NIL GROUNDS FOR OPTIMISM

It may have gone unnoticed by many as the days ticked down to Derby weekend, but arguably the most significant development in the racing world this week were the hard hitting, from the hip sentiments expressed by John Egan.

This is someone not burying his head in the sand and fully awake to the mess that UK horse racing had got itself into. Among his observations, Egan stated that felt sorry for his son in the sense that the young rider's promising career is going to evolve within a sport that increasingly lacks stability.

And his bleak views on the free for all fixture list are vindicated by glancing through the cards today. Look at Musselburgh for example -  decent prize money for racing that is basically underwhelming. 

The apprentice race has £25,000 added in prize money but almost half of the runners rated in the 60's. Admittedly there is a Listed race with £ 50,000 added but not a single runner fielded from a genuinely big name trainer.

While Irish racing is not free of pressing problems and perhaps an impending crisis too - the fixture list is better controlled and not head spinningly wall to wall. A similar event with the same level of prize money would be sure to attract  representatives from Ballydoyle, along with the other top Irish yards.

Although the Musselburgh cards have numbers, Egan was correct to highlight how the present UK fixture list affects the size and quality of the fields, with so many options for connections. Fields will begin to cut up more than ever before during the coming weeks and months. 

And there can never have been a time like this for lack of correlation between prize money and quality of animal. As an example, the five day entries for the concluding 4.40 at Haydock Park on Wednesday include three horses rated in the 90's, and a further seven rated 85 or over - the prize money, a pitiful £15,000 added. 

You can find numerous similar examples  which will become more prevalent. From August we will likewise have to bear the second staging of that ridiculous Racing League - the concept of retards. For a period of six weeks Saturday cards will have handicaps stripped of quality due to runners being diverted to the League, adding to the already depth lacking events due to the amount of racing.

No one wants mass job losses within the industry but the present system is unsustainable and planned trimming will have little effect - it needs tight control and the numbets cut in half. This will happen but not through planning, it will come when the whole stinking, greedy system collapses on itself.

Hopefully, what will be left will be a smaller industry but not one lacking too much in quality. One where you can get a grip on what is happening. One or two fixtures a day, a maximum of three on a Saturday. The five day entries would stir up interest and anticipation, fields with depth, numbers and quality. 

Of course,  this is only a best case scenario - the worst scenario would be a cut down to size industry but one were the quality too suffers too and cards similar to this coming Tuesday's card at Brighton commonplace - 3 x 0 - 50 's, 2 x 0- 55's and lo and behold a single 'classy' 0-60.

In reality though Brighton will be one of the venues that may go under in the near future. Most that fold will be predictable but there'll be a surprise or two as well.

Meanwhile, as for now, the courses will continue with their theme days, competing to pull in as many 'fans' as possible  with a business model built around hope of attendees who spend endlessly on overpriced drink and food. Unfortunately for most locations the crisis has already hit and crowd numbers are suffering - and this is without the further blow that will come when the Big Brother affordability checks on gambling are applied.

95 % of punters will rightly be shouting stuff off if asked by bookmaking firms to disclose copies of bank statements and presumably, rather than completely lose custom, firms will be forced by Government to impose a mandatory across the board monthly loss limit. 

With as little as £100 per month being mooted then racing will be crippled. Put it this way, £100 per month - are you going to be looking at cack run of the mill handicaps or save it for a Golf tournament, T - 20 cricket match, or even a Tennis tournament or Grand Prix. And what happens when the footy season starts again?

It's clear that it will be horse racing that will suffer. A shortfall in levy through punters, a shortfall in takings from drink and food spends on course. And this added to an already lack of engagement with the sport from the emerging generations. It's not good at all. It really isn't.

image taken from Wiki

This album was arguably a level below previous releases by this band but still listenable from start to finish. It went on sale the week before Troy won the Derby. Racing was in a very happy place at the time - a return to which will never happen again.