Go North Weekend, consisting of three consecutive days of racing at Musselburgh, Kelso, and Carlisle, set to take place on the penultimate weekend in March 2020, is testament to how far Jump racing has fallen in this part of the country.
Instead of recognising, then taking some innovative steps to reverse the crux of the problem, namely the lack of powerful owners willing to support the region, they treat it as a charity case,letting it drift aimlessly along with no light at the end of the tunnel.
The new 'event' is a carry on from the Northern Lights Series which culminated with finals day at Carlisle in December. Evidently, after consultation with trainers, it was decided to scrap this after just two stagings and move the rejigged one to March, beginning in the 2019/20 season.
As is obvious from the timing of the new event, scheduled to take place when we will all be engrossed in the post-mortem fall outs from Cheltenham and preparing ourselves for Aintree, Go North Weekend is more of a chance for ordinary to useful horses to pick up some nice money as opposed to being an attempt to attract any big names.
It certainly does not justify the description given to it on the BHA website of being an "exciting enhancement to the northern Jump racing season", and has the feel of a cutting the cloth accordingly 'initiative'.
There rarely can have been a period with such a dearth of big equine names in the region. Indeed the BHA had to pull a graph out of the hat to support its spurious claim that there has been a resurgence in the sport in the top half of the country.
The graph shows an increase in victories in black type events from northern trained Jumpers, something that will most likely be a blip, and a trend that will reverse next season. And added to this, the BHA Paul Johnston's boast that Definitely Red, Lady Buttons and Lake View Lad have all won major races is a statement which can be disputed and one that is dependent on how you decide a race is a 'major' one.
The Racing Post has attached its name to the Go North weekend and the new editor speaks of " the important work that has already been done to reinvigorate the sport in this part of the world."
In truth there is no solid basis from which you could give out any sort of hopeful message. If anyone really wants to appreciate how many tiers the quality of horses in training has fallen in the North, then you have to look no further than the success rates in the truly major events.
Beginning with the Cheltenham Gold Cup; in the ten runnings from 1976 to 1985, five winners were trained in the top half of the country. For the following ten years there were two, the last Jodami in 1994.
Since then the region has not had a winner of the Blue Riband. And just two have made the first three since the millennium, Truckers Tavern finishing runner up to Best Mate in 2003, and Turpin Green coming home in third behind Kauto Star in 2007.
Looking at the comparative figures for the Champion Hurdle, there were the two victories each from Night Nurse and Sea Pigeon in the first period, but the region has failed to take the title since the last named's victory in 1981.
And while it can be acknowledged that Donald McCain Jnr has had two individual runners-up in the race in the past seven years in Overturn and Peddler's Cross, it would not be harsh to question whether he is based in the North. His Cholmondeley base is at a more southern point on the map than Lincoln and Chesterfield, and is almost level with Nottingham, while his nearest racecourse, Bangor-On-Dee, is listed bu the BHA as being a racecourse situated in the Midlands.
To the Champion Chase, the North successful with Rathgorman and Badsworth Boy's treble in four consecutive years from 1982 to 1985, but drawing a blank since. The King George Chase, an impressive six victories from 1976 to 1985, one in the following ten years, then One Man in the next ten year period being the last winner. In fact the region rarely has a runner in this race anymore.
And so to the Grand National. For all its glory its not the most reliable barometer given its handicap status but One For Arthur, Aurora's Encore, and Red Marauder have all taken the event since the millennium, and depending on where you put the borderline, you could add the McCain pair of
Ballabriggs and Amberleigh House.
Still, its the the event that offers the region the best opportunity of success in the major events and an angle that should be utilised in striving to attract big gun owners to the area.
Has anyone asked Graham Wylie what it would take for him to have horses trained in his home region again ? Perhaps he just doesn't rate the trainers based up in his part of the world.
We can't rely on Trevor Hemmings forever who despite his strong support for the region has had two of his Aintree National winners trained elsewhere, the best two winners of the race in recent history. Maybe he too could be politely asked why Many Clouds was with Oliver Sherwood and Hedgehunter with Willy Mullins.
When Hemmings leaves the scene there do not appear to be any family members ready to step in and keep the operation ticking over. And that will be a major loss.
Another measure of how dire the scene has become is that in the early 1990's many were downhearted as to how the status of the sport had fallen in the region yet Peter Piller's colours still graced the scene along with Ashleybank Investments. Gordon Richards had the likes of Twin Oaks and Carrick Hill Lad in the yard, Arthur Stephenson housed Blazing Walker, Southern Minstrel and Durham Edition, while Jimmy Fitzgerald had the likes of Uncle Ernie, Sybillin, Meikleour and Boutzdaroff.
The region was past it's vintage era but would still have wiped the floor faced with today's equivalents.
Both Monica Dickinson and Neville Crump had retired in 1989, Peter Easterby's yard had become more flat orientated, while Jimmy Fitzgerald's fortunes would dip as the 1990's progressed and the yard was verging on empty when Tim Fitzgerald took over.
It is hard to believe that during the 1970's the West Country was geographically the weak arm of National Hunt racing. When the David Baron's trained Bootlaces won the Schweppes Gold Trophy in 1980 it was viewed as a big moment for the region. Little did they know what was around the corner.
Nowadays, we look at novice hurdle and novice chase events at Exeter with an eager eye, knowing that there cold be some showcase equine names of the future competing. Just like we once did with such events at the likes of Wetherby and Ayr.
The situation has now completely flipped around and looks likely to remain as it is. They can call it 'Northern Lights', 'Go North' or the next fancy name they think up, but like giving a handout to a street beggar, these 'initiatives' are merely sticky plasters and not a long term solution.
image by Roy Blumenthal shared under creative commons license
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