A WHOLE LOT OF FUN AND GAMES AWAIT

   

There can never have been a time when the general media in the UK have treated the sport of horse racing with such cold indifference as they do so now.

Whether it be the amount of space apportioned for racecards and articles in the daily newspapers in relation to the other sports, or whether it be the carelessly prepared newspieces on general sports programmes, it is pretty clear that the game is treated with scant regard.

Late on Boxing Day afternoon, Sky News showed a few, sewn together seconds of the King George V1 Chase, with the narrative giving a general viewer the impression that the destination of the prize may have been changed when Clan Des Obeaux jumped across Cyrname three fences from home. The fact that Sky Racing don't cover Kempton should surely not preclude the news desk asking one of the Sky Racing team to pen the script for them.

As bought by the hand newspaper sales decline across the board, with the young adult populations choosing which news items to search for online, horse racing will be one of the big losers. For unlike with printed copy where an article connected with one of the sports that have not waned might be on the opposite page to a racecard that cannot avoid the eye, the new generations can happily exist while being oblivious to the sport.

As an example, this past week they would have searched and found the football related news on their tablets and phones, maybe the cricket and rugby too. But what else ? A group having a chat would be unlikely to encourage the others to look up a story about the King George unless it was connected with the Alex Ferguson link. But undoubtedly, they would have been enthusing over the progress made by Fallon Sherrock in the World Darts Championships.

It blew any racing related story out of the water, but was still secondary to the likes of football and cricket news, but not by far.

There are time windows in which racing should really make a push to get through to the passive. International breaks in the football season form such opportunities as the popularity of international football in the UK compared to the Premiership - even the Championship - has rarely been so far behind.

Boxing Day 2019 was another opportunity begging to be taken advantage of. Amazon had full rights to the Premiership Football on one of it's traditionally anticipated days, yet the multitudes already paying Sky and BT would not have been prepared to add in the expense of yet another pay channel, or have even have been bothered to take up the trial and cancel offer if they knew that one was available.

So it was left to horse racing, on one of it's showcase days staging one of the showcase races of the season, to make a concerted effort to draw in viewers. With the cricket winding up just as the racing was beginning and the darts not restarting until the following day, horse racing had the stage to itself yet it did little to advertise itself. There wasn't even an Opening Show !

As the curtains are drawn on a year and a decade, racing has never since WW2 had so many uncertainties hanging over it. As the 1970's reached its conclusion, it would not be taking a stab in the dark to make predictions for the following ten years, with many foreseeing a rapid expansion of international competition.

Now you struggle to predict what will happen in a timespan of a single year such is the variability of how horse racing issues disrupt, destabalise and instill worry amongst the many different factions, some deeply involved in the sport but at loggerheads with one another, others wanting to gatecrash and do harm with their blinkered, beatnik beliefs.

One of the pressing issues where the aggrieved tend to skirt their preferred solution is what we are told is the lack of prize money in the middle to lower ranks. Most of the owners, seconded by the trainers, who claim that they deserve more reward for playing their part in keeping the bread and butter everyday fare going, want what they see as a shortfall to come from punters.

As this is not realistically going to involve bookmakers taking a further cut in what they feel are decreasing  profit margins, these owners would like it to come direct from the punter via a levy on every bet placed. A return to a tax on stake, or taken from winnings.

For racing fans, the only benefit from the colossal rise in betting on other sports is that they cannot be taken for granted anymore. A levy on each racing bet incurred by the punter ?  No problem, plenty of fish in the sea regarding sports to bet on. Stuff you racing !

Owning horses outright or in small number partnerships is a privelige, a costly one for most who will get little if any return for their outlay and continued monthly expense bar the excitement of being a player with a horse running in their name and colours. If they don't consider the expense to be worth it then no one is forcing them to be involved.

Course closures on a scale not previously seen, the end of the high street betting office, job losses, trainers handing in licences, jockeys handing in licences and the whole breeding and racing industries downsizing. Not the most insane set of predictions by a long chalk.

image in public domain

TAKING A LEAF FROM THE MOVIE WORLD

One of the downsides of the knowledge at beckoning internet age is that it has decimated the old fashioned chinwag when those involved discuss their shared favourite subject, with the detail and supporting evidence for a particular view proudly recalled from memory alone.

When the subject matter is horse racing, it is only really pre 1980's that embedded knowledge is used alone, for eras since can be referenced very quickly by Google search. Particularly since the late 1980's, from at which point the online Racing Post form book is available, the spoiler of most quizzes.

In fact anyone setting an online quiz has to ensure that the questions put cannot be found at the touch of a button. Some will tell you that researching on the internet is really no different than visiting a dusty storeroom containing old newspapers and books, and while specialist research does bring the two methods closer together, it  just doesn't feel the same, with the newer, more clinical method, lacking the kudos attached to the now less needed traditional form.

It is why we enjoy listening or reading people reminiscing over an era not as meticulously recorded as the present. Some of it may just be conjecture, rumour, with details dressed up for effect, or in some cases maybe not. It's up to the listener or reader to judge.

I love to hear and read about Crepello. We are told that this is the animal that highlighted best, the genius of Noel Murless. Nevertheless, when you get down to the nitty gritty of the colt's performances, you cannot sum him up as being anything near outstanding unless you make provisions for his fragile pegs,

In contrast, it is disconcerting when you hear some fans talk of a need for past greats to be reassessed. They will cynically point out that if both the Timeform ratings of Arkle and Flyingbolt were anything near accurate, then it must of been a miracle that they were in the same yard at the same time.

They will then add that while they will accept that Arkle was very likely the best steeplechaser there has ever been, his rating is still exagerated and should be downsized.

Those of us too young at the time to have memories of Arkle may be able to understand how those who witnessed his career feel when we read similar views about how the ratings of Night Nurse and Monksfield are too high.

These people will champion the Istabraq age, when the ranks were weak and the dominant force was followed home in his Champion Hurdle victories by his run of the the mill stable companion Theatreworld twice, and Hor La Loi on the other occasion.

By contrast, Night Nurse and Monksfield were properly tested on regular occasions during the greatest hurdling era ever. There was no adding a subjective amount of pounds on for ease of victory over opponents a couple of tiers lower; their ratings will be as accurate as can possibly be.

Returning to the issue of the internet spoiling raw, recall chatter. There is no turning back so we'll have to live with it. It does indeed have many strengths and in truth far more positives than negatives.

But one facility that horse racing does not have is an equivalent to the IMDb database. Some us cannot now watch an old movie, series  or sitcom, without a tablet on the knee opened on the IMDb site.

There is no need anymore for your enjoyment of a programme to be disturbed because you are racking your brains trying to remember what programme you have seen a familiar looking actor or actress in. Or maybe you are just curious to know what became of them, or whether they have passed away, or the film locations used.

The other night I was watching, for the umpteenth time, an early Columbo episode called Murder By The Book. It's the one in a which a character played by David Cassidy's dad murders his co- writing partner who wants to go it alons as a sole writer.

In the episode, a goofy looking lady with a distinctive voice had sussed out what had happened. She too is then murdered by Jack Cassidy after attempting to blackmail him.

With IMDb at the ready, I discovered that the actress who played the unfortunate goofy woman was in real life called Barbara Colby(pictured). In 1975, she and a fellow actor were in a car park in Los Angeles, having just left an acting academy, when they were both shot dead in cold blood. No motive has ever been established in the many years that have since passed and it remains an open,unsolved case, stranger than and just as intriguing as most Columbo episodes.

A horse racing IMDb equivalent would be welcome. It could be based around the results of all of the top grade races worldwide, and with a similar approximate one hundred year history at least. The cross referencing facilities would have links to all of the jockeys, owners and trainers involved, in addition to the horses and their sires and dams.

The links would be  more than just stats and figures; in the IMDb spirit they would be to biographies, the depth of which depending on the level of success of the subject, or whether there are titbits of note.

It is the modern way of gathering knowledge and for those in favour of so called ' keeping up with the times ', yet who champion some of the stupidest innovations, then something what would be an addition, that may help consolidate interest amongst new fans, and would not be objected too, would surely be worth setting up

Image Wiki - Fair Use

NO SIGN OF THE DEPRESSING TREND BEING REVERSED

The crumbling structures hidden beneath racing's grandstand are spread far and wide. You need to search for them but they are there, nuts and bolts visibly coming loose, if you care to look deep enough.

Germany has never been a major racing country. It has nevertheless always punched above its weight for the quality of horse produced in relation to the relatively small number of animals in training. It is likewise a nation that has had an impact on the equine breeding scene, with stallions having to fit certain rules to prove ability and soundness to be allowed to stand. Many successful pedigree lines have a German influence, including the bottom line of the pedigree of the best current progenitor in the world, Galileo.

