GOING DOWN A PATHWAY THAT OFFERS NO FINANCIAL SOLACE

Extra effort has been made by the racing broadcasting media to applaud the part owners play in the sport, highlighting the fact that racing could not exist without them, while at the same time failing to acknowledge that without the levy yielded from punter's money, along with media rights payments which would not be made if punters did not bet on racing, owners would be competing for prizes worth little more than a box of matches, meaning the sport would quickly fold.

Anyone believing that the sport can just emerge from the Covid fall out and get back on its feet to the point to which it was financially performing to the same level as before the crisis hit is deluded. When you hear that underneath the seemingly bright prospect of pubs being permitted to let customers back inside next week, they are businesses that have had to take out loans just to last to this stage of having a chance of getting back on their feet, then we can appreciate how racing will be hit as the numerical, core body of owners are business owners on a similar level who will find out in the next few months if they are able to remain afloat.

I would imagine that up and down the country there is a large number of animals, increasing by the week, whose owners have fallen behind or even given up paying the bills. Almost all of these animals will be in the ability bracket of the majority of those in training, ranging from ordinary to not even bring capable of running fast enough to keep themselves warm.

And the trainers left with money owed to them will do all in their power to balance the debts, part of which unfortunately would be to send the animals to the abattoir. Thousands leave training each year with many fit and healthy horses making this grim journey, something that the treacly ITV racing team do not want to tell their audience about and continue to spin a John Craven's Newsround style yarn.

In fact, we are in an era were coverage of the sport, both via TV broadcasting or newspaper reporting has never been so poor. Those who commanded great respect have in the main been dropped as part of cost cutting measures, fallen ill, or passed away. 

Paul Haigh was at the very top of his profession - even those who cringed at some of his views, including  his fervent enthusiasm for international competition developing within the sport, his wish to build a round all weather course at Newmarket, or his indifferent views towards National Hunt racing, would still agree that he contributed some fantastic, thought provoking pieces down the years, particularly during a long spell with Pacemaker. He also arguably wrote the best contribution ever to appear in the Racing Post, where he interviewed the legendary Maurice Zilber, somehow managing to conjure the great trainer to open up and speak his mind.

It's rather baffling why there has been no reproductions of some of the articles he penned, it really is. Instead the reporting of this deeply traditional sport is gradually being engineered by woke imbiciles whose  views are not in cync with the large majority of the public.

And what about the treatment of the bloodstock journalist James Underwood, established and respected across generations. He made some relatively mild comments on the prospect of diversity politics being needlessly introduced within the sport which has no barriers erected in such areas, but was stabbed ruthlessly in the back as the bodies yielding the power within the sport took the virtue signaling path.

Underwood, who was 89 years old at the time of his comments which were made in an article he wrote four years ago, remarked in his defence that he was from a different age. I'm not sure he realises that a sizeable amount of those from the following generations would not in any way have found his comments offensive. Those that made the decision to cancel Underwood from the sport will no doubt have made efforts to remove from the loop all his works and contributions down the years that have educated many. 

If those with control of the power buttons within the sport believe that being seen to embrace a political fad that has more influence than bare support will save it from declining in face of the impending financial crisis, the they are in for shock. Moreover, it's a mystery why they feel a need to go down this path given that horse racing is right at the summit of non- discriminatory sports. 

It is a most foolhardy and dangerous approach to stride on optimistically, clearing out those that don't their agenda as though that would make things fine fine. As well as the sport forcibly downsizing, there is going to be a shifting in the power hotspots with what is left making the present Irish domination of quality in the jumping sphere appear a relatively trivial issue by comparison. 

From whatever angle you look, UK racing will suffer more than any of the other major racing countries, who too will be in for some tough times. It's going to be a rocky ride with a crash at the bottom of the slope.

From an album released days before the mighty Pendil won his first King George and no doubt being played in many households on that day