THE MOST ENLIGHTENING HALF HOURS RACING DISCUSSION OF THE YEAR

When posters on the racing forums and Twitter posted links and encouraged others to listen to Mark Johnston appearing as the main guest on last week's Luck on Sunday, the temptation was to not even give it a brief viewing, particularly as the title to the link indicated it was going to be a predictable father gives son more responsibility, with the odd ticking off if he gets too big for his boots, and so forth.

But for those of us who clicked on the link believing they'd give the blah blah blah thirty seconds then do away with it had their cynically whipped egg left on their faces for this was one of the best interviews of its kind for a long, long time, with some unashamedly to the core opinion on the big trainer versus little trainer arguments.

There was no Charlie love in at all - just an acknowledgement that that his workload involves, amongst other things, time consuming office roles and that their yearling sales modus operandi continues as before with only animals out of black type performing dams considered, and that no yearlings are viewed that don't fit the catalogue criteria.

Johnston had stated similar before and has confessed to being irate when people interpret this approach as a partial confession that he lacks an eye for a yearling. It's certainly food for thought though and baffling in the sense that the great majority of onlookers would pay more interest to an animal sired by a middling stallion but one who has sold for four times the price than the covering fee, as opposed to a horse sired by a stallion covering for over a hundred grand, out of a Group 2 winning mare who fetches thirty grand in the ring as a yearling.

The general consensus would be that the former has impressed those with an 'eye' in that he posseses the conformation to make a proper racehorse, while the latter has severe confirmation faults that cast doubt on the type of animal he will make up into.

Opening up a copy of Horses In Training and selecting one of many examples with this in mind, one will note that Johnston has a juvenile in training named Super Stars, conceived when his sire Sea The Stars was covering for a fee of 135,000 Euro, and out of a mare who was fourth in a Listed race. Despite these credentials Super Stars fetched only just over 32,000 in the ring as a yearling. Logic shouts that this animal can't have been the most pleasing looker when he went through the ring, so it will be fascinating to see what sort of animal he makes up into. 

Johnston later repeated what many have felt is an issue that makes the sport poorer - too much racing, and not just at the basement level. We know that the Pattern system spiraled out of control many years back which no doubt he was referring to by saying at the top end of the sport there are three races for one horse instead of one race for three horses. 

The trainer also criticised the approach of the sport looking after the interests of the lowest common demoninator, being of the opinion that there are too many operators. This observation no doubt would have made plenty of small handlers cringe, particularly some of those who supported the action against the Arena Leisure courses in demand for more prize money - indeed if Johnston's view is shared by some of the other successful operators, you wonder whether some of them who took part 'used' the smaller handlers for their own agendas.

And not unconnected, it was riveting to hear the Kingsley House boss adamently maintain that as horses are herd animals they benefit from being trained in large strings and did not subscribe to the view of those who manage small yards, particularly those situated away from the major training centres, that horses benefit from being treated separately as individuals with individually tailored routines.

Not all would agree - the late Glamorgan based trainer Bryn Palling would purchase cast offs from the bigger yards and go about 'sweetening' them up. He purchased regularly from Henry Cecil's yard at the Horses In Training Sales and did have some success though as is common knowledge Cecil worked his horse hard, wringing every pound of ability out of them, thus nurturing some improvement from his former inmates must have been like squeezing blood from a stone. I am also certain that Ian Williams would not be anywhere near agreeing with the Scotsman.

In contrast it's well documented how well numerous animals who have been in training with Sir Mark Prescott do in the hurdling sphere when purchased at the Horses In Training Sales, many of them clearly not bottomed and with mileage left that would not be apparent by simply matching number of appearances with other sales graduates.

This however is partly be design as Prescott likes the big scope types that will catch the eye of the jumping trainers, at the same time giving his owners a sell on value - still, it's testament to his training skills that he typically progresses an animal to his ceiling rating in handicaps, whIle at the same time leaving a healthy, happy horse able to go on and successfully build a career over hurdles - the amazing Inglis Drever (pictured) being a classic example.

Back to the Mark Johnston interview that was a hosts dream - one of his parting shots was the incredible statement that punters don't contribute much to the sport. It was regrettable that this happened during the later stages of the interview as we could have expected Luck to broach open the subject rather than just doubting the validity of those words.

