Thursday 30 September 2021

RELEGATED TO THE SECOND DIVISION



Although there is plenty of mileage remaining in the current flat season, one cannot help focusing a few weeks further on to when the National Hunt season begins to hit top gear. For those on this side of the Irish Sea, one can only look ahead with some trepidation.

This is not something necessarily brought about by the present Irish dominance of the jumping scene as such balances of power can tilt quicker than imagined, though it is something that is unhealthy for the sport irrespective of whether such a view is brought about by genuine concern or tinted more through envious eyes.

A reverse inbalance existed in the other direction during the second half of the 1980's  - remember for example Galmoy being the sole Irish triumph at the Cheltenham Festival two years running. I recall being there both those years and on one occasion hearing an Irish voice exclaim," hardly a reaction!" as the John Mulhern trained gelding crossed the line.They were odd times. Nearly all of the quality Irish stores were sold to these shores and when it resulted in one sided festivals it took something away from the scene for all genuine fans, no matter where they came from.

But all power holds eventually end in racing and the present situation will not run indefinitely. Micheal O'Leary is winding down his considerable string of animals and it would only take a loss of enthusiasm from someone like Rich Ricci to put the situation back in the balance.

It should never be a surprise when interest wains with influential owners. Who thought Graham Wylie's interest would gradually peter out? A  still relatively young and massively enthusiastic investor in the jumping scene who enjoyed some great successes. Surely, the most coveted four or five prizes would be coming his way and he could be banked upon to persevere, but the signs were ominous when he failed to reinvest and allowed his dwindling string, lately based in Ireland, to wind down.

Trevor Hemmings carried out a culling of his portfolio of animals and he now operates on a smaller scale than in the last couple of decades. However, there are age factors involved here. His mobility is unlike to be how it was and, allied to the stalling prize money versus increasing costs, a smaller, easier to keep tabs on string probably seemed preferable - though sadly, he lost Wetlands at Ayr in April who would have been the most exciting Northern trained animal going novice chasing this season.

Wylie cutting ties with the sport and Hemmings trimming his string, demonstrate how the involvement of powerful investors should never be taken for granted so it should not necessarily be a shock if like O'Leary, Ricci decided to move on from the sport. The concentration of quality in his manageable collection of animals that race in his colours is like something never seen before. Perhaps the only owner running a similar modus operandi in past times would be Sheikh Ali Abu Khamsin during the 1980's.

The Middle Eastern businessman started with Les Kennard then quickly developed an increased but manageable sized string with Fred Winter taking in the larger number, supported by Nick Gaselee and Mercy Rimmell. Winter provided the owner with many memorable successes with the mighty Half Free, as well as going so close in the King George V1 Chase with Fifty Dollars More, while Mrs Rimmell gave him his highest profile success when capturing the Champion Hurdle with Gaye Brief in 1983, an above average winner of he race who never got the credit he deserved. She also guided the Sheikh's Gala's Image to a shock success in the Arkle Chase. Nick Gaselee's most notable performer for the owner was Boland's Cross, considered a potential Cheltenham Gold Cup winner but who fell short of that level despite being very talented.

A fine quality string of limited numbers, very successful too but not on the mind blowing scale of Ricci. It should be remembered though that Khamsin also left the sport pretty quickly, almost without trace. It happens often unexpectedly, just when you had accepted that the involvement would be unceasing.

This is why for those concerned or even begrudging over the inbalance in quality between the two Isles, things may level up, no matter how unlikely that seems at present. Let no one undermine the damage done by the sitting on dead horses hullabaloo, or Gordon Elliott receiving a second dose of bleak publicity from the Panorama programme, or the painstaking digging up damaging evidence of illegal drug use by William Jones in his second book, ' The Black Horse Is Dying'.

Jones is peservering to unearth and make this issue public knowledge judging by the content in his ' The Black Horse Newsletter', and we now know that one major Irish  jumps trainer is alleged to have had one of his ex inmates test positive for illegal substsnces in tests privately summoned by an unnamed English based trainer.

Of course similar unproven allegations were in circulation with a major English trainer during the 1980's and 1990's and there seems to be a silent rule that if they are too good to be true then they must be up to something. It will be interesting to see if anything erupts from this but clearly, something is brimming beneath the surface.

And for this of us who realise we have a country that for the time being has an overall second division quality wise in National Hunt horses, then we also have to contend with the fact that our week to week programme is in a state of deterioration. The introduction of the Dublin Racing Festival exposes just how delusional it is to keep on expanding and diluting the Cheltenham Festival, the buzz of which is now all but gone.

The Dublin Racing Festival is jam-packed with quality, few options existing for animals to dodge one another. The timing is also perfect - think of all those animals down the years who have been prominent in the Cheltenham Ante Post markets but who meet with setbacks just prior to the meeting.The Leopardstown fixture catches and will go on catching these animals and for some it will prove to be their last appearance of the season.

For the exciting Energumene, Leopardstown would not be his final appearance of the season but he put up his optimum performance there before missing the Arkle due to setback, then reappearing at Punchestown.  Monkfish was likewise seen at his very best at the Dublin Racing Festival.

Aintree is also the poorer from the present scenario. In a sense it deserves reward for keeping to the three days but with the growth in status of the Punchestown Festival, not too mention an increase in quality support events at the Fairyhouse Irish Grand National fixture, it too is losing out.

So, into the new season proper we go. This side of the Irish Sea now clearly poorer relation by a mile in the sphere of National Hunt racing. A decade has quickly gone by since England last had a truly golden period headed by all time great Kauto Star (in picture) and the mighty Denman. It feels more and more like the distant past now.

image taken by author

A tune released just a fortnight before The Dikler won the King George V1 Chase. A time when the future of National Hunt racing seemed assured ad finitum.


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