WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR THIS SPORT ? - BEST TO ASK GRAY

The view expressed by some that horse racing in the UK will emerge from this crisis stronger and better than before is to most minds, ludicrous, without any foundation and merely raises false hope.

It cannot possibly return stronger. Many trainers will already be holding desperately on to the cliff's edge, some will be forced to let go and enter freefall. They are of course inextricably linked to their owners, many of whom will have been struck so hard by the severe financial impact of the sudden recession that keeping racehorses in training will be near the bottom of their priorities.

Part built structures are going to be a common sight standing lifelessly against the skylines up and down the country, along with permanently padlocked business premises of all sorts of varieties, while those producing for the food chain from their own land have been destroying their wares on mass.

Behind many of these troubled, once thriving enterprises will be the backbone of the lower to middle ranking racehorse owners. They may only have a maximum of three or four horses in training at any one time, but there are enough of them for their demise would be felt.  And this is where we have a potential horse welfare issue taking hold.

Sanctuaries for ex racehorses are already struggling with money drying up - many are after all charitable organisations and when you switch on the telly and are faced with reports of zoos' running short and being near to collapse, then you can appreciate the predicament faced by those who altruistically are living to preserve the life of animals who are of little financial worth.

The already long existing, covered up dirty secret concerning the number of fit and healthy racehorses, who unbeknown to the general public end up in grim slaughterhouses simply because they are unable to run fast enough, will not able to be hidden away much longer,

It is about to become more difficult for the ' all is roses in racing's house '  ITV racing to justify projecting the false impression that all racehorses finish their career, go to a caring home and live happily ever after. Soon they would be better advised to drop this pretence and highlight an issue that will escalate to an extent that it will become common knowledge.

And what will be offered up whenever the shackles are loosened ? Irrespective of the arguments of whether or not the sport could have and should  have been permitted to race on behind close doors, the chance of it having the stage to itself in front of a television audience far larger than all but the showcase festivals, is now fading by the day.

The plan for racing to resume here next month at one or two all weather venues, with twelve runner races, and maybe even twelve race cards, would in the unlikely circumstances it was given the thumbs up so soon, be better than no racing. But it would be very much mistaken to believe that this minority sport can reverse it's waning popularity

Though some would disagree, AW racing in this country is in the main programme filler that fits neatly into the method of which the levy is harvested, from a mainly unattractive, congested fixture list.

It is a sphere of the sport that lacks grace, soul and feel, and any logical working mind would conclude that it should never, ever be the sport's shop window, as the potential customers will glance in, then carry on by rather then stepping in to take a closer look.

At least Newmarket offers a bit of mystique. A casual viewer, faced with runners cantering nonchalantly down to the start, strung out, with a lush green backdrop of never ending open space, might just sit back and take in proceedings, half wanting to discover that bit more.

There may be some individuals who will view the news that French football will not be returning in any form until at least September, as an opportunity for UK racing. This on the basis that there must now be a prospect of UK football not receiving the go ahead signal until that same month, giving horse racing, granted it is able to start in four weeks time, a full three months before it is inevitably swamped by the God that is the Premiership.

Nevertheless, for racing to take advantage of such a scenario by bringing in some much needed finance through the levy, it would be banking on the younger generations changing their deep rooted habits of directing their betting interests at the round ball games.

This is not a guess, it's a fact. This generation that is, so to speak taking hold, bet almost exclusively through their smartphones and these transactions are predominantly on sports other than racing, with football being by far the most popular.

As we must accept that high streets will continue to have little footfall during the first stages of easing the lockdown, the prospect of betting offices re-opening anytime soon is a remote one. In fact with many independents unlikely to open ever again, along with the conglomerates shredding a sizeable number of outlets, they may have become a rarity once we return to something resembling normal.

And for those of us who dearly wish for a fixture list that ticks along at a pedestrian pace similar to that of forty or fifty years back, who are hoping that racing will return as a 'better' product, may be left with something they had not bargained for.

For some muddied thinking reason, we are expecting that a scaling down of the programme, with a reduced number of horses in training would signal a return to the days when the jam was spread wider with more trainers overlooking medium sized strings containing a higher proportion of quality animals.

But the nightmare that may become reality is that the progressive establishments that promise in the long term to breakthrough at the top level while still having some way to go, along with the smaller numbers wise operations who hit the jackpot in turn, may go under leaving those few dominant forces in both spheres to take an even firmer grip on the game than they already have.