On the betting front, it had aways been easy to find access to British, Irish and French racing in high street outlets. In fact, during the 1990's the Racing Post carried a piece from a writer reporting his visit to a Ladbrokes shop in Munich. He was impressed by the enthusiasm of the inhabitants chatting about the likes of Martin Pipes best chances at the forthcoming Cheltenham Festival.

The 1990's seems only yesterday but by God things have changed dramatically. You won't find any Ladbrokes offices in Germany anymore. In fact, if you are over there and try logging into any of your UK betting accounts you'll find that you are unable to put bets on racing back home. You are fine for UK football or other sports, but not the horses.

This is born from legislation taken to protect revenue from betting on racing and to ensure a cut is taken by the state. If you wish to get stuck into the novice hurdle at Hexham you will have to seek out an outlet with a licence to take bets on foreign racing but sadly many have disappeared, or show no racing at all.

One well known LBO has lately gone under. It was the shop (in picture) close to the main station in Cologne. It would show all the UK and Irish racing, even the UK greyhounds. I'd nickname it the ' Trabolgan shop' , as I once remember going in and being dismayed at the headline on the front of the Racing Post, announcing that the fast progressing Nicky Henderson trained gelding had sustained an injury and would be on the sidelines for a long period. I also watched Sea The Stars's Eclipse from there.

The last time I visited the shop it had followed the pattern of the UK shops by installing several FOBTS. Sadly, the premises where the shop stood is now a jewellers.

Close to the main station in rival city Dusseldorf lies a plush Bet300 shop. Inside a plethora of sports are available to wager on. Football at all levels in all corners of the world, basketball, ice hockey, tennis, handball, snooker, boxing, baseball, American football, and others too, but no horse racing.

 If you go deep into the shop you enter a cinema type complex, massive super HD screens, and a seating area in the centre reserved  for  ' members only '. It is generally depressing to think that many get entertainment from entering a shop with screens showing in play live scores and place a bet on the likes of Mauritian second division football, no matter how seducing the facilities are.

Further on into Graf Adolf Strasse, I entered a Tipico shop. Some Tipico shops show British, Irish and French racing, this particular outlet did not, nor did the one down in the Altstadt. Just general sports. There was approximately half a dozen customers in each shop, most sat there watching the scores for the low grade in play football matches. Very, very depressing.

There was one particular LBO I needed to visit. Situated at Karl Rudolph Strasse 167, it had been an old fashioned betting office run by a firm called KG the last time I visited it a couple of years back. Then, they had a Racing Post on the wall, had live British, Irish and French racing, and there was even a customer wearing jodpurs and riding boots ! This area of course forms part of which may be termed as the heartland of German racing.

On a side note, Karl Rudolph Strasse is a continuation of Ostrasse, the scene of an incident engraved in Dusseldorf folklaw.

On Wednesday 6th September 1978, Baader Meinhof gang member Willy Peter Stoll walked into the Shanghai Restaurant which was situated at Ostrasse 156, sat down, then ordered a Chinese meal and a beer. Stoll was on the most wanted list; he had played a leading role in the kidnapping and subsequent murder of Hans Martin Schleyer in Cologne the previous year, where he was one of the gunmen who murdered Schleyer's bodyguards as the industrialist was snatched.

Stoll was instantly recognised by some in the restaurant. As the group had support amongst many far left leaning members of the public, not all who recognised him would be prepared to inform the police. However, one lady popping in for a takeaway was having none of it and immediately went back out and raised the alarm.

A single police officer entered the restaurant, Stoll stood up and went to draw his pistol but the policeman was quicker and shot Stoll dead. Reports of the incident appeared in newspapers world wide; perhaps the most curtly put description was one I found in the archives from a Canadian newspaper.

It showed a picture of Stoll with the the caption, " Willy Peter Stoll - too slow on the draw."

Returning to the nearby LBO; to my initial dismay, the shop had also been taken over by Tipico. But on entering spirits were lifted on finding that they had Racing TV and Sky Racing, in addition to the French racing channel. Strangely enough, although they had cards on the wall for Cagnes du Ser and the French trotting, they had no Racing Posts, and only basic cards for the British racing without any form or tips.

Leicester, Lingfield and Hexham were on, and they had the sound, plus the Racing TV and Sky Racing post race summaries, including the odd interview, such as Matt Chapmans with Danny Cook whose ride he'd been eulogising over. The French racing channel was shown without audio. Throughout the afternoon there was never more than eight or nine punters present, with roughly five or six of them betting constantly on the UK racing.

One pertinent point is that those betting on the British racing were all at the very least over fifty years of age and appeared to be ethnic German. This is a strict pattern I have noticed in betting offices up and down this country and must stem from the fact that this age group would have been introduced to betting when a multitude of LBO's existed, all showing UK and Irish racing, along with UK greyhound racing.

I have also noted that the ethnic minorities amongst the population, such as those from Turkish and African roots, tend to stick to football betting and you rarely see them in the offices where racing is the main fare.

One cannot help wondering how shops such as the aforementioned one in Karl Rudolph Strasse can sustain themselves, having to pay for British and French racing chanels with so few numbers inside and betting.

I would not be surprised if the days of showing British, Irish and French racing in German high street betting offices are numbered. And being left with no option than watching screens showing updated football, tennis, ice hockey and basketball scores, as opposed to a Carlisle novice chase, is such a soul destroying prospect to consider that I think I'd rather visit Baader Meinhof locations than have a bet !

image - taken by author

BE VERY CONCERNED

We know that away from a handful of showcase fixtures the French racetracks pull in a mere trickle of racegoers, but  you were still left a little downbeat to hear Joffrey Huet failing to provide any encouragement that things would change anytime soon when interviewed at Auteuil for Attheraces on Sunday.

The present health of French racing was not the intended subject of the interview. It was on discussing his role in purchasing Cyrname for his current connections, Huet spoke of the lack of atmosphere at the Gallic tracks compared with the British ones.

It doesn't seem anything like the twenty years ago that John Hammond, lapping up the plaudits of the racing media for his exploits with the brilliant Montjieu, observed that the horse would hardly be known in France as it's all about cyclists and football players.

This is something we should be worried about. European racing is still arguably the best in the world and when one of the three nations that dominate it operate in half empty and silent arenas, you cannot view it as a dilemma independent from the others.

Some say that the Parisian tracks have suffered right from the beginning of the long established custom for the masses to travel out to the provinces for relaxing weekends. Even if any truth exists in this it cannot be cited as the reason for present day lack of engagement with the sport.

What seems more likely is that similar to Britain, the emerging generations in France are smitten with the in vogue sports that you are likely to find reference to within a few minutes of switching on the television. Therefore you would expect, like here, betting on horses would be in a steady, continuous decline.

But surprisingly, for the time being at least, this is not the case. Pari Mutuel betting on horses has made a small recovery. Whether in the long term this will prove to be a blip, no one really knows. It is certainly hard to believe that there is an emerging generation of the French populace that are endearing themselves to wagering on the racing game in greater numbers than the one before.

Returning to last weekend, the Altior v Cyrname clash was stirred up by sections of the media as something that was reaching out and touching those outside of racing's fanbase. Such nonsense is spouted without any supporting evidence whatsoever.

This is not to downplay the build up to the duel,which did not disappoint. But the fascination was for those in the racing domain. In the present day of hundreds of channels TV, X Boxes and Internet, the racing game can sail along on the horizon, out of sight and mind.

Compare this to to  an eagerly awaited steeplechasing clash from yesteryear.  Boxing Day 1975, Captain Christy v Bula  in  the King George V1Chase.

From the yard of Arkle's rider Pat Taafe, Captain Christy had triumphed in the 1974 Cheltenham Gold Cup while still a novice, then had consolidated his status by winning the Kempton race at the end of that year. He had formerly been a classy hurdler, good enough to finish third in the Champion Hurdle.

Bula had been out of the top drawer over hurdles, taking the Cheltenham crown twice. He was now promising to become the first horse ever to win both the Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup. He had been third to his inferior Ten Up in the latter earlier that year when disadvantaged by the quagmire underfoot, so bad that the remaining races had to be abandoned.

There was another angle to the 1975 King George Chase. Bula hailed from the powerhouse yard of Fred Winter. In the 1974 running Captain Christy had prevented one of the most popular chasers of any era, Bula's stable companion Pendil, from completing a King George hatrick.

The countdown to the race had spacious write ups in the Sunday newspapers five days earlier. This was when the sport was afforded more prominence and everyone under a roof read a Sunday newspaper.

Tom Forrest wrote, " Never before have they clashed without something going haywire for one, or both of them. This time, their latest races show both in blinding form. Now we should know which is the master."

A field of seven lined up but but the expected duel materialised into a rout with Captain Christy, under the relatively inexperienced Gerry Newman, jumping off on front, building up an early advantage, then drawing further away from halfway to beat his main rival by thirty lengths, with the future winner Royal Marshall 11, in third.

