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Letter of the Week

Steady on, champ

Is it just me, or are other punters as sick as I am of the excessive use of the word "champion"? According to my dictionary, a champion is "one who holds first place in any sport, having defeated all opponents; first among all contestants or competitors".

One Sydney racing editor seems incapable of writing a column without using the word. In the recent george Main Stakes, he nominated four "champions". The best any of these champions could manage was a third. He then declared Denman a champion before that horse ran unplaced in the Caulfield Guineas.

In the Cox Plate he referred to both Whobegotyou and El Segundo as champions. Neither ran a place.

He even declared a foal at foot to be a "budding champion" in a recent column.

Okay, the foal’s dam is Makybe Diva, but given that on average only 30 percent of foals born in any season even get to race, surely such a proclamation is a little premature.

With jckeys it is the same story — this scribe has declared six jockeys champions in recent weeks.

This editor is not alone, he just seems to be the worst offender. Another scribe lamented the fact that there were only a few champions in the Cox Plate, although he did not name them.

This frequent misuse of the word does nothing for the credibility of the writers concerned, and is an insult to the intelligence of their readers.

Tim Egan
Blackheath (NSW)
Today's Racing
Thursday 28 March
Friday 29 March
Saturday 30 March