No doubt he would have pointed out that it's not only the substantial amount of punters money harvested through the Levy, but also the media rights payments in the sense that these would not exist if punters did not bet as like it or not racing exists because of betting, not vice versa, and there would be no demand for pictures if bets could not be made. Hopefully, this is something that will be heading the discussion when Johnston makes his next guest appearance on the show.

image taken by author

From the best album of one of the most popular Glam Pop acts at the height of that brand of music's time - racing may have not been without problems at the time but it was less crammed and in a better place than it is now.

A SUBJECT TO AVOID FOR THOSE WANTING TO STAY ABOARD THE GRAVY TRAIN

There is no other sport like horse racing where those given a broadcasting platform to give their assessment of situations do so knowing full well what side their bread is buttered on. They are likewise aware of the measures to take to reduce the chance of upsetting those who possess the power to ensure they'll have to make do with using Stork on their toast for the rest of their days.

While one can appreciate that when it comes to interpretation of what will, is, or has happened during a race, there are libelous shackles on that deter comments about, for example, the intentions of a rider during a race where he appeared to find unnecessary trouble, the connection with the said animal drifting in the betting market beforehand, and orders which may have been given to the jockey beforehand by the trainer and owner. 

But when the issue at heart is whether or not the sport is in a good place, and if not why not, then many tiptoe around what is arguably the pivotal issue, namely the domination of the sport by a smaller number of cliques than ever before.

This has never been more apparent than by what occurred on the ITV racing show on Saturday morning. The anchor for the programme, Rishi Pershad, brought up for discussion views expressed by the forthright  in opinion Sir Mark Prescot, when giving a recent interview to the written press.

Prescott was mirroring how many feel from racing professionals to humble fans, when declaring that the power held by the Coolmore empire, with the majority of the best hand picked eggs stacked in Ballydoyle, makes the sport less enthralling as an entertainment spectacle than it once was. 

The more mature followers of the sport will have a true feel for his sentiment. Glancing through the pre-season ante post markets for the 1979 Epsom classics,  Ballydoyle had four listed in the Derby betting with the Tote, the Graustark colt Gregorian (who would never see a racecourse) the shortest at 25/1, the other three all priced up at 33/1;  the unraced Daniel Schwartz owned Secretariat colt Foreign Secretary,  the Tattersall's 1977 yearling sales topper Link, a son of Lyphard, and Robert Sangster's Accomplice, another son of Graustark, who  would make the line up but who's biggest claim to fame was that his rider, the venerable Yves St Martin, finished the final couple of furlongs with a toilet roll streaming from him.

The eventual winner Troy was listed at 25/1 at this time - Dick Hern having what then would look to be a strong pre season presence in the Derby market with the Dewhurst runner up More Light the 12/1 second favourite, and the Queen's Mill Reef colt Milford showing at 50/1 -  three listed pre season at 12's, 25's and 50's, christ, that was considered holding a reasonably strong hand back then!

In the Oaks betting Ballydoyle had two listed, both daughters of Sir Ivor, Godetia and Ivorina priced up at 20/1 and 33/1 respectively. Henry Cecil looked to have what in the day was an exceptionally strong hand with One In A Million heading the market at 16/1, Formulate at 20/1 and Odeon at 25/1. The eventual winner, the Jeremy Tree trained Scintillate, was showing at 33/1.

So, as you think it would be their duty to do so, what did the ITV team make of Prescott's take on things ?The response was predictable  -  the other three on the team ducking the issue, to twist, and part ignore the question, with one even thinking it would be wiser to complimenting Ballydoyle and coming out with the  'success is all due to hard work'  line as though they were speaking of David Evans, Ian Williams or Roger Teal, without the relevant fact that Ballydoyle have Galileo's, 'on tap'.  

In fact, for this season, Horses In Training lists the Ballydoyle team with 112 three year olds, out of which no less than 50 are by Galileo. Compare with the equine team representing that establishment in 1979 - 26 three year olds and lucky enough to have 3 of them sired by Northern Dancer. Son's of the mighty Canadian animal did not come 'on tap', with sensibly sized stallions books being the norm and it's now hard to fathom that the Ballydoyle of then invariably had the biggest quota, even though the numbers  seem laughably small. Three!