Irrespective what we are told by the broadcasting media, who don't seem to understand that repeating spin will not turn it into reality, these showcase  events do not have anything near the same percentage of the population counting the days down as in generations past.

Moreover, despite the achievements of the wonderful mare Enable over the past few seasons, none of her races, and not even those of the supreme Frankel, had the same build up as the days drew nearer than that Nashwan v Indian Skimmer v Warning, Eclipse in 1989.

In the following few years after that race took place, sports betting exploded outwards, changing the whole betting scene, with racing 's dominance being eaten away at to the point were the emerging generations can bet without it.

France may for now, have managed to halt this downward spiral but betting on horses on the other side of the channel had never been on comparable levels to here, thus believing the decline can stemmed here is stretching hopes.

It is also worth noting that Japan's signature race, the Japan Cup, pulled in a crowd  of approximately 80,000 last week. Sounds fantastic, but when you compare it with the 180,000 that turned up in the flesh in relatively recent times, then it is an issue for concern.

What can be said with near certainty, is that since the end of WW2 the worldwide racing scene has never had so many dark clouds forming in the backdrop as it does right now.

Image from Pixabay 

A MIXTURE OF ALL SORTS

With Christmas approaching, many will be taking more than a cursory peek at the books available to add to our racing collections, which in truth are likely to have ceased expanding many years back.

There are various reasons for this. One of them glares at us in the form of the Tiger Roll book now on the market. Whether this fascinating animal lines up or not at Aintree next spring, the fact is that the final chapter of his career has yet to take place.

Of course, this is not the first time there has been a rush to claim the honours in getting a book into print on an equine subject. Ivor Herbert's first edition of his Red Rum book first appeared  in 1974 , with three Grand Nationals left to compete in. Updated editions followed but the haste to be the first to get the foot in the door first lacked etiquette.

There were no updated editions on the otherwise excellent Jonathan Powell book paying tribute to that little terrier Monksfield. In what was apalling timing, the book  was completed in late 1979 and released early 1980, before what could have been termed as the ' Sea Pigeon strikes back ' part played out.

Maybe the idea is that releasing these books when the subjects careers are still active will pull in a quick hit of sales, though I would guess the number of racing books sold has diminished in sync with genuine interest in the sport falling, and the gap between the number of books sold on the likes of football, cricket, and rugby, to that of horse racing, has widened further.

It has to be said too that over the last couple of decades it just ain't an even playing field for the authors of these books. Those turned out by the well oiled publication machine of the Racing Post have a significant head start on the others.

The blurb, often from Brough Scott. The in house review - let's face it, an in house reviewer is going to add a positive slant on an in house publication, even hyping up just a fairish offering into something of significance.

Thiry years back Michael Church produced a tad pricey but pleasant on the eye book under the Racing Post banner documenting the champion sires going back to the very beginning of the breed. Titled, Three Centuries Of Leading Sires 1721 - 1987, there was a limited edition of 500 published accompanied by a wall chart tracing back the sire lines.

While it was a useful for casual browsing, at the end of the day it comprised in the main of a list of champion sires with pedigrees and you would certainly not go as far to describe it as a publication to be ' celebrated ', as claimed by Tony Morris in his book review, who himself is not afraid to get critical to the bones, particularly when it comes to the indy publications.

On a brighter note, those of us who hold a copy will observe that anyone now wishing to get their hands on one will have to fork out at least £80.

With regards to what some may at one time have considered to be one of the great racing books, an obituary penned by Morris in 1994 brought something to light that would have previously only been known to a certain clan within the sport.

It is likely that a large number of racing fans who became smitten by the sport during the 1970 's would have read John Hislop's book, ' The Brigadier - The Story Of Brigadier Gerard ', and John Oaksey's,  ' The Story Of Mill Reef '. You could not read one without the other, many would have read each presentation more than once.

Leaving aside which horse was the superior one, I would guess that the favoured book at the time would have been the Brigadier Gerard one, helped by the fact that it was written by the owner, meaning the reader was offered an insight into the planning and decisions taken during the mighty animal's career.

But the tier on which the publication stood in the mind might have dropped a couple of levels on reading Morris's frank assessment of Hislop in a summary of the man's life in the Racing Post after he passed away. This involved the reasoning behind Hislop sending his mare Lady Pavlova to Queens Hussar.

In an early chapter in the book Hislop had explained why, on his pedigree reading, he considered the stallion ideal for his mare and thus executed a masterpiece of a decision which produced one of the greatest horses of our time.

Morris concluded that Hislop got pure lucky. That Queens Hussar was chosen as a mate purely because he stood nearby and was cheap.

Reading this, you then start to view similar books with a cynical perspective. There exists a most enjoyable book to read about the dual Melbourne Cup winner Rising Fast, published many years ago, and written by the horse's owner Leicester Spring.

Problem is, this publication takes a similar path in the early stages to that of the Brigadier Gerard book. The author goes into extensive detail in what he gleaned from his pedigree analysis in the sales catalogue that led him to bid for the future star at a New Zealand yearling sale in 1950.

A further drawback with horse racing books in general are the omissions. What if we have been told something about someone from a trustworthy source then have to read a glossed over account?

Or what if we just suspect, as the nature of the sport and it's unbreakable tie with gambling will mean quite frankly that it sits at the top of all sports for both the percentage and aggregate of uncsrupulous persons.

One must undoubtedly conclude that pound for pound the biographies of the top achievers in the other major sports contain more factual meat on the bone than the racing ones - save of course the odd exception, such as the Richard Dunwoody book Obsessed, in which the man who came across as one of the most articulate and level headed members of the weighing room painted himself as a rather dislikeable, wife bullying nutcase.

So with overall adherence to truth and sincerity, searching outside of racing's bubble is more likely to produce a good read. I have recently finished a Richie Benaud book and have begun an old publication concerning the 1956 Suez Crisis.

I would then quite fancy picking up another Australian cricketers book, maybe someone playing in the 70's or 80's, though I am told that both the Frank McAvennie and Kevin Keegan books must be read. Andre Agassi's too sounds fascinating, while the golfing one that I keep saying I must read is Rich Beems.

As for racing, maybe it's safer to look only to the historical ones that escape the libel laws and whispers. Treasure Of The Bloodstock Breeders Review was a fine compilation of historical work that needs the white mould removing and re -reading.

Whatever, for many the height of the book buying season has arrived. And for the declining number of racing fans still alive, it may be time to look outside and appreciate the characters from some of the other, much more thriving sporting fields.

A SPORT THAT IS IMPLODING

Toward the end of its days, each Waterloo Cup was staged amid the speculation of will it, or won't it, be the last ever one.  For fans of National Hunt racing, irrespective of their thoughts on hare coursing, the Altcar event could be viewed as a protective buffer between jump racing and the animal rights alliances.

Admittedly, racing had to fasten up for a rocky ride for a couple of weeks after the occasional Grand National weekend, but overall it was a sport in the clear if not quite in the untouchable zone.

When Dark Ivy fell to his death at Bechers in the 1987 running of the Grand National, the fall out that followed and the authorities response to it, shows by comparison how the racing powers have now become jittery and over reactive to almost all incidents that they feel cast a negative image on the sport.

As was the norm during the 1970's and 1980's, decades when the numbers opposed to racing far outweighed those of today, the Sunday newspapers each carried a picture of the deceased animal, along with quotes from those who demanded change.

Criticism of the most feared obstacle in the sport was not confined to those on the outside. John Oaksey had long been of the opinion that the fence was a trap, and once, during a Channel 4 broadcast, added that all drop fences were traps. The Timeform organisation too were of the belief that the slope on the landing side of Bechers needed levelling with the brook filled in.

The Jockey Club held an investigation involving Aintree officials and the RSPCA. The resultant finding was that racing's ruling body concurred with the course committee that the obstacle was a fair one and did not require any modification.

So the race that formed the window to the sport in the UK looked a long way away from becoming the 'Grand National In Name Only Chase ', the future of National Hunt racing was safe and secure, the buffer that was the Waterloo Cup was still eighteen years off being stripped away, and from a global perspective the sport of horse racing had far more years ahead of it than behind.

Oh Jesus how things have changed !  And this in an environment that the opposition to the horse being used for sport is grossly exaggerated by crafty utilisation of social media, akin to a small posse of Gremlins gaining access to the control room of the national electricity grid.

Those rocky rides for the sport now occur weekly instead of annually. These meticulously organised opponents of horse racing are firing bullets from all angles in all corners of the globe, doing untold damage by stirring fear into the authorities who give them credibility by backing down and attempting appeasement.

The impression given going into the Breeders Cup meeting last weekend made you think that a full force of the the anti racing brigade were somewhere near with an artillery of bulldozers, cranes, lorries and freight containers, ready when given the signal to go in and dismantle Santa Anita. They had to wait until the very last race for a fatality to arise, so the whole saga will continue on to its next chapter and there is much to be worried about.