Being truthful, the landscape in this sport is looking so bleak at the moment that instead of disentangling the ramblings of Rust, Johnston and Beckett, it would be more apt for a realistic summary to be provided by the pale skinned, sloped foreheaded suicidal character Gray, from that memorable episode of Rising Damp titled the ' The Good Sammaritans'.

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PROGRESS THROUGH REGRESSION

In the grand scheme of things, the shape the UK horse racing industry will find itself in when we finally emerge from the shadow of this fierce pandemic is not a pressing concern for Government bodies.

We could find that we have slipped back to an economic climate resembling the dearly remembered 1970's. At least it will mean that the trainers who are able to continue will find the staff shortage problem solved for when jobs are scarce the prospect of working in the racing industry becomes more appealing.

If on the other hand there is a surplus of experienced staff, then hailing from the top of the tree in the physical well being department will mean those out of work will be employable in other industries away from those equine.

And for those racing fans who are averse to the modern day chocca block fixture list that has your head spinning keeping tabs on it all, we may finally have got what we have been wishing for, albeit not in such grim circumstances.

But whether this will start a 1970's style era full of so many free willed, raw but pulsating characters, not just in racing but in the wider sports world, television, theatre and music, along with the prominent figures in public life, would be more of a hope than a probability.

The month of August 1977, was just a typical 1970's month. Teddy Boys and Punks making headlines, clashing in the King's Road, clashing on the beaches. Riots in Ulster during the Queen's visit, an upcoming by election in the Ladywood constituency of Birmingham, where Margaret Thatcher, on a visit to give support to the Tory candidate, was greeted by a group of Socialist Worker Party members using an assortment of musical instruments to make rasperry sounds.

On Saturday August 6th, the week after the conclusion of Glorious Goodwood,  Lester Piggott and Joe Mercer were riding up at Redcar, the principal race on the card the William Hill Gold Cup, with a first prize of £9, 435.

Piggott was aboard the Lincoln winner Blustery, his only mount of the day, but Mercer was the victorious rider aboard the Henry Cecil trained Aliante, carrying the Carlo D'Alessio colours, which in the following years Mercer would sport aboard the exceptional Cup horse, Le Moss. Mercer rode three further winners on the Redcar card.

Pat Eddery and Wlllie Carson, battling it out for the jockey's championship, were riding at Haydock and Lingfield respectively. Carson, who was thriving in his first season as stable jockey to Dick Hern, drew a blank with his five mounts, while Eddery fared better by notching a first and last race double, which were in both legs of the juvenile maiden, firstly on the Peter Walwyn trained Bolak, then on the Robert Sangster owned Princess Of Man, who would put her name in lights two decades on when being responsible for the Epsom, Irish and Yorkshire Oaks winner Ramruma.

Newmarket made up the fourth meeting that day, hosting a mediocre card by course standards, while in the national hunt arena, the new season was seven days in with meetings being held at Worcester and Southwell, both on ground described as 'firm', All of the cards were staged during the afternoon. Outside of Boxing Day and Easter Monday, this was as many meetings in a day that would be staged, and would not occur away from a Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Lucas electrical firm, already having 9,500 idle workers, were concerned that the whole 20,000 workforce could be laying down tools after a dispute over bonus payments. While over at the besiged Grunswick film processing plant, thousands of flying pickets were expected to arrive, many Socialist Workers Party  and Communist Party Members from Bristol, Liverpool, and the Midlands, along with miners from Yorkshire, Derby and Kent.

Elsewhere, the National Union of Mineworkers president, Joe Gormley, was in hot water with his own members after it was discovered that he had joined the shipping company, Canadian Wharves as a part time, if unpaid, director. The controversey erupted from the fact that the company is closely connected to the oil industry, coal's chief foe.

In the football world Kenny Daglish was in the process of signing for Liverpool for a record British fee of £440,000, though more national newspaper space was given that week to the antics of Stan Bowles, who as usual was making headlines for the wrong reasons.

Dining in a restaurant during a night out in Bruges where Queens Park Rangers were playing in a pre season friendly, he disgraced himself by collapsing to the floor, feigning serious illness, and aided by in collusion team mate Don Shanks, prompted an ambulance to be called.

Bowles then jumped to his feet laughing when the emergency services arrived. He faced the prospect of being charged with wasting police time, with an attending ambulanceman warning " To you this might be a case of English humour, but it doesn't go with us."  Both players spent a night in the cells before being fortunate to escape with just a caution.

