You know what the feeling is: you lie in bed, and all of the problems of the upcoming day seem so impossible, and then you get up, go for a walk, and, suddenly, answers to every issue are clear, and life is good again. Well, not today! Today, as usual, I listened to the Nick Luck Daily podcast, and it was depressing. It touched on all of the issues affecting racing and its future, and the overwhelming impression is that racing continues to be run by idiots from its many factions.
When I first got into racing over 40 years ago, at least we knew that everyone was incompetent. We knew that because all of the Racecourse Chairman and Clerks of courses were Brigadier this, or Major that, and the Stewards and all of racing’s ‘leaders’ were either a Lord, a Knight, or a Right Honourable. Somehow, this motley collection was able to operate British racing, drive large crowds, and provide prize money, which, if it were today, would see minimum values of £20000 per race.
In those days, a lot of betting was illegal, so it certainly did not have the reliance on the bookmaker levy that we have today. I well remember, as a gauche 15 year-old taking my 20p patent to Baggsy down the road. I bravely (stupidly) ignored the Beware of the Dog sign as I opened the door to go down the entryway between the terraced houses, knowing that behind the second door, danger lay in the form of a vicious Alsatian. Nothing would stop me from spending my £1.54 (tax paid on)!
I digress. It’s not only prizemoney, the lack of agreement on the Levy, allowing suspended trainers to operate without any suspension, or, more importantly, the lack of any defined strategy or ability to manage the multitude of self-serving factions. No, it’s the fact that racing’s administrators, incompetent as they are, are not so stupid as to stick around and watch British racing continue its remorseless decline. They are leaving the sinking ship in droves and do not even bother to provide a logical or convincing explanation for their departure. The fact that they are all announcing their departure simultaneously shows both selfishness and a disregard for racing that would not even be acceptable in the most hard-faced for-profit organizations. At least in those companies, announcements of departures on this scale are staggered over several months.
Of course, the argument is that the BHA, the Jockey Club, RMG, Racecourse Owners Association, Great British Racing, et al. are all separate bodies, so you can’t talk about them as if they are one company or organization. Well, perhaps that’s the problem! There are so many groups and opposing factions that racing has no mechanism or ability to ‘get out of its own way’ and find a solution before it’s too late.
Too many people are throwing up their arms and saying, “It’s impossible to get anything done.” We need someone, some group, to take ownership and turn this around. Without that, British racing's inexorable decline will not only continue but also gather an alarming pace.
Twenty years ago, I would have thrown my hat into the ring. Admittedly, it would have been thrown right back to me as, as I have been told on several occasions by Mazars, the appointed staff have much more relevant experience than any I gained in operating multi-billion dollar International companies and owning racehorses. And, yes, that would be the same Mazars who are currently charging IHRB (otherwise known as the taxpayer) €80000 for their much-delayed report into “grave financial concerns,” which were identified exactly 12 months ago and for which time the CFO has been taking ‘voluntary leave’ on full pay; nice work if you can find it!
It's just as well the previous CEO wasn’t given an excessive termination payment!
I must stop as I have a couple of horses to discuss quickly. It’s probably as well because I could go on all night about Animal Rights and public perceptions of horse racing, as well as the Gambling Commission, TV Advertising restrictions, and numerous other storms fast approaching.
With my confidence and enthusiasm for racing at an all-time low, my two horses are charged with reinvigorating my love for the sport. That’s a tall order at the best of times, so my hopes for tomorrow are somewhat tempered. Unfortunately, I won’t be there as we are looking to close on a new condo in Naples. It’s only been 2 ½ years since we contracted for it, so it’s perversely affirming that ineptitude is not confined to the UK and Ireland.
It's great to have Suprise Package back over hurdles at Tipperary. We were going to keep him on the flat, but he was rated 80 after his third run, limiting options for the next couple of months. The Grimes hurdle is a high-quality renewal, but he has to run in a conditions race as there are no suitable handicaps for him off his current mark (which I would guess is around 140). If this were July 2022, I would confidently be saying that he could give the favourite (Daddy Long Legs) something to think about; he still might but the truth is it’s difficult to know if he retains all of his ability after all he’s been through. We have Darragh O’Keefe riding; his record on him is a second and two wins, so everything all set there. His home work is great, so there’s plenty of hope, but we do need to see what happens on the course.
As an aside, the naming of horses should be reviewed. I don’t care how good he is, I really don’t want to be explaining to people that we have been beaten by a horse called Daddy Long Legs.
Freedom to Dream runs 70 minutes later at 7.25pm. He ran a little better last time, but still a long way short of his 2022 best. We have Keith Donoghue up this time and I am delighted. He has always been a good horseman but is now riding with real confidence All I can do is keep repeating the same mantra: if he runs to his best, he wins in a canter; if he runs like he has been doing, he will drop away, approaching the second last. You pays your money, and you takes your choice.
If Peter and Ber are reading this angry blog, they are probably breathing a huge sigh of relief that I won’t be there. Hopefully, both horses will run well and come back safe. I can then look forward to coming to their next race when, hopefully, I will be in a much better mood about racing.