In Australia, the powers that be ridiculously stating a belief that the way forward for the sport was for the whip to completely go, does not yet register in the light of the fall out of the secretly recorded footage of healthy racehorses being abused prior to being slaughtered in an abattoir.

Let's face it; we probably knew this sort of thing happened. The gruesome  case involving the top class globetrotter Exceller, was an eye opener for many, though just like when we dig in to our meat, poultry and offal, we really don't care to think about these matters. But it should not surprise many; I would guess the mental balance of those wishing to work in abattoirs is overall less stable than, for example, someone striving for a position as a librarian.

Then back home we have a journeyman rider chipping away, hoping for a break, who is now left wondering whether his career is over after an oversight caused an elastic band to remain on his whip which caused marking on his mount.

The rider has not only been disciplined but has had to endure threats to his self on social media including a wish the he ended up in a wheelchair. In retrospect these should not have been alluded to by both the rider and the media, as it is almost certain that the intention was to give the perpetrator a feeling of achievement by putting his deed in the limelight, something for his scrapbook.

Finally, if all this hasen't been enough, there was then the stupid city racing issue, something many hoped would go away, raising its ugly head again. And this time the omens are not good for those vehemently opposed to the concept, for it would seem they have progressed far more than we could have imagined.

They now are far enough down the line to name the first venue which is The Strand on Liverpool City centre waterfront. This is a total recipe for a grim happening that would do untold damage to the sport.

The iconic location is capable of pulling in large summer weekend family crowds from a highly populated catchment area. Any sensible racing affiacionados will keep clear but will rightly fret over the possible consequences of it all going pear shaped.

What happens if there is a fatality amongst the horses ? This cannot be hidden. The venue is surrounded by high buildings in which the mobile cameras will be clicking away. The pictures will be all over social media, and what better click bait could you find for a newspaper website -  a time frame montage. Pictures of children laughing and sharing an ice cream with their parents, then disaster strikes,  glimpses of a horse carrying a catastrophic  injury, then the children again, now with tears replacing the laughter.

The prospect of city racing could not be summed up better than by that of a poster on the Betfair Forum who warned the idea is " ....rolling the dice with the whole future of the sport." Hopefully those in power will take heed before it is too late.

image in public domain

KEEPING THE PAST ALIVE

One of the few advantages of becoming old is that you can go ahead and purchase a DVD box set without worrying whether, like the VHR format, they will become redundant, as you are most likely not going to be here to to fret over the dilemma, or if you are will probably not be in a sound enough state of mind to follow an episode of Columbo, Rising Damp, Van Der Valk, Fawlty Towers, Quincy,  Inspector Morse or Man About The House.

What will prove to be the last generation that had a worthwhile number of genuine racing fans contains many souls hoarding large collections of recorded racing on VHR. We taped hundreds of hours of footage, with all races of worth covered including interviews that have long been forgotten.

A Cheltenham Festival in the early 1980's when Julian Wilson was given a demonstration of a newly designed recall system intended to deal with false starts. It involved blinking lights and a siren. The facial expression on Wilson accompanied by a dry observation made it clear he was unimpressed. It was never introduced.

On to the following decade when replays of Ascot Gold Cups were being shown with Wilson doing a talk over narration, which he was not expecting, as when they moved to a renewal with the commentary from the day, you heard Wilson snap, " Listen, I don't want this bloody talkback ! ".

Many will find that if they have still clung on to their VHR collection they'll discover that they are full of mould and either past the point of no return, or too costly to be salvaged, with too few hours in the day to follow a You Tube tutorial and try and salvage yourself. The next step would be to find a discontinued VHR to DVD copier on the likes of e-bay, and edit properly, as you'll find some peculiarities such as an episode of Sons And Daughters in between the Welsh National and Challow Hurdle, or one of Prisoner Cell Block H separating the Imperial Cup from the Supreme Novices Hurdle. 

Most will be aware that there are saviours out there in the form of some You Tube contributors who have uploaded a wide, impressive collection of material, with Espmadrid a legend for many. Eddie Cr has also uploaded some terrific stuff.

Some of these have extended coverage and it was pleasing to see they have those memorable post race interviews from the 1983 Cheltenham Gold Cup. Jonathan Powell's with Graham Bradley is a cracker and makes you realise how futile these present day tacky immediate post race interviews with the jockey aboard really are.

Likewise, it's delightful to stumble upon a race that you have not seen since the day. Henbit's Chester Vase. Looked a bit of a clumsy boat to me but connections knew better and went to Epsom with him. And for the first time since the day of the race I've watched the full running of Ile de Bourbon's 1978 King George Queen Elizabeth Stakes, and the final few hurdles of Night Nurse's 1975 Irish Sweeps Hurdle. The last time I watched that was on the day of the race on Christmas Grandstand.

It cannot repeated enough that once you take the sport to heart, you will be punting on horses for a lifetime which is what is required on a wide scale for the sport to be able to continue to operate on its present scale.

A point worth raising about viewing old clips, and one in which racing holds an advantage over other sports, is that it takes only a matter of minutes to view even the long distance events. This means that you can watch the whole event unfold from start to finish.

Football, cricket and rugby fans cannot watch several full matches in one sitting. They'll search through the matches, watching abridged versions with many just showing the goals, wickets and boundaries, and tries.

The television companies must have vast archives of material. They should stuff copyright and allow open access. Let's face it, no one is going to be able to make a living flogging quality copy pirate tapes in their local pub of, for example, the 1986 Flat Season, no matter how vintage it was, so it should not be an issue.

Whether the BBC have retained all their reels is also an unknown. I believe the established television companies went about the task of digitilising their archive, but whether the beeb retained all of their originals may be doubtful as they washed their hands of the sport.

While it may be true that the healthy crowds who attended both days of the Cheltenham October meeting were genuine racing fans, the vast majority probably reside in the Cotswold catchment area that would have a larger percentage of racing enthusiasts per head of the region than most other areas.

Therefore to use this as a sign that all is well within the sport is misleading. In short, while they will likely contribute well to the sport through punting,  they make up a declining portion of the betting fraternity compared with the masses amongst the emerging generations who see betting as mostly about football, supported by the likes of cricket, tennis, rugby, golf, snooker, darts and the like.

We know ITV have an endless archive of racing going back many years, including the C4 era. We see bits of pieces of it, a few seconds here and there. If they really want to save the continuation of the sport at its present level then it would do no harm for them to make it accessible to all.

Repeating what they wish audiences to believe in the form of factual statements serves no useful purpose. For below the glossy exterior the sport has never been in a more precarious state than it is at this very moment.

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A SPORT RUNNING ON EMPTY

Racing fans above a certain age who had their seasonal clocks programmed before the introduction here of AW racing religiously adhere to the principle that the summer months are for flat racing, and the winter period for the less glamorous but more earthly discipline. 

They will now be in the middle of changeover mode. It's that time again to digest all the trainer talks, even if they are more likely to serve as appetite whetters as opposed to sources of profit. This is also the time when you can rest assured an announcement will come that one of your favourites will be out for the season - this time around Topofthegame. By God let us hope Santini stays in one piece !

Call it a mode of mind, or a custom, it is undoubtedly a process that all traditional racing fans ride with every October. We may even try a new angle to compiling shortlists of horses to follow, whether it be getting obsessive over an under the radar yard, or the progeny of certain stallions.

Whatever the merits of these angles, or how the season unfolds, those of us still able to conjure up a buzz, even one with the batteries fading, will be betting regularly through the winter and thus contributing to the game.

What a warming thought it is that the late Presenting's progeny will be with us for a few more years yet, that Fleminsfirth is still active, as one of the morbid areas of the game is watching the final crop of a popular stallion grow older then fade away, whether it be a Vulgan, Deep Run, Strong Gale or Gunner B.

We are probably the last generation containing a meaningful number of genuinely engaged racing fans. There will not be another wave of racing enthusiasts to follow.

Those in any doubt of this this should have been watching the SKY coverage of Chepstow last weekend. The Saturday was marketed to attract racegoers from the Universities in the nearby catchment areas.

We are told they turned out in their thousands. At first instance that sounds quote impressive until you learn that they spent the day in a giant beer tent getting smashed.

Luke Harvey went among them for a chat and it was blatantly clear that they'd have been lured in if the main fare had been rally car racing, motorbike racing, or even just a stage with various musical acts without any form of racing.

Put yourselves in the mind of a TV viewer, who has never visited a racecourse but has a fondness for the horse as an animal. So, they are watching the Chepstow coverage. It quickly dawns on them that the gist of the message the SKY racing team are supporting, is that you come along, get bladdered all day and join in with the inane chants.

I think it would put many off paying a visit to their local course. And those that defend the agenda of courses targeting the fun day out crowds should ask themselves whether it has any prospect of resulting in long term sustainable benefit.