In the music world Donna Summer was heading the charts with "I Feel Love, "  followed by " Brotherhood Of Man with " Angelo", and Bony M's " Ma Baker". Punk and New Wave had emerged, and the charts that week included representation from the Sex Pistols, Jam, Stranglers, and Ramones.

Those holidaying in Wales could not have failed to notice the Esteidford was in full swing, where a storm was brewing over £6,000 of public money spent on an Arts Exhibition in Wrexham to mark the celebrations. The exhibition included a pianist playing classics while encircled by sacks of coal, and an Irishman wearing a crash helmet knocking over stacks of bricks with his head.

On Tuesday 9th, Carson went up to Newcastle to replace the sidelined Ernie Johnston on the promising Barry Hill's trained Sexton Blake in the Seaton Delavel Stakes. They landed the odds without too much fuss, beating the Clive Brittain newcomer Labienus, with the future Derby winner Shirley Heights back in third spot.

That evening at 8.30 you could have watched a repeat from the popular Man About The House series, that had run from 1973 to 1976, with Paula Wilcox fans perhaps already having been watching a short play, Quiet Afternoon starring the actress that had aired on BBC 2 earlier in the evening. Later on over on BBC 1, you may have watched The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin.

Thursday 11th saw the start of the fourth Ashes test at Headingley amid a dark cloud  hanging over the sport. The previous evening the TCCB had announced they would be imposing two year bans, beginning in 1978, on several showcase county players ; this for joining the Kerry Packer circus. Viv Richards, who had just hit his third double century of the season for Somerset, was being urged to quit the Packer tour.

As Geoffrey Boycott was achieving his one hundreth first class century on his home ground, Pat Eddery notched up a four timer at Salisbury to extend his lead to five in the title race over Carson.

On the following day at Newbury, the diminuative Scotsman pulled one back when winning the opening juvenile fillies maiden on the future high class performer Cistus. The main race on the card was the Hungerford Stakes, then a Group 3 and with a winning purse of £8,374, in modern equivalents roughly around half of the £85,000 that went to the winner in 2019. Tony Kimberley steered home He Loves Me for the Jeremy Hindley yard, ahead of the Eddery partnered Radetzky, who had unshipped the reigning champion twice before the start, holding up proceedings by twenty minuites. Carson finished third aboard the popular seven year old gelding Boldboy.

Lester Piggott picked up a juvenile double for Harry Wragg and Budgie Moller. The first in the St Hugh's Stakes, making all on the exceptionally quick Amaranda. The runner up in the race ,Smarten Up, was destined to end up as the dam of the champion sprinter Cadeaux Generaux. The longellow's other winner on the card was Court Barns in the concluding race.

Piggott picked up another double on the Saturday, landing the odds on the Vincent O'Brien trained Valinsky in the Group 2 Geoffrey Freer Stakes, as well as the Yattendon Maiden on the Queen's English Harbour for Ian Balding. This was the second Royal winner of the day, as Carson had earlier guided Dick Hern's Gregarious to victory in the feature handicap, the ATS Trophy, cutting the deficit in the title race to three.

History shows Eddery would eventually retain his title by a score of 176 to 160, with Eddie Hide a distance behind in third on109. With a considerable less number of fixtures in those days, it was not possible to be champion by keeping to the gaff track circuit. To be champion meant that something more than it does now.

And when you pore over your old scrapbooks, form books, race cards, or even newspaper archives, you realise how poorer the sport is owing to a small number of powerhouses dominating on a level previously unseen

Back to that weekend in August 1977 - the following day, national cult hero Barry Sheene's engine blew on his Suzuki in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Better news in the cricket though as England gained a victory against the Aussies in the Headingley test with a day to spare,  in the process sealing victory in the series.

Two days later, Elvis Presley was dead. And in three weeks we would lose Marc Bolan. Tributes poured in for the glam icon from the likes of David Bowie, Gary Glitter, Elton John and Keith Moon.

Not all was perfect with the world then. Far from it. But in this day when sporting stars take ' vocabulary and speech lessons ' to prepare for press interviews leaving most of them speaking robot like in the same rhythm and tone, when anyone who is someone has to strictly be seen to hold and even champion views that comply with the PC brigade, and when you find that you have never heard of, yet even recognise, contemporary so called 'stars' of the music and entertainment industries, then the prospect of waking up back in the 1970's sounds more of a pleasant dream than a nightmare.

