A CRISIS INTENSIFYING

The once unthinkable is now becoming a distinct possibility. The uprooting of horse racing from the UK , possibly Ireland and France too, with the show relocating in the Middle East, shared predominantly between Saudi Arabia and Dubai. 

Saudi Arabia is now pressing the pedal on wanting a bigger portion of the top level sporting scene. Money is no object as demonstrated by the offer to Ronaldo, and more so by the setting up of the LIV Golf tour which has already pulled in household names and will only be able to be resisted by the remaining cream at the top of the game for a limited period- you can sense it in how opinions of those showcase players not yet involved are already being delicately rephrased as they look further into the future and size up their plans.

With UK racing being cash strapped, how many will be able to resist offers to relocate? Quality animals are being hoovered up at a rate higher than ever before and earlier in their careers than ever before. The temptation to cash in in such rocky times must be close to irresistible for many. If the rumoured Middle East plans come reality, it won’t just be the horses that go - it will be trainers and riders and it will be on a permanent basis - unlike the long established working winter holidays in the likes of Hong Kong and India.

Let's imagine for example Tom Dascombe receives an offer to relocate with the assurance that he'll have good quality animals to train and that he'll be getting his foot in and established before the avalanche truly begins with bigger and bigger names following.

Here is a trainer who originally had a most progressive profile training from Lambourn who made a questionable decision to move to an unfashionable part of the country as a part salaried part private trainer. And this is not being wise after the event - it raised many eyebrows at the time as his name kept cropping up as one who was on the cusp of attracting patronage from some of the games biggest owners.

One can only guess how things would have developed if Dascombe had stayed put but it would be more than reasonable to suggest that at the very least he would have equalled the success achieved at Manor House and without the shadow of worry always lurking in the background that a single person possessed the power to return him back to the very beginning.

Make no mistake, Dascombe is now a prime candidate for such an approach. And what of Marcus Tregonning who it seems only yesterday that he was training the winner of the Epsom Derby and had a large string of mainly Shadwell bluebloods in his care.Very much a candidate likely to be approached as too would be Peter Chapple-Hyam, who has a remarkable CV always being able to justify those spells he had when given quality stock.

In fact, you could quickly build an endless list because once the trickle began you would never say never about any licence holder. And there is a big difference as to how a sudden, large scale racing expansion in the Middle East would play out compared to what we'll see happening with the on the road LIV tour.

With racing the numbers are near unlimited - at least for the first few years because the quicker the fixture list is expanded and populated the more horses and personnel are needed, and vice versa. With LIV, those middling golfers who have signed up will find themselves with an increasing number of limited opportunities as more of the bigger names join the tour - though no doubt they've already worked this out and figured that if would still financially work out as the better move.

With these scenarios more than just fanciful it makes you wonder what will be left of the present racing scene. With this in mind it must be noted that if as is possible, Irish racing goes into a critical state, Coolmore will be prepared to react to limit the downside.

Rather than becoming involved with a Middle Eastern plan it's far more likely that the core of the Irish operation would be transferred and split between the States and Australia where that already have thriving, firmly established breeding operations. The move could be achieved pretty smoothly in a relatively short space of time.

But returning to what would be left - well, the worst case scenario would be a wilderness of mediocrity. It's not something that would be relished. Exposure of the sport would fall with a lack of both equine and human stars to tickle the interest of the emerging generations. 

Many are now making somber predictions that racing in the UK is following the path to nowhere that its once great contemporary, Greyhound racing, trod down some years back - yes, it still exists in the background on a reduced scale but is barely discussed. How many would be able to name this year's Greyhound Derby winner, or even where the once great race is now held?

Here was a sport which although was always going to be unable to maintain it's heady numbers of racegoers that attended at the peak in the demobbing period after WW2, it appeared a given that it would  reset at a prominent level. Even in the relatively recent 1980's it was overall a very popular sport with the likes of the incredible stayer Scurlogue Champ, the truly class act Ballyregan Bob, making themselves known icons outside of the  sport. The same decade also boasted a wonderful Derby winner in Whisper Wishes. 

Admittedl there were concerns for the future of the sport but no one seriously imagined it could fall off the edge of the cliff. It's a reality check of what may be around the corner for racing and that a blase wave of the  arms is a dangerous attitude to adopt because unlike the canine sport, there are plenty of interested parties in other parts of the globe who will assist in its dismantling, even if not intentional.

A great cover version of a Motown hit from an album released during the year that Sea Bird 11 took the racing world by storm. Very soon, delving into the past will be the only enjoyable hobby left for rzcing fans, so woeful the game will have become.