There are a couple of questions that should of been put to some of these students which would have exposed how ridiculous it is to assume that a meaningful number of them would become long term disciples of the sport.

Firstly, are they aware that there is a high class meeting at Ascot the following Saturday ? As the answer will be no, they can then be asked that as they now know there is, would they be watching it on TV and having a bet, or would they instead be concentrating and betting on football.

It's not hard to predict with certainty the category of answers that would be received. And on a wider scale, the fact that they are not racing fans of any sort and won't be betting regularly on horse racing, is the crux of why pot holes and abandoned chassis are ahead on racing's highway.

And it's all very well ITV racing proclaimng what a fantastic future lies ahead for the sport while focussing in on school visits to the racecourse, and Sheikh Mohammed paying a visit to a classroom to discuss the sport.

They were kids from a Newmarket school for christ's sake, of course many would have an interest in the sport, but they are hardly an accurate portrayal of youth interest in things equine.

It is an inescapable reality that if the noughties born and beyond generations do not contain sufficient numbers that will bet on horse racing, then the sport as we know it will fold.

They will be have been brought up by a father, who if a betting man, will almost certainly concentrate in the main on football. There will be no racing newspapers in the house and with wall to wall live sport coverage during the weekend, the racing will pass by unnoticed.

The omens are not good. Many of a certain age will be happy at the thought that they'll have passed away to spare them witnessing the collapse of a fabric of life that only up to a couple of decades back, you would have been sure that it would continue for hundreds more years.

Craziest of all is the idea that the sport can save itself by adapting to a fast changing society. Any proposed radical changes will only hasten the end. It would be like patients being prescribed heart tablets for the rest of their lives to manage and control their illness, then washing them down the sink to adopt a New Age diet.

Best not to get upset. Instead, just let out a hearty chuckle the next time someone from the TV media proclaims the future of the sport is in safe hands.

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THERE IS NO FRANKEL GENERATION

As the Longchamp meeting drew ever closer with the tempo of the anticipation increasing by the day for those still engaged with the sport, there was an item of news in the Racing Post that would have escaped unnoticed by those focussed only on the Arc, but one that should serve very much as a reminder to those who believe the future of the sport is a bright one.

News that the Yorkshire Racing Club was putting up the shutters may not have particularly seemed the most damning communication. Why should anyone care when it was a time to be positive and lap up the energy surge emanating from prospect of Enable earning a unique place in history, Even the industry paper itself left it at that without a follow up to the story.

The cold truth however is that it would not be far fetched to construe the announcement as yet more evidence that beneath the rosy facade of these big showcase events, the foundations beneath the sport are decaying. And in the times of global warming panic, it would be quite tickling to go the whole hog and to show graphics of racing's percentage of the betting pie shrinking, just as they show these time lapsed photos of the ice caps.

Racing Clubs began to grow during the 1970's before taking off to a different stratosphere during the 1980's. Wherever you lived it was likely that there would be one within a short travelling distance, if not on your doorstep.

The daily and Thursday racing publications made room for racing club news briefs, detailing events being held, which guests from within the industry would be appearing, not to mention membership offers for club visits to yards, racecourses, sometimes even stud farms.

It was a vibrant scene that seemed sure to last indefinitely.  Alas, the scene is now retracting and it should not surprise those of us who are adamant that long and lasting damage to the sport resulted from the trend beginning in the 1990's for sport betting to soak up the the largest percentage of the new betting generations.

People accuse you of being dramatic when you state that the ageing racing enthusiasts follow the normal course of becoming ill, infirm and dying with no one to replace them; but listen to some of the comments made from the Yorkshire Racing Club secretary David Beardsall, himself seventy eight years of age.

Beardsall spoke of the younger generations not being attracted to the game, as they come solely for an all day bar and concert. He recounted that the club had hundreds of members at one time but that it had sunk to a level where at one recent meeting only a dozen turned out.

Most solemn of all was the mention that many were pensioners who were passing away with time. As they passed on no one has replaced them. It brings home the fact that these pensioners would have been thirty and forty somethings during the 1970's and early 1980 's when racing had a higher public profile than now, and when gambling was predominantly about horse racing.

Back then Yorkshire had a vibrant National Hunt scene. Jockeys, trainers and horses that were household names were based in the county. A midweek Wetherby or Donny card would have Cheltenham and Aintree prospects turning up.

Enthusiastic racegoers gathering in the racecourse bar long before the opener.  A pint of best bitter, accompanied  by Players No 6, speculating whether Crump had a National horse in the yard. They would talk of Lorimer, Sniffer Clarke, Chris Old, Harvey Smith, Tony Currie, and of course Geoffrey.

And as it was the days of three channel TV, many would have watched the same programmes the previous evening, so they would laugh together recounting the gems Rigsby came out with, or perhaps it was something Molly Sugden had said, Sally Thomsett and Paula Wilcox having the last laugh on Richard O'Sullivan, or that weird Steve Priest guy from The Sweet , who they saw on Top Of The Pops sporting make up.

They, like most of us, could not have envisaged a time when the generations aged under 35, (this continuing to rise with the passing of time), link having a bet with football more than horses. And when the numbers filling the racecourses would consist of many who mix drink with cocaine or amphetamines.

When they visit York , some of these will be amongst those who eagerly join in the chanting of stuff like, "we are Leeds ," and maybe the same ones who could be heard singing Lanfranco Dettori's praises to that tune from the The White Stripes used as Michael Van Gerwin's walk on song, and played at halftime at many Bundesliga matches.

Sadly, the prospect of this trend reversing is a remote one. It has come too far. Hollow racing fans. Try speaking to them.

I was speaking to a vague acquaitance who has been betting socially on horses for a few years, in his forties, but had never heard of Nijinsky. Of course, what does it matter if they are using some of their betting funds for horses meaning they are making a contribution. Well, if they had a passion for the sport then surey a larger proportion of their betting bank would be played on the sport.

There was a time when the great animals would pull large numbers of new fans into the sport. lndeed, there was certainly a time when a fully tested, admirably consistent, tough as nails and from the top drawer quality wise, mare like Enable would have put petrol in the tank of the racing fanbases.

Unfortunately, this is not something that can now be guaranteed. It's seven years since the highest rated racehorse in living memory last raced. At the time Prince Khalid Abdullah's racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe was championing the effect Frankel ( in picture) would have on the sport, enthusing that a whole new generation of racing enthusiasts would would emerge.

Those twelve at the time would now be nineteen, those sixteen now twenty three, those nineteen now twenty six. Where are they all then ?

Truth is, that if  we accept the reasonable assumption that the winter game draws in more new fans, and that the vintage era we had ten years back when Kauto Star and Denman stood at the top of the tree has not added mileage and refuelled the fanbase, then we'll be waiting in vain for a Frankel generation of fans to appear.

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BACK IN THE DAY.......

Those of us who become dispirited by what we view as needless changes in the fixture list, by original non-commercial race titles being dropped by sponsors, and by new racedays designed to have a quick hit effect, will have been surprised and pleased by the boost the Middle Park Stakes received over the weekend.

While this is an event with a purposeful role in the calendar of being a source of future pretenders to champion sprinter status, gone seemed the days when it was a stop off on the journey to the top mile events of the following season. In that sense it had gone out of fashion.

Since the Brigadier took the race in 1970, only two winners have gone on to be triumphant in the 2,000 Guineas, Known Fact by fortune of Nureyev's disqualification in 1980, and Rodrigo de Triano in 1992.

Irrespective of the reason why an exciting field of potential top class milers came here instead of the Dewhurst, it was refreshing to build up the race as one that could turn out to be a genuine Guineas trial. In fact the last time I can remember such a buzzing run up to this event was the renewal that Diesis won in 1982, where he also faced rivals with potential to be top class milers.

Diesis followed up in the Dewhurst in the race more famous for the crumbling of the Gorytus hype. He did not train on like his famous full brother Kris but did prove his equal at stud.

Racing fans tend to be guilty of becoming too cute with recent trends. And when such a long established race like the Middle Park confounds those who had become dismissive of its importance, it can only be a positive for the sport and is armoury for supporters of keeping the present programme intact without any further meddling.

Ironically,  in the spirit of London buses, if Earthlight trains on and is allowed to make another journey over to Newmarket, his biggest obstacle to success is likely to come in the form of a Woodcote Stakes winner, an ancient event long considered outside the boundaries for potential classic horses.

It would nice too for the Gimcrack to receive a similar fillip. Only Nebbiolo and Rock Of Gibraltar have won both the York race and Newmarket Guineas in the past fifty years but don't get too blase about it never happening again, though the odds will be stacked against another Mill Reef (in picture) appearing in the race.

Mind you, once we reached the late eighties most had consigned to history the times when a future Derby winner ran in the Coventry. Mill Reef would be the last of them, some opined. Even the days of future classic winners appearing early in their juvenile career were considered gone for ever.