Of course hard work is involved, of course they operate under considerable pressure with continued big race successes an expectation rather than a hope; but one can argue that pressures are at least equal further down the ladder to obtain results with a Bungle Inthejungle bought for six grand, chasing owners who have fallen behind paying their training fees, plus the permanent worry that a decrease in orders for the Autumn yearling sales would make make your own rent a struggle to meet.

What was most surprising about the poor, kop out offerings, from those on the programme was that it was Pershad himself who reiterated what Prescott had been stating and reminded the team that was what they had been expected to discuss. This from a presenter who has lately been giving support to his bud Apiafi who last week called for it to be brought to attention that the UK horse racing community did nothing to mark the first anniversary of a an ex criminal, who had previously served a jail sentence, being unlawfully killed by a police officer in the United States, who will likely spend the rest of his days in prison.

The ITV team ended the topic by attempting to make us believe that this year's renewal of the Blue Riband was shaping into an open affair with those with serious chances widely dispersed - well, there are likely to be as many as eight contenders from Ballydoyle doing their usual tactical spread of racing near the front, mid- division and hold up, to ensure they have something to take advantage of the race being run unevenly, though at the end of the day, deep down, most know that the front two in the market will likely fill the first two places. It's almost inevitable, it really is.

image from personal scrapbook 

Even those of those who are not disco music fans cannot surely have failed to being at least a bit smitten by this track that seemed to be playing everywhere during Troy's Summer of 1979.

HARD TO BELIEVE NOW HOW SO ABSORBING THIS SPORT ONCE WAS

For some reason, when many are asked when they first became fans of their favourite sport, they will often single out their earliest memory of it as opposed to when they became truly hooked. 

With racing, the mature fans will commonly single out their oldest Grand National memory as it will be from a time when the event was a truly great race, unlike what it has morphed into now - albeit the most fiercely competitive staying handicap chase in the calendar but far from the test it once presented.

The first horse's name I took aboard was Red Alligator, the second one Highland Wedding. I was also aware that Mill Reef and Brigadier Gerard were famous racehorses at the time they were racing if only because in the days of three TV channels their names popped up regularly on Saturdays. Then, like many, I remember being engrossed watching the 1973 National unfold as Crisp put the field to the sword until heartbreakingly emptying in the closing stages.

However, I would never dare cite any of these years as the moment I became properly captivated by the sport - that was in 1975, with a genuine interest gradually building throughout that year and Star Appeal's Prix de'l Arc de Triomphe victory the moment that cemented things, in the sense that I began building scrapbooks containing everything racing from that moment.

The reason these thoughts came to mind stem from the humbling fact that I only witnessed the last decade of Joe Mercer's career. If you go back a decade from the present, racing had seen better days if not quite in the appalling mess it is now on several fronts. Going back a further decade still, to just after the Millennium, it was going downhill, and back another decade to the early nineties, the sport was not keeping up with the popularity of the other major sports and the warning signs were apparent.

That is three decades of the sport gradually declining on many fronts - in stark contrast to the 1975- 1985 period, the last stage of Joe Mercer's career which saw him lose the Hern job to Willie Carson, enjoy a glorious few seasons at Warren Place when he secured his sole jockey's championship, then bow out at Seven Barrows at a time when the strength of Peter Walwyn's team was losing its mojo and was already beginning to struggle before Mercer was appointed.

Out of curiosity, I delved back through the form books to see if I could find the first time I saw Mercer in the flesh. It was Saturday May 29th 1976 at Haydock Park. Mercer guided the Geoff Toft trained Gunner B to an eight length success in the Cecil Frail Handicap. The animal would switch to the Cecil yard later in his career from where he won the Eclipse, amongst other races. At that time in 1976, we were days away from the announcement that Mercer would be replaced by Willie Carson in 1977 as the number one rider for the Hern yard.

I saw Mercer again at an evening fixture  at Haydock Park just six days later, which was the day after it was made public that he was losing the Hern job. At this meeting he rode the winner of the juvenile event, Card Player, trained by Ian Balding and carrying the Royal colours. More memorable though was his ride on Hern's Lighter in the three year old, twelve furlong handicap. The pair passed the post in front but lost the race in the stewards room after his hanging in mount was deemed to have given  the runner up, the future Ascot Gold Cup winner Shangamuzo, several race changing bumps.

