BEST LOOKING INTO THE PAST

The unsettled future of horse racing, both short and long term, makes one wonder how those with long term plans are able to remain buoyant and continue focused, in their own bubbles.

Even in better times, those breeding racehorses needed to have an outlook different to the general norm. It's not just a case of the odds being stacked against them, there is also the fact that given the age of many in this profession, they may not be here to witness and enjoy fruits that might be harvested in future years.

They talk of the dream of contributing positively to the breed as though they've found the secret to immortality and can guarantee that they'll be here to watch their plans unfold  -  good God, some of these characters look and indeed are very, very old.

Even those who have reached the higher echelons in this profession plan ahead with carefully structured matings, the most likely scenario being that they'll not be here to see the final outcome 

And for mere racing fans, particularly those on the mature side, interest in the breeding aspect of the game is tempered by the fact that we are not going to see most end stories - work  out your age, look at a National Hunt stallion starting out, and you realise that you are unlikely to see the conclusion of their career at stud. Put it this way if Crystal Ocean lasts twenty years at stud, considering the age jumping horses reach their peak then the chapter on this stallion's stud career will still be open when we have departed,

It's a similar story in the flat game in the area of stallions establishing themselves as sires of sires - all those fascinating developments with twists and turns that we have followed the path of in the past. Branches that suddenly bloom.

Those of a certain age will remember the hugely exciting Try My Best's taking triumph in the 1977 Dewhurst Stakes. The Ballydoyle based Northern Dancer colt looked assured of realising his potential and was already at prohibitive odds for both the following season's  2,000 Guineas and Derby.

In fact the Timeform organisation stated that, " he seems to us practically a ready made winner of the 2,000 Guineas", and added that as there was every chance he would stay twelve furlongs, " he is a ready made winner of the Derby as well."

History documents that after  winning on his reappearance at Phoenix Park, he started Even money at Newmarket only to trail in stone cold last. He was never seen on a racecourse again.

Put on the Coolmore roster there was hope that he would make amends in his second career. While he hardly set the world alight, among his progeny foaled in 1983 were Last Tycoon and Waajib. The former was a Champion sprinter in Europe and put the ceiling on his career with a success in the Breeders Cup mile. At stud he sired an Epsom Derby runner up in Marju but has established no lasting male line.

Waajib was a late maturer under the guidance of Alec Stewart. A winner of the big mile handicap at Goodwood he developed into a Group class horse and won the Diomed Stakes and Queen Anne Stakes ( then a Group 2) as a five year old. He proved overall moderate as a stallion but made a contribution to the breed via Royal Applause, by far the best of his progeny who was successful in the Haydock Sprint Cup for Barry Hills. 

This is where this seemingly going nowhere line would soon blossom. Standing at the Sandringham Stud, Royal Applause, sired a handful of lower Group class performers including a certain Acclamation who won the Diadem and was third to Oasis Dream in the Nunthorpe.

How unlikely that Acclamation would become a sort of cult hero for those interested in the breeding side of the sport. He now boasts his own dynasty with branches of its own, developing all the time. His showcase stallion son Dark Angel ( in picture) was retired at the end of his juvenile career and while it's not surprising that his notable performers are speedsters, a hell of a lot train on well and with an increasing number of sons at stud, he'll be leaving a lasting influence with chapters still to be written that today's maturing racing fans won't be around to see.

Mehmas is another son of Acclamation retired at the end of his two year old season. He's made an exceptionally bright start to his new career and like Dark Angel, it looks as though a fair amount of his progeny will train on - his four year old son Minzaal a big player in this weekend's Group 1 sprint at Haydock.

Acclamation is also responsible for promising second season sire Aclaim who's fee will be due a hike after being responsible for 1,000 Guineas winner Cachet, along with the classy sprinter Royal Aclaim. And not to forget Pyledriver's sire Harbour Watch and an interesting first season sire in Expert Eye.

It would be using the imagination too much to call it the ' Try My Best line' though it is not factually incorrect. However, we can say there is an Acclamation male line. Who would have thought that would ever materialise! 

Sadly, the maturing racing fans will not be able to marvel as future influential pedigree lines take shape, but can take comfort that they will that witnessed an era of the sport that it will never return to. Best now to enjoy the sport from a historical perspective and disengage oneself with thoughts of breed shapers as it'll just be as futile as getting excited about the prospect of man landing on Mars.