Then, making fools of most, two future winners of the Epsom showpiece, Generous and Dr Devious, both ran in the Coventry in the early 1990's. The race continues to throw up animals who are able to train on into classic contenders, three Newmarket Guineas having run in it since the turn of the millenium.

Of the events for the classic generation, one race that seemed dead and buried as a serious event of consequence is Epsom's Blue Riband Trial , which from nowhere was given a massive boost when Cracksman took the race two years back.

Certainly, those who hate to see races that had a role in the calendar rendered  insignificant were quite chuffed that John Gosden chose the race for his three year old reappearance. In fact, the decision to run him there cast doubt in some eyes on the level of consideration connections had for the colt.

Gosden had won the race the previous year with the future high class filly So Mi Dar, though her eligibility for the race, as with Midday a few years earlier, had been due to the authorities calling time on the matching Oaks trial, the Princess Elizabeth Stakes, which was firstly switched to Kempton, then discontinued, before the title was adopted for a new event run at the Epsom June meeting.

If they would have held firm it was an event that held out hopes of coming back into fashion, though the last Epsom Oaks winner to be successful in the event was Homeward Bound in 1964.

Returning to the Blue Riband Trial; founded in the 1930's, the race has only thrown up one Epsom Derby winner in Blue Peter but right up into the 1970's was still deemed as a respectable trial.

In 1976, when the meeting was covered on ITV racing in the three channel era, Oats was trained by Peter Walwyn to win the event and was to be Seven Barrow's leading Derby hope, a race he would finish third in.

Then, the following year, Be My Guest looked visually sublime when quickening smartly and leaving an impression, along with a staminia doubt too. He would finish an also ran in the Derby behind stable companion The Minstrel, but would successfully drop back in trip and went on to outshine his more illustrious stable companion at stud.

One year later the Duncan Sasse trained Roland Gardens took the Blue Riband Trail before causing a mini shock in winning the 2,000 Guineas a couple of weeks later.

In 1979 Henry Cecil ran Jim Joel's Main Reef, who had been highly considered in the early stages of his two year old career. He was beaten but to be fair his career was already at a point were his limits appeared exposed.

Two years later it was a last chance saloon for another hyped up colt to fulfil it's potential. Michael Stoute's Centurious was a half brother to Grundy and was still quoted at twentysomething for the 1981 Derby, not everyone sure whether he or a certain Shergar would be the better three year old.

After the Futurity winner Count Pahlen won in 1982, before his career went downhill, the race then became something far removed from its original intended purpose - it was even taken off the calendar for a few years in the 1990's.

It returned and within a few years was won by two horses of note in Daliapour and Storming Home, but much time elapsed between those two taking in the race to Cracksman using the race to kick start his three year old career.

The Derby runner up Dee Ex Bee was placed in the event last year, while this year's Ballydoyle trained winner, Cape Of Good Hope, now promises to carve out a lucrative career Stateside, judged on his latest run at Saratoga.

These examples beg the question ; which of the races lying in purgoratory could suddenly rediscover their mojo ? Aside the conditions, listed and group contests, there are a handful of long established handicaps that retain their original titles, that were of a significant status in days long gone, some from as far back as the century before last, but have fallen behind by not attracting the sponsorship they might deserve.

We know which races these are, as if you asked racing fans to make a list of a dozen events fitting the description, the same names would crop up. It is not being syrupy to suggest that these races are in a sense institutions, forming a link with the past, while standing as a testament to the longevity of the sport.

It would be warming for these contest to experience a resurgence. Sponsors would surely benefit from adding their name to the original title as opposed to swallowing it up, as what happened with a bunch of races at one major recent meeting.

In the meantime, those who wish renewed vigour and buoyancy to the race titles that have become relics, hope that Godolphin allow what would be a fascinating clash over the Rowley Mile next May between a winner of the Middle Park, and a winner of the Woodcote. Doesn't that sound surreal ?

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HOPE BUT NO EXPECTATION

It feels like we've been here many times before. An English St Leger winner who has too much pace and class to be pigeonholed as having a future in the Cup events or a mere support act in the showcase middle distance races.

That, however, is how it normally unfolds and will probably do so again with Logician, despite the glass half full brigade predicting differently. Not that no one with racing's interest at heart would wish this.

And while the blessings must be counted that the Doncaster event has not had its soul taken by being modernised into an all aged event, it still has to compete with an increasingly competitive autumn fixture list both here and throughout the rest of  Europe.

While one must never say never, with the future of the sport hard to predict, particularly with the blase attitude to making changes to the calendar, Nijinsky (in picture) may still prove to be the last English Triple Crown winner in the sport, even with the present Ballydoyle having a bash out of the blue at it in recent years with Camelot, in addition to eyeing it up when Saxon Warrior looked set to dominate.

In a way it would be fitting for Nijinsky to be the final horse to achieve the feat.  For let us not kid ourselves that the purists amongst us really wanted Camelot to join that elusive list. Sounds harsh on a top class juvenile who trained on well and was unbeaten at the point he made the journey to South Yorkshire.

But he was no Nijinsky. He beat a substandard Guineas field, won the Derby most decisively but the runner up needed the benefit of Lasix to later run up a Group 1 tally of wins in the States. There was not much for Camelot to do to win at the Curragh then, unfortunately, not one of the summer all age events were contended.

His defeat in the St Leger by an inferior animal who is so forgetful we may as well just call him thingyo, and who was trained by the soon to be disgraced Mahmood Al Zarooni, is rarely touched upon.

Admittedly it's unsporting to knock a horse whose connections were attempting a feat that we'd given up hope would ever be achieved again, but it would feel right and proper to have this accomplishment achieved by an animal who would be labelled outstanding.

In the aftermath of the defeat, Camelot was well beaten at Longchamp then disappointed when kept in training, although the weights and measures brigade will point out the figures had him reproducing his best form on his first two starts.  And despite siring last year's Irish Derby winner he, like some other sons of Montjieu, may fail to truly make the grade as a stallion in the flat sphere.

That again would be unfortunate as it would buck the trend if a horse ran well in the Leger who had been a top class juvenile and turned into a top notch progenitor on the level. Just like Nijinsky did in fact, with his three Epsom Derby winners but plenty of high class animals over shorter.

Another animal who could have emulated Nijinsky proved a huge let down in his limited spell at stud. It's not fanciful to believe that if Reference Point had been trained for the 1987 2,000 Guineas, he would have put in a bold front running performance and went close to winning.

Returning to Logician, if you go back over the past fifty years, you have to go back to the first decade to find the animal that promised to have the most exciting future out of the St Leger winners that remained in training beyond their three year old careers.

That was the grey colt Bruni, who won the Doncaster classic by ten lengths, a memory that was not blighted by his subsequent disappointing performance in the Arc.

Trained by Captain Ryan Price and owned by Charles St George, Bruni received an Annual Timeform rating of 132 , the Halifax organisation billing him as , " one of the most exciting prospects for 1976."

History tells us the he went close to hitting it big in the King George Queen Elizabeth Stakes, despite being handicapped by his newly acquired habit of looking like he wanted to down tools in the early stages. Ten lengths off the pace entering the straight, he made relentless headway to finish a one length runner up to the Wildenstein filly Pawneeese.

That was the highlight of his career beyond three. Connections did revert to the norm when, after keeping Bruni on in training as a five year old, they targeted the Ascot Gold Cup where he ran disappointingly behind the mighty French stayer Sagaro.

Bruni did win Group races at four and five but never fulfilled what many hoped for and some expected. He is perhaps the best example to consider before digesting hopes and hype for winners of the race.

Eight years later Willie Carson drove out the wide margin Epsom Oaks winner and King George third Sun Princess to win the concluding classic. The highest hopes were held for her when she was kept in training but she was a let down.

Maybe we should be judging Logician by looking to two positive examples. When Luca Cumani kept the 1984 winner Commanche Run in training as a four year old he was under no illusion of the potential of Ivan Allan's colt had to shine in the top grade over shorter distances. Remarkably, he even gave him a Lockinge entry, which would be something for true racing eggheads, if they still exist, to touch upon over a pint.

Despite throwing in some below par performances, Commanche Run won the Brigadier Gerard by a wide margin, then later inflicted a famous defeat upon Oh So Sharp in the Benson and Hedges Gold Cup, then notched up his second Group 1 win of the season in the Phoenix Park Irish Champion Stakes.

In more recent times Conduit was also kept on  for another year and succeeded where Bruni failed by winning the King George Queen Elizabeth Stakes, albeit in an era when the race was taking a hit quality wise. He also won his second Breeders Cup Turf but his two respectable runs behind Sea The Stars showed him a likeable high class colt, but not an outstanding one.

Let's hope the race is kept in its present format and in the same spot in the calendar but that, from somewhere, it gets a massive boost in kudos. Just maybe, Logician will defy all us miserable put downers and become the dominant middle distance colt of 2020.