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A SPORT IN PIECES

In this unconventional moment in time the sport of horse racing resembles a wrecked jigsaw puzzle, with pieces scattered far and wide, some too damaged to slot back into place, others lost for good.

The least damaged parts will be those representing national hunt racing. This part of the sport had the good fortune of being able to stage its Olympics leaving the season ending, even if with the non staging of the two main supporting festivals, at least with many questions answered within the top echelons of equine talent.

It also proved a blessing that the Dublin Festival had quickly established an influential place in the calendar, meaning that with connections of some animals, the blow of losing opportunities at Aintree and Punchestown will have been sofened.

It would however be unrealistic to believe that this sphere of the sport will get away scot free for there will be victims, with some trainers going out of business and along with course closures. Sadly, the latter category may include some down to earth, beautifully simple venues that haven't lost their soul.

In the grand scheme of all things racing though, the winter game will have escaped the carnage that is being inflicted on the flat scene. And God only knows how events are going to pan out, particulalry in the Northern Hemisphere.

The classic programme is an essential element of the system and the breeding industry. It now would seem an increasing possibility that they are going to be squashed together in a short time frame, maybe all being run at Newmarket.

And if Royal Ascot is staged on time, behind closed doors, then we could witness the Irish 2,000 Guineas winner appearing in the St James Palace Stakes prior to running in the English. 2,000 Guineas . Or even the Derby winner appearing beforehand in the King Edward.The odd number of possibilities and back to front variations of the normal sequences are endless.

What people must now realise is that the whole racing machine cannot just stoke up its engine and return to normal rhythmic speed. Not a chance in hell of that happening.

Look at it this way, if the rumours are correct that four or five football clubs from the English Premier League, the richest and most powerful in the world, are close to going into administration, what does the future hold for the racecourses whose lifeblood are those summer weekend, heavy drinking masses of lads and ladettes, along with marquees hired by local businesses who have been making hay over the past few years.

The level of dependence on corporate input will vary greatly from course to course. Newmarket can survive without the invasion of the rowdy Friday evening  and Saturday hordes. York is the property of the local city council, thus while they have added extra weekend meetings to their programme over recent times to milk the cash cow of the cult attendees, these added dates are not a necessity to survival.

Whether Haydock Park can sit knowing its future is assured is an entirely different matter. Let no one be fooled that just because it makes up one of the fourteen venues under the Jockey Club Racecourse banner, that it is safe.

Up to very recently Kempton Park, belonging to the same group, had been deemed expendable with a business decision close to being finalised whereby the prime location would be sold for housing development, with the King George VI Chase being transferred to Sandown.

Haydock Park embraced the trash route when they unforgivably destroyed their famous steeplechase course, with those demanding drop fences and that characteristic run in from the last which was not far short of the length of the Grand National run in. This, all to make room for a second flat circuit, a move which the course management shamelessly conceded was to enable them to stage more summer flat fixtures to pull in the crowds that camp in the bars.

Well, they made their bed which they will now have to lie in. For starters, allowing the resumption of large, sporting crowds is almost certainly going to be the very final lockdown restriction that will be lifted. In other words, Haydock will not be staging a flat meeting with a regular attending audience in 2020.

And neither will Chester. They made an announcement last week that they will not be hosting their showcase May meeting in 2020, irrespective of whether a closed door staging would have been permitted.

The reason put forward was that it would not have been possible to effectively marshall social distancing around the outside of those walls that provide excellent free viewing as well as avoiding those customary, over enthusiastic security checks.

In reality though, one has to suspect that this once highly respected venue has backed itself into a corner by selling out to the corporate model, and that the real reason is they simply do not believe it would be worth their while playing to an empty arena.

Looking further ahead, both Haydock and Chester will feel an artic blast from an economic downturn which could be the worst in the past seventy five years. Those that have paid in advance for group bookings, some using corporate functions, are likely to be seeking refunds rather than a carry over to next year.

And what of 2021? Levy payments will be severely affected, sponsorship will have plummeted, and with a sharp rise in unemployment, along with many of the self employed who have managed to survive being forced to scale down, a day spent in the designer stubble, suavely attired, smug git paradises of Haydock Park and Chester, is a 'treat' that is going to be crossed off many lists.

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