My father had backed Lighter and I can remember him being very annoyed, telling me that Mercer was a now a binman and that it was no surprise Hern had sacked him -  little did those outside the loop know at the time that the decision had been made the previous October.

To demonstrate how widely the jam was spread in that 1975 - 1985 period, eleven running of the 2,000 Guineas were won by nine different trainers and nine different owners, eleven runnings of the 1,000 Guineas were won by nine different trainers and eleven different owners, eleven runnings of the Oaks won  by eight different trainers and ten different owners, the Derby by nine different trainers and ten different owners, and finally the St Leger by eight different trainers and ten different owners.

There is no need to list comparisons with recent decades, needless to say the quality is in fewer hands than ever before - you could twist things around and point to the unfashionable succeeding such as Harbour Law winning the St Leger, an animal unfashionable on the pedigree, trainer, owner and jockey front, but truth be told, such illusions of the talented bloodstock being widespread has no grounding.

Moreover, you get some characters using the platform they have to highlight what they view as positives about the present, dreary state of the game. ITV frontman Ed Chamberlin is of the opinion that the classic trials at Chester remain significant only because of the support they receive from the Ballydoyle runners  -  a ridiculous assumption that suggests that if the jam was spread wider, the Chester May meeting would not be on the road map of those in charge of the Epsom aspirants. 

The venue has long held significant classic trials, the track configuration seen ideal by many trainers down the years as a schooling ground for Epsom, thus if the quality bloodstock was stretched across a wider terrain, the Vase, Dee Stakes and Cheshire Oaks, would still frequently be on the schedule of many genuine classic hopefuls.

So, for many, at the end of the day we will just have to be content with immersing ourselves in times when the sport was far more enjoyable to follow. It was only a few weeks back that I was searching the memorabilia sites for any Brigadier prints carrying Mercer's signature. They've now become a more sought after item and would be purchasers need to be extra cautious on the authenticity front. Mind you, come to think of it, I do have his autograph so I can buy a nice print of the Brigadier, and place the signature on view inside when I frame it. That sounds good enough. 

A track from a period when the Stones were going through one of their phases. Released in April 1976, it would have been in many households when the announcement was made the day after the Epsom Derby that Joe Mercer would be losing the Hern job.

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

HERE WE GO AGAIN

Twenty three years have passed rather quickly since 1998, but the shape of the power bases in European horse racing on the flat, bears a much closer resemblance to the present day than it did to 1975, twenty three years earlier.

In 1998 Aiden O'Brien trained King of Kings to triumph in the 2,000 Guineas, his first English classic winner. The Sadler's Wells colt was then, along with Second Empire and Saratoga Springs one of his three representatives in the Epsom Derby, and it would soon dawn on everyone that fielding multiple runners with realistic chances would become the norm.

That day was not a memorable one for Ballydoyle - firstly travel delays resulted in the runners arriving with little time to spare and those with good memories will recall the odd saga unfolding when it was not clear whether the runners were arriving by boat or via Luton Airport. Ultimately, none of the runners trouble the judge.

Back in the mid seventies the power was spread wider and thinner, with the most successful handlers operating with smaller strings than has been the norm over the past two decades. Peter Walwyn housed what was viewed as the strongest English team from his Seven Barrows base in 1975, winning the Derby with Grundy, with stable companion Patch narrowly failing to take the French equivalent for the yard, both running in the colours of Dr Carlo Vittadini, who during that summer would move Orange Bay from his native Italy to Walwyn's yard. That animal was rumoured to be the best from Italy since the mighty Ribot, and two years later his final rally failed by only inches to put his head infront of The Minstrel in the King George V1 Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes.

Walwyn began 1975 with 104 animals, Henry Cecil an 85 strong string, Dick Hern had 88 under his care while M V O'Brien oversaw a stable of just 42. An incredible fact about the Ballydoyle class that year was that despite this being five years on from when Nijinsky first put Northern Dancer on the map in Europe, there was not a single animal sired by the Canadian legend in the string, which demonstrates how hard they were to obtain, and furthermore how small stallion books were in those days, something that benefited the sport in one sense as it guarded against young unproven but hyped stallions flooding the markets with rubbish for as long as four years and in doing so limiting the chances of others, maybe those run by small operations who can't afford to offer concessions.