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ONE SPORT IS THRIVING, THE OTHER WITHERING

Whenever those within cricket circles self -scrutinise the health of their own sport, then conclude that there are aspects to worry about, it's hard not be be a little tickled by their negativity.

You feel like telling them they should thank their lucky stars that, compared to the sport of horse racing, everything is in rude health and their house is in order with a bright future ahead.

When I purchased a ticket for day one of the Old Trafford Ashes match, it was in the lap of the Gods how kind the weather would be. Then, being the fourth test, the series may already be dead, taking the edge of it. Being wishfully picky, I was also hoping both Jimmy Anderson and Steve Smith would be fit to play with Australia batting first.

As things turned out, going into that first day the series could not of been at a more finely balanced point. Smith was able to play with the Aussies batting first. But Anderson was crocked and the rain interfered resulting in a few hours lost play.

It also provided an excellent opportunity to observe how the attending audience related to the game itself. I went with an expectation that they would be more attuned and in sync with their sport, than the horse racing crowds are with theirs.

I came away left in no doubt that here was a sport with a vastly more knowledgeable mass of attendees than those who waste space at our racecourses at weekends and evenings.

Admittedly, just like at the racecourse, large volumes of alcohol are consumed, but the behaviour that it influences, while often boisterous, tends to fall on the right side of acceptability - though I did have some fast drinking slow thinking character, with a member's badge, seated nearby who opened a giant fishing size brolly rather carelessly, causing someone on the row behind to caution, " careful mate you nearly took my eye out, " to which the brolly man replied, " Sorry, I thought you were Steve Smith". He then made a thrusting motion with the umbrella in the direction of the players, uttering,  " Up Steve Smith's arse !"

Surprisingly, from listening to his conversations he seemed a knowledgeable cricket fan. I could not imagine a Wetherby racegoer with an annual membership, stood around the paddock carrying binoculars and Raceform loose leaf acting in the same manner. Then again, racegoers fitting this description have almost died out.

In fact most within earshot at Old Trafford sounded learned disciples of the game, sharp eyed in noticing changes in field positions and predicting the tactical angle in the bowling what would follow, and offering insightful thoughts on what changes will or should be made.

It's pleasing to witness yet at the same time makes you realise what a mess horse racing is in. It is only horse racing where at certain meetings the courses could get away with changing the sport at late notice.

Make no mistake, at the calvacade of wimsey that is the overpriced Chester, or the rough and gruff Haydock Park, and at some other venues too, a sizezable chunk of the evening or weekend audiences would not bat an eyelid if motor bike or rally car racing replaced the equine sport. Not all of them, but enough to realise that a problem exists in their engagement level with the sport.

The traditional cricket fans have mixed views on the shortened versions of the game, particularly the Twenty 20. Comparisons have been drawn with concert nights at racecourses. They are chalk and cheese, the so called racing audiences are there only for the concert and would not be there otherwise, while the cricket crowds, who will drink just as much, have come to watch the game play out before them. For many, it will also lead to a lifelong interest in the longer, more traditional forms of the game.

Interestingly, in his book Over But Not Out, Richie Benaud welcomed the additional arm of the twenty over format, hailing its popularity and opining that it is easier for someone who had made his name in this version to adapt to the four and five day game than vice versa.

Gambling and related match fixing are another that those within cricket are embarrassed about, believing it's harmed the image of the game. Well, they should consider themselves damn lucky for in racing, horses are prevented from running on their merits on a daily basis.

In fact, cricket needs gambling less than bookmakers need cricket. By contrast, horse racing could not survive without gambling.

Then, there is the matter of the sparse crowds that attend English county cricket matches during weekdays. Lets face it, it's been the case for a long, long time but should not be used as a barometer.  Given normal modern day committments, how many cricket fans are readily available to attend during the week, all day starting at 11am ? Probably only Ballard ' Boycott made a century ' Berkely, types from Fawlty.

Another area in which cricket can be proud of is the general quality at local league level. I suppose in trying to draw a racing comparison, local league cricket would be racing's flapping circuit, which is almost non existent. The minor counties cricket could be racing's point-to-point.

There are some incredibly strong local leagues all over the UK. The most famous has hit hard times, the Lancashire League, the one where all the clubs seem to be within a twenty mile radius of Blackburn. In the 1970's and the first half of the 1980's it was held in such high esteem that Australian cricketers use to play in it to keep favour in the eye of their test selectors.

It's the equivalent of Neymar being advised it would not do him any harm to play for the likes of Droylsden, Marine, Winsford United or Runcorn !

While cricket's Lancashire League is going through a quiet spell, with some clubs struggling financially, other leagues are thriving. The Liverpool & District League which now has clubs as far apart as Colwyn Bay and Lytham, has county regulars and has had it's fair share of test players down the years such as Grant Flower, Neil Wagner and Sherwin Campbell. There was also a certain Curtly Ambrose who played a season for Chester Boughton Hall as he rose to fame. Chester Boughton Hall have since moved to the Cheshire Counties League, another competition that is thriving at the moment.

In these leagues some players receive a wage, many are full amateur. So when Curtly Ambrose was turning out for Chester Boughton Hall in the Liverpool & District League, there would be anxious players in nine to five day jobs, anticipating having to duck for their lives at the weekend.

This quality level of local league competition does not exist in the tarnished but worshipped world of top level football. As for racing, point-to -points fly the flag but when compared to the number of regional cricket leagues all around the country, they are few and far between with their future threatened by those who pull the strings at the top end of racing, who threaten to withdraw support and sacrifice them to the modernists.

Cricket has no such concerns. It's future is safe, assured and rosy. Racing should be very jealous indeed for it cannot boast of any such guarantees.

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SMILES AND PART FALSEHOODS HIDING THE DARK SIDE

No idea whether people who casualty tune into the odd race on TV, or who pay a visit to a racecourse as part of a social gathering, think too much about what happens to racehorses when they finish racing. It's more likely that they don't really consider this issue at all. 

The racing broadcasting media has a responsibility to bring those on the perimiter into the knowledge loop on this delicate subject by highlighting the good aspects of equine welfare, but at the same time they must also reveal the wider picture in an honest light, with warts and without bias. This was never more apparent when they put the old stalwart Mister McGoldrick (in picture) in front of the camera at York last week.

We can all remember some of races that he ran in for Sue Smith, the Cheltenham Festival success, the Castleford victory at his local track, and for being a bit part player in races won by animals out of the top drawer. Whatever, he is now the face of the retired racehorses re- training charity New Beginnings which performs a commendable role in shaping thoroughbreds for a new role.

It can do nothing but good to highlight the work of such organisations, so what better way than to have a healthy looking twenty two year old gelding present on course where racegoers could take a peep at him and marvel at his wellbeing.

But without wanting to spoil the picture by throwing a pot of black paint over it, the likes of ITV racing are shy in telling the full story and are in comfort mode concentrating on the happy stories as though these are the norm. They should ensure that the public is informed that room at the inn is sparse, that many fit and healthy racehorses with years ahead end up in a grim slaughterhouse, or live on for a few years in the hands of people who don't have their welfare as an issue.

To put some balanced perspective into the gist of the Mister McGoldrick's piece, they could have stressed with an urgent tone that the future of these centres rests on continued funding. They then should have revealed that a similar, established operation, The Racehorse Welfare Centre, based in Malvern, Worcester, has been forced to shut down.

The centre is run by Lee Morse who became aware of many ex racehorse's plight when her son attended a BHB training school. It is a registered charity relying on volunteer workers and donations. It makes every effort to ensure it's inmates are lent out or moved on to properly pre- vetted owners. No purchase fee is involved. If they later find that the animal is not being cared for to a standard of their satisfaction, the Centre will take the animal back.

On the Facebook Page for the Centre, there is a post thanking those who have supported the centre but poignantly adds that, " It's a shame no local trainers were willing to make any statements regarding the subject of ex racehorse welfare as we've often taken in unsellable horse off them."

Someone posted a comment, "......so sad, I've said for a long time many owners are happy to have horses whilst they are able to run but as soon as they are no longer useful they offload them at first opportunity without a second thought. High time they paid a 'levy' and all horses go to registered rehoming centres....."

The Racing Post did announce the centre's closure last week but did not delve into a number crunching regarding the finances, or offer some suggestions of who should have been helping.

Whenever these situations arise in racing, many who should know better skirt the issue by going around in circles blaming issues such as the legislation restricting the maximum stake on FOBT's , and insinuating that the loss of revenue from the machine addicts makes making the racehorse owners life a miserable one.

They rarely face the key factor head on, namely that there are too many racehorse owners whose finances, if checked by a third body, would be unlikely to withstand the relentless cost of keeping a racehorse in training for a sustainable period, never mind being able to have funds to maintain the animal's well being on retirement.