Image taken by author

This track was promunent in the charts when Try My Best blew out in the Guineas.

A BRIEF ESCAPE

• Runners: 6 RUNNERS
• Prize Money: £7,500.00
• Race Distance: 6f 3y
• Horse Age: 3YO
• Rating: 46-55
• Min Weight: 9st 0lbs
• 
  

Immersing oneself in this week's York cards offered no clues as to the real predicament horse racing in the UK finds itself in, for viewed in isolation the cream of the Knaveshmire fixture list offered stupendous  prize money, a good balance of Pattern races and handicaps, the latter contests boasting sizeable builds along with depth in quality. 

It's a meeting that cannot be scoffed at in any way even though many maturing racing fans would rather return to the three day fixture and even further back to when the Pattern system was kept under check and the Tuesday was the only day in the UK flat racing year with more than one G1 on the card, the opening day once staging both the Benson and Hedges Gold Cup and Yorkshire Oaks.

And added to the joy and temporary escape from the hell hole the sport is in, the stomach wrenching Racing League mercifully took a break for the week. While this appalling concept has a detrimental affect on the quality of weekend handicaps at the good courses at the height of summer, it thankfully did not appear to have had any adverse affect on this gem of a fixture.

Sadly, we now return back to be surrounded by constant doom and gloom, a reality check that last week provided only temporary relief from. It's that back to work feeling after the Xmas and New Year holiday period.

It seems everyone with some sort of platform in the sport is having their shout of how the sport should tackle the crisis it finds itself in. But it's all too late to save what existed. The once enthusiastic fan base has gone and has ever been replaced. Most venues accept this which is why they've turned to concentrating all their efforts at pulling in the cult crowds, the actual sport forming no more than a backdrop as the day ticks away.

Ten years ago this coming October Lord Grimthorpe stood proudly in the winner's enclosure at Ascot after Frankel had won his final race and announced to the TV audience that there would be a ' Frankel generation' of racing fans that would revigorate the fan base, giving the sport a long term boost. 

This seemed wishful thinking at a time when the sport was in marked decline and as it's sank to lower depths, it's clear that no Frankel generation has emerged though being realistic they would have been unable to have any real impact on what is now occurring. Dare anyone even remotely suggest that we'll now see the birth of a Baaeed generation!

We are often reminded of the finances injected into the sport by owners with scant returns available, even for those who are lucky to own an animal capable of winning a moderate grade race or two. This is a long established component of the sport here, more defined than ever before in the present climate, and no relief in the horizon as racing seems further away than ever before from a Tote Monopoly.

The harsh truth though is that no one is forced to own racehorses and in the grand scheme of things, topics involving the level of remuneration to owners are low down the list of national priorities. It would be most  unfortunate if a punter's tax was introduced - some in the racing community are so blinkered to believe that those owning animals rated in the 50's provide a laudable service to the sport and that those that are entertained should be putting more in.

This is laughable. There are too many stallions with ridiculous sized books resulting in mass over production and too many fixtures staged to cater for dross, many of which should be running in flapping events. Punters would simply stop betting on horses if an extra tax was added though it could be that the imminent affordability checks will take care of that itself.

Then we come to the welfare angle as no matter how the figures will continue to be massuaged, the wastage rate is going to be disturbingly higher than ever before. This is an unavoidable fall out of owners leaving the sport, trainers handing in their licences, and a void that no one has any desire to fill.

Look at the dross on offer at Yarmouth today. It even trumps Brighton's card for garbage on show. Yarmouth was once known most for having quality two year old maiden and condition events, with plenty of Newmarket handlers prepared to run some of their better juveniles at the seaside location.

John Gosden does at least have a runner in the two year old race today but it's worth noting that none of the entrants have a single Listed or Group race entry. The card also includes three 0- 55 handicaps. These races offer no valuable service to the sport, even limited as betting office fodder given 99% of under 45's will be first looking towards the footy for punting purposes.

Though still opposed by so many, the sooner the inevitable mass culling of the fixture list happens the better for a sport whose continuation is unviable in its present size. Papering over the cracks and kicking the can along the road only inflicts more unnecessary self harm to the industry in the UK.

A track from a much celebrated album that was released three months before the 1972 York Ebor meeting and thus would have graced thousands of households in the week that Brigadier Gerard was turned over by Roberto.