Anyone looking back at this era who never lived through it would be surprised just how strong the French were at the time. In fact in that 1975 Derby, Maurice Zilber trained a filly, Nobiliary, to finish runner up, Alec Head trained the warm favorite Green Dancer, the French 2,000 Guineas winner who failed to stay, while the third home Hunza Dancer was trained at Epsom by Scobie Breasley who would soon be moving his operation to France at the behest of his paymaster Ravi Tikoo.

Given the strength of the in depth quality of animals based in France at the time it was surprising they were not on the scoreboard in any of the English Classics though Zilber struck with the legendary Dahlia in the Benson and Hedges Gold Cup, a race which turned out to be Grundy's swansong, and the François  Boutin trained Sagaro, arguably the greatest post WW2 stayer, won the first of his three Ascot Gold Cups. 

The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe fell to the German trained Star Appeal, formerly with John Oxx senior, the beaten favorite the Angel Penna trained Allez France, still to this day the highest rated female runner in the history of the Timeform organisation.

Forward to 1976 and the Gallic raiders took this country by storm with the Argentinian native Penna, winning the 1,000 Guineas with Flying Water, the St Leger with Crow, and the Oaks with Stradavarius's third dam Pawneese, who also won the King George at Ascot.

Zilber was successful in the Epsom Derby with Empery, the yard keeping their best three year old colt, Youth, at home for the Prix Du Jockey Club. If it wasn't for Henry Cecil's Wollow, ridden by Gianfranco Dettori, it would have been a Gallic whitewash as the runner up Vitiges was also trained in France at the time.

The point of this is to demonstrate that despite there being some powerful yards in existence the jam was spread out making the sport far more interesting - that cannot be denied. Admittedly there were rumours in circulation that some of the French set ups were not playing with a straight bat, but ways to gain edges will always be sought, we can only guess at the truth. It still doesn't remove the fact of how much more mesmerising the sport was then.

As testament to how rare it was for yards to field teams all holding realistic chances, people drooled over how lucky Dick Hern was in 1979 to field two horses in the Derby with major chances in the Royal runner Milford, and the eventual winner Troy.

Fast forward to what has happened over the past couple of decades, with the Maktoum family trying to compete with the shrewder, profit making Coolmore operation, and making some self inflicted errors in doing so.

They went through that long well publicised spell in boycotting the Coolmore stallions during which they bought New Approach and Teofilo from Jim Bolger, as a means to obtain some Galileo blood without having to deal with the Tipperary clan. Although this proved a successful ploy they did not own the two Epsom Derby winning sons of their own Cape Cross, and watched the best stallion they've had charge of Dubawi, sire a pair of Newmarket 2,000 Guineas winners that crossed the line in the colours of none of their family members.

The most pleasing development of the past few decades has been the progression of the Juddmonte farms operation who keep the numbers manageable by culling and trimming when needed, with an emphasis on concentrated quality. For the time being, the operation continues and the sport desperately needs it to. Owner breeder operations were once a most pleasing aspect for followers of the sport but many faded into oblivion after the inheriting generation did not follow suit, perhaps daunted by the prospect of  being unable to compete with the Maktoum.

To this weekend, the 2,000 Guineas, and we are back in the continued normality to which we are so accustomed to we don't bat an eyelid. Five Ballydoyle runners, four with genuine chances of winning, taken on by a Godolphin three strong Dubawi gang, two holding strong claims. 

Maybe then we should be cheering on the indies, such as the Hannon's Chindit, Jess Harrington's Lucky Vega, the two Bolger runners, Joseph O'Brien's Thunder Moon, or even Mutasaabeq who being a Shadwell animal is part indie being from a long styled Maktoum 'outpost' operation with a different modus operandi to the Sheikh Mohammed driven ones.

We'll watch and enjoy but no one could convince that the sport is not well past its heyday. The focus is now on governing the decline responsibly.

image from scrapbook 

This is the final track from an album that would of been in thousands of households during that long lasting drought hit summer of 1976, when the French trained horses cleaned up in Britain.

GLOOM AND DOOM IN EVERY DIRECTION YOU LOOK

Flat racing's outer facade in this country looked well polished this week led by the news of the prize money levels for the showcase events at York returning to their attractive pre Covid levels, something which may have surprised many.

This is a development that will ensure short term support from connections operating at the highest level as no matter how much prestige certain events carry, that element alone will not sustain the quality of these contests for an indefinite period.