These are characters who have accumulated a a quick bounty in high risk busineses areas, where a sudden unexpected downfall can come along and take everything back. When business is good, it's all fine and dandy on the racecourse, with smiles and champagne,

But when it all goes wrong, concern for the welfare of the horses they own is not a consideration. They'll often have their horse taken back off them to offset some of the training fees owed, or will happily cash in the carcass. If the horse has no prospect of earning its keep as a racehorse, then the trainer may choose to cash in the carcass.

There are many owners who, if properly vetted, should not be owning racehorses. We had one such case that ended with tragic consequences fifteen years ago.

A look at Michael Bell's string in the 2003 edition of Horses In Training shows seven horses owned by Mrs Anne Yearley. In fact Mrs Yearley had been a patron at the yard for a full decade.

Mrs Yearley's hobby was funded by her husband Henry, who was found to have stolen almost one and a half million pounds from Specialist Cars, of which he was company secretary. Henry Yearly had served a prison sentence two decades earlier for embezzlement.

Rather than serving imminent prison sentences, the couple stepped out infront of a speeding train during 2004, ending their lives.

Owners and trainers moan about the lack of prize money on offer. They seem to think the punters should be paying more in. Trapped in a time warp, they forget that today's punter's under forty prefer betting on other sports to racing. By returning to a tax on bets. then they'll just decide to forego the uneccessary expense.

Some say that betting on the likes of football, cricket, tennis and golf are immoral. That they taint these sports. They rightly point out that unlike racing that could not survive without punters betting on it, their sports are true sports in the sense that they can survive without any such distractions.

If betting was outlawed on just football alone, it would be a possible saving grace for UK racing. However, the genie is long out of the bottle on that one and it might as well be classed as a closed topic. It could be that racing may soon have no option than to re-adjust by downsizing. No one should think that this could not become reality.

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LIMITED DAMAGE THANKFULLY

A decade has passed quickly by since the extra day was added to the York Ebor meeting. It was a move that disappointed many traditionalists who considered it needless, as well detrimental to what was to many the most enjoyable meeting in the calendar.

Although the days had long gone since the Tuesday was unique in that it was the only day of the UK season when, in the Benson  and Hedges Gold Cup and Yorkshire Oaks, there was more than one Group One race on a card, the fixture still had a special edge about it. Many probably don't realise that the Yorkshire Oaks moved from the Tuesday as long ago as the 1980's!

But the meddling with the meeting was not complete, as shortly after the Ebor was moved from its customary Wednesday slot to be lost in the general Saturday sporting mix.

It would appear that the move of the feature handicap was instigated by the much maligned Racing For Change, a group that seemingly made changes for change sake to justify their existence. Making the numbers bigger on saddle cloths (how many people look for the number as opposed to the jockey's colours !) and thinking the appeal of the game would be enhanced by listing the full christian names of jockeys and trainers. 

Of course, this is not to escape the fact that it was the powers that be at York that had the final say in choosing to adopt the suggestion, which should not have been too surprising given they had recently towed the line with other courses by adding music nights and new fixtures that were too trashy for a course of its standing.  

One saving grace is that the extra day has not signalled a notable dilution of the quality on show. To emphasise this point, contrast the present make up of the card with that of forty years back.

The 1979 staging of the meeting had twenty one races over the three days, only four short of this week's equivalent - now without that damn two year old selling race that many would say had no place at such a glittering event, though it was always above your run of the mill seller and would be targeted by the crafty type of handler.

The Tuesday of 1979 opened with the seven furlong Knaveshmire Nursery. This race has now been replaced by a similar category of race a furlong shorter. The one mile Rose of York Handicap has been run under various titles but is still alive and well. The year of 1979 witnessed an excellent renewal with Joe Mercer arriving late  on the Henry Cecil trained Piaffer to get up by a head to beat Piggot on the Jeremy Tree trained, JockWhitney owned, three year old Baptism.

For anyone not present at the venue in the flesh, then there could never be a time that more trust was needed in the accuracy of the Raceform race reader comments for industrial action meant that there was no televised coverage.

On to the Benson and Hedges Gold Cup. Arguably the most successful newly introduced race in the past half century, the superb Troy landed the odds by three quarters of a length from the game, free running, Crimson Beau. This would be the Derby winner's final race in England, only appearing once more when beaten in the Prix de l' Arc de Triomphe.

Then to the Yorkshire Oaks, and another for the Cecil/ Mercer combination with Connaught Bridge running out the winner, with the short price favourite Godetia, representing M V O'Brien and Piggott, finishing tailed off in last place.

It would not be the happiest week for Ballydoyle, with Thatching going on to lose Thursday's William Hill Sprint Championship in the stewards room. 

The Acomb Stakes followed the Yorkshire Oaks, and the stewards also had a say in this one when the colt who would go on to be runner up in the  following year's Epsom Derby, Master Willie, passed the post first but was disqualified for causing interference.

Master Willie was one of the many high class animals Henry Candy trained for the Barnett family, who ceased using the trainer's services an eon ago. And apart from Pure Grain, herself racing a quarter of a century ago, they have not maintained the level of success they had in the days when they used the long established Wantage handler

The two concluding races were the two mile Londsdale Handicap, and the five furlong Harewood Handicap. These races still exist under different titles, with both being currently sponsored by Sky Bet. The Londsdale title was transfered to a new stakes race which is now the popular Group 2 event. 

Wednesday began with the aforementioned seller, the Rous Stakes, where Pat Rohan landed a customary touch with the Piggott ridden Harlyn, backed into 9/4 from an opening 9/2. Ian Balding's popular Mrs Penny took the Lowther, before the day was then taken over by Sea Pigeon's amazing Ebor victory under 10 st.

We had it on word that Jonjo dropped his hands prematurely and almost lost the race - the Raceform race reader being kind to the rider in returning the comment "eased close home", giving the impression that it was more precisely intended than may have been the case.

Lester Piggott then had the next three winner. The Great Voltigeu won by the Robert Armstrong trained Noble Saint racing in the legendary Raymond Guest colours, being followed home by Buttress and Milford, both racing in the Royal silks. The longfellow followed up in the 1m 2f Falmouth Handicap on Beggar's Bridge, then lastly the Convivial Maiden aboard the future outstanding sprinter Moorestyle, who for a lengthy period would have his name attached to the race.

The day closed with the six furlong Wykenham Handicap for three year olds. This race does not exist now and instead, concluding the card on Saturday, is a five furlong three year old apprentice handicap, no doubt intended to assist in staggering the flow of traffic away from the track.

The final day opened with the five furlong Prince of Wales Stakes for juveniles which was won by the Tom Marshall owned and trained Blue Courtier. A curious aspect of this was was that the Peter Walwyn trained Khedive, who was never involved, was backed into 11/4 favouritism from 5/1, but carried the Raceform paddock description of ' bit backward'. He had been absent from action for over two and a half months but it seems that Alan Amies was more clued up to the situation than those who backed the colt. The race is now the Julia Graves Roses Stakes

The Melrose was taken by the Hern/ Carson combination with a typically progressive Dick Hollingsworth bred colt in Balinger. The Sea Pigeon colours were successful again in the Gimcrack with Sonnen Gold , then followed the Thatching disqualification  in the William Hill Sprint Championship, which may serve as a warning for those who question whether we are better off with the present rules.

The Sangster owned colt veered left under Piggott when taking up the running two furlongs out, causing interference whch caused a domino effect, with the eventual runner up and promoted winner Ahonoora receiving a bump.Thatching's winning margin was a convincing two and a half lengths and was the moral winner of the event. Timeform commented that the disqualification was, " ...inevitable,even though he had obviously been the best horse in the race by far. "

The Galtres went to Henry Cecil's Odeon, the one and a half mile Great Yorkshire Handicap to the Michael Stoute trained Soldier's Point, with the meeting ending with Pat Eddery guiding home the Peter Walwyn trained Kampala in the City of York Stakes. Kampala would go on to have his claim to fame by siring the Prix de l' Arc de Triomphe winner Tony Bin. The City of York is now a Group 2 but was doing fine then as a plain stakes race.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  The other races not previously mentioned which have been added since include the Group 3  Stensall Stakes.A race carrying the same title had been an established part of the midweek September fixture, but that was confined to fillies and mares so this in effect is a different event.

There is a Goffs Yearling Sales Stakes Race for juveniles, a one mile handicap confined to three year olds, and a seven furlong all aged filles handicap. You could make a case that there is no need for both of these handicaps, and an even stronger case that the sales race weakens the Gimcrack. 

All told, York could be said to have escaped with limiting the potential damage to their highlight fixture of the season. It's not satisfying that the Ebor lacks three year old representation, nor is that bit of aura lost by extending the meeting to a rowdy Saturday.

But when you examine and compare with what is continuing to happen with the careless, ill thought out race planning that is muddyimg the Cheltenham Festival, the Yorkshire showpiece meeting has come away relatively unscathed.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  image- York race scene taken by author