up a G1 with 1 of my 2 yo's.