It is hard not to conclude that the whole show seems to be steering towards a downsized racing model with an emphasis on retaining quality, for away from the dizzy levels at the top, the sport is in a tatty mess when compared to the other major sports that in the main survive and thrive, holding their major category status.

Think of once successful TV stars, singers or bands, who fall out of fashion and end up being thankful for a bit part to the new flavor of the day, or supporting the main show on tour. Bob Grant, alias the cheeky,  teethy Jack in On The Buses, ended up committing suicide after finding himself unemployable, unable to shake off the stereotyped character that made him popular in households up and down the country.

In fact, it's probably only those of us old enough to have seen that popular series in real time who are able to  understand just how far racing has fallen from a top tier sport, when both the BBC and ITV, covered the Epsom Derby, and when you'd switch on the telly and would frequently find yourself watching a comedy series or film where someone such as Sid James would be reading the Sporting Life.

When we are told that a certain industry or sport is  ' evolving ', it really means that it has had to change its gameface for financial purposes. Football does it regularly, cricket too, golf in a more subtle way, and racing has lately been unearthing proposals to copy ideas from these other sports.

We have this team competition nonsense on its way shortly - something developed by air heads in the hope of pulling in masses of new air heads to the sport. Those who have devised this idea may have a general sharpened awareness of the world of business, but racing is so unique that anyone a bit too cute who believes they are able to step in and play a hand in turning such an idea that is the antithesis of the sport into a success, is going to be in for a shock.

It's equally surprising that this trash has been supported by some prominent licence holders who may be able to boast of working with thoroughbreds daily for most of their lives and understanding the nuances of these great animals, but have less understanding on what attracts punters to the sport than the said punters have of healing quarter cracks.

The problem of having influential figures with no appreciation of why a punter may use more of his betting booty for a football or cricket match, a golf, tennis, snooker or darts tournament, or a Grand Prix, than on horse racing, is nothing new. In fact, where we are now with racing being overtaken by football as betting subject for the under 40's, all stems from the taking for granted of horse race punters many years back and not being able to foresee the threat which would emerge from the sports betting boom in the 1990's.

Admittedly, there are going to be some bizarre developments in the gimmicky new cricket competition about to be introduced,  but here is a sport that has been able add some razzmatazz while retaining general public appreciation of the traditional model. And at the end of the day, the audience are watching what is playing out on the field infront of them. No one will take with any degree of seriousness this random team concept in racing - the traditionalists will shun it, the party crowd will drink and spend, oblivious to it all, and if they have a bet on the day they'll return to betting on alternative sports once they leave the racecourse.

There is a serious possibility that when the true financial long term impact of the plague hits and the furlough stops, racing will be left with a programme so drastically downsized that it will result in two thirds of those involved with the sport losing their jobs. Gone will be the present day trend of stallions covering three figure books. There will be less animals passing through the chain with the sales catalogues   becoming thinner. The present model cannot be sustained.

And for those believing there is a way out should consider that the lifeblood of punters money, without which the sport could not be maintained in the UK at its present level, is not only being cut off through indifference to the sport from the emerging generations, but also from the impending affordability checks carried out by those who are forcibly self harming their own business by conducting their checks.

They talk of the moral compass changing but no thought is given to proportionality along with the fact that we don't live for an extraordinary long time. No doubt those who champion this interference have their minds wired up in a certain way, on the very same wavelength as those who support all the other daft, everyday intrusions into our lives.

You may even be doing yourself some good by exercising on a treadmill, listening to music bought to keep from i tunes, then suddenly having the volume lowered accompanied by a message that it may cause permanent damage to your hearing. No doubt this  'we know what's best for you'  action is taken by those who would like you to refrain from all the activities which don't meet with their approval.

And if you wish to advocate the glass full empty approach, add in this worrying prediction about the increase in people taking up a vegan diet, then ask yourself have you ever met a vegan who had anything nice to say about horse racing.

The flat racing model left will be a concentration of the most wealthy owners and fashionable trainers, the owners paying a higher percentage in than ever before to cover for the shortfall in punters contributions and a linked decrease in bookmakers sponsorship. 

image used under fair use policy

By ill advisedly going ahead with this coming team competition to do a 'cover version' of  other sports, horse racing will be fair game for ridicule. And more deservedly so than when this household name in Germany did a 'cover' of a gimmicky song that had been a surprise success in the UK charts during the middle of the 1978/79 jumping season.

TIME TO STOP PRETENDING THIS ONCE GREAT RACE STILL EXISTS

The Grand National, of which there was only one, has changed into something so unrecognisable from the magnificent event it once was, that to many long term racing fans its appropriate title should really be the Grand National In Name Only Chase.

Yesterday's renewal was a typically modern subdued affair, the fearful obstacles of yesteryear long gone, with no amount of green spruce able to kid observers that it's something more than an illusion. Long gone too are those Jump Sundays, at the height of their popularity in the 1970's when you'd walk the course having read the likes of Tom Forrest or Ivor Herbert's previews in the Sunday papers, then feel your stomach turn as you looked across in awe at Becher's Brook.

Admittedly, one animal sadly never returned but run a forty runner steeplechase over a marathon trip at any of the current venues, even those considered pretty tame, then you would still get regular fatalities and the Aintree event has been fortunate on that front in recent years deluding the organisers into patting themselves on the back that the lucky run on the safety front was down to the alterations they made.

If racing had stood up to those who called for changes to it's UK showcase event, many whom always and still have hopes of getting rid of the sport altogether, then it would not find itself in the back against the wall position it is in now, with nothing further to yield save perhaps a shortening in the distance and a reduction in the number of runners - it's so far removed from the race it was in the 1980's and beyond, that further changes wouldn't take much away from the present version of the contest carrying a historically famous name.

Ironically enough, when they made changes to the Mildmay course a few decades back, ironing out the sharp kink in an attempt to make it more galloping, a spokesman came out with the ridiculous comment that it would be like Newbury, when it was there for all to see that there wasn't the room available on the inside of the Grand National course to copy the Berkshire venue. 

The result was a circuit that remained on the sharp side. Forward to now with the willingness of racing's authorities to be more obedient than ever towards the wishes of those wanting to slowly dismantle the sport, then there exists more than sufficient room at the venue to tear up both the Mildmay and Grand National circuits, and build from scratch a galloping left handed track similar to Newbury, the fairest jumping course in the kingdom.

They'd still be able to pull in the cult crowds with room available for more large marquees and concert venues. The course, as a business, would be a winner and jump racing itself would be a winner. A terrific three day festival at a left handed, galloping get into a rhythm track, with a valuable 3m 2f handicap chase forming the Saturday feature event. They could scrap the open 3m 1f chase on the Thursday and make the Saturday race the richest event in the calendar making it an option that a reigning Cheltenham Gold Cup winner would not pass over.

And as well as present Gold Cup horses lining up, it would be a temption that connections of the RSA winners would find it hard to turn their backs on. It surely has to be a far more appealing prospect than trying to keep a long gone event alive in name only. If they wished to continue the play on names they could call the new event the 'New National' or something similar. 

And maybe they can finally stop transmitting the falsehood that hundreds of millions around the world watch the race, when we know that if a thirty second clip is shown on the main news in Russia, then those watching the item would be classed as viewers. Still, I guess we've  also been misled in similar ways down the years over how many worldwide view the FA Cup Final.

No doubt we are almost certainly misled over how any viewers ITV racing draw in, which had now sadly become the worst terrestrial television horse racing production in history. They are tailoring it to suit the viewers who watch it like others might watch Bargain Hunt, The Bidding Room, or Homes Under The Hammer. Just another programme that stokes up a mildly curious fascination over its content when in reality racing needs viewers who are punters, and thus are contributing to the sport and without which it could not exist on its present scale.

Yesterday's coverage was arguably the lowest and most syrupy it has ever sank to. A genuine racing fan acquaintance messaged me during it to say that he is as finding it all on the point of unbearable, also noting that the victorious rider gave the impression she just wished to be treated like a competent professional without the gender angle being used as the focal point of the proceedings.

Even in times when we are able to view all racing live, even without having a bet, I think enough is enough and many will be forced back to paying subscriptions if they want some trainer interviews or updated  to the minute news. The style along with the content of the current UK terrestial coverage of horse racing belittles a sport that deserves better.

image in public domain

A noble sounding tune from an album bearing its name and released as the 1976/77 National Hunt season was getting into full flow and when the Grand National fully deserved its heralded status.