AN EMPTY VOID THAT MAY NOT BE FILLED

Investment in National Hunt horses for keeping and racing is a costly hobby requiring a full on passion for the game and a willingness to accept that it's a pastime that will be operated at a long term loss, often a substantial one.

The big investors in the game have made their fortunes by entrepreneurship and shrewd business moves, and it will not come natural to them to enter a venture that is certain to result in a loss. Nonsense comments about age just being a number is no consolation to those who are alert to the fact of how big a worry for National Hunt racing it is, when the age of those who have been investing heavily long term is noted. These are supporters whose massive, sustained contributions are somewhat taken taken for granted.

Michael O'Leary announced that he would be winding down his substantial interest in National Hunt racing well before the Covid pandemic was even on the horizon. At the time he did not rule out a turnaround with fresh reinvestment at some stage in the future but in light of the devastating damage that the plague has had on the airline industry, that change of heart is very unlikely to ever happen. He is now 60 years of age.

J P McManus's continued support for yards up and down the country in both Ireland and England is something which no one really takes time to step back and consider that nothing lasts for ever. From the days of Jack of Trumps when Eddie O'Grady was his main trainer, McManus began to expand the trainers used and in many instances his support has been a lifeline for some operations.

McManus is now 70 years old. The time will soon arrive when he begins to wind down his interest and it is most unlikely anyone else will step in to fill the void. As a general rule the younger entrepreneurs would be less likely to become involved in operations were loss making on a large scale is assured, irrespective of the pleasures derived from.

Graeme Wylie became attached to racing relatively late on in life. After being part of the team that developed the Sage computer software, then sold his share off for an astronomical sum, he bought Lord Transcend who turned into a cracking performer at Howard Johnston's, the success resulting in Wylie investing heavily and being rewarded with some great equine contributors to the game, Inglis Drever and Tidal Bay leading the way, along with several other smart performers. 

He was faithful to Johnston in light of some sniping comments about how better he'd do if expanding the number of trainers he used. Once Johnston lost his licence, Wylie turned firstly to Paul Nicholls and Willie Mullins, to train the horses in his colours, then lately Mullins alone. The success with Johnston was never reproduced though the Mullins trained On His Own failed by inches to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Wylie is back in business developing a product to compete with Sage. He is almost certainly not going to be returning to racing - and to think we took it for granted that he'd be a prominent player in the game for the rest of his life.

Robert Ogden once had a cracking string of jumpers and there was a period when he brought Paul Carberry over as a retained rider for a three year spell in the second half of the 1990's. After they split Ogden continued with a string of forty odd quality jumpers. The striking Marlborough a real star in his own way and an important part of the jumping scene, Voy Por Ustedes ( in picture) a cracking two miler, Exotic Dancer a player in the big championship events, and who can forget how well Ad Hoc was travelling when brought down four out in Bindaree's Grand National.

Ogden long ago wound down his jumping string and will shortly be reaching 86 years of age. While Trevor Hemmings had now passed and his colours will gradually leave the scene. Just have David Johnston's have, and soon the Andy Stewart colours will have gone.

Yes, it's all very gloomy but there is a point to this. All these owners had a passion for the game that drove them to blank out their normal strict requirement to reap a financial gain because the reward of watching a National Hunt animal realise its potential and make it to the high grades was privilege worth paying for.

Though it's more of a subjective hunch than an objective fact with figures to back up the argument, there is no doubt whatsoever that the emerging owners are much, much less likely inclined to want to own National Hunt owners and more drawn to finding a juvenile on the flat that will be ready to go and bring some money back in and maybe attract some big offers from other parts of the word.

Richi Ricci seemed to appear from nowhere and could just as easily disappear as quickly. His patronage cannot be taken for granted while who know how long Noel and Valerie Moran will stay on the scene. It's a humbling thought that it only takes a few of these names to drop out ( they all will eventually, some sooner than others) to create a void that finding new investors to fill it may just not be possible.

image taken by author 

A famous opening track from a vintage album released shortly before Bright Highway won the Mackeson, and would have been in thousands of households when he followed up in the Hennessey. A time when the future of National Hunt racing seemed perpetually safe and secure.

CHRISTMAS READING

 

This is always a fitting time to restock on reading materials. In horse racing this is a process that offers a wider, historically deeper, and a more varied choice of delights than in all of the other sports.

And it's just as rewarding to track down some of the older publications than the recently reviewed offerings, some of which have been released to coincide with the Christmas period. Indeed, it's probably best for the dust to settle, then to consider a year or two down the line whether you think they are worth a read.

Two years to the month have past since the release of ' Our Honest Charlie Wood', a book that is clearly the result of author Josephine Carr painstakingly searching through the newspaper archives to chronicle the career of a rider originating from the slums of Hull to progress to be Fred Archer's greatest rival.

He won all five English Classics, including three Derbies, but his fortunes took a severe dip when he was away from action for a decade after being warned off. The book details his fight to clear his name, the powerful, influential cliques involved in the sport, and one cannot fail to be aghast at the the mind boggling amounts that riders bet on horses in those days. Well worth a read.

It's four years since the release of Henrietta Knight's  'The Jumping Game' which is a project that the former trainer set out to complete as part of the healing process after losing her long time partner Terry Biddlecombe. It involves her visiting twenty seven different trainers in Britain and Ireland, describing their training methods and adding personal comment.

These books are rarer than one would imagine. I can recall reading a book on training the racehorse by Tim Fitzgeorge Parker many, many years back, but off the top of my head am unable to name any similar books, which makes the Henrietta Knight publication even more welcoming.

It's notable how many handlers now, influenced by dressage, eventing and show jumping, work their animals in tack to encourage them to carry themselves in the correct shape with heads low, necks arched and backs curved. Some however stick to their traditional methods learnt from their masters, such as Alan King taking forward what he was taught from David Nicholson, including the short fuse.

Gordon Elliott originally picked up plenty from what he learnt from the Pipes, but turning full circle, David Pipe has now installed a short circular gallop made from Wexford Sand, which many have copied from Elliott who has utilised this gallop to maximum effect. Willie Mullins has a similar installation and there appears to be nothing out of the ball court in his modus operandi that accounts for his devastating run of big race successes.

Henry De Bromhead, like Elliott, has paddocks attached to each box, allowing the inmates to spend as much time in the open as they wish, while Venetia Williams's charges are turned straight out into fields after work and literally live outdoors during the day, are permanently caked in mud and only groomed before going to the races.

It's fascinating stuff, it really is, and it would great if a similar publication was penned on the top flat trainers. There can be no turning out in muddy fields for the big Newmarket yards and contrasting their approach with this return to nature approach, would be a thought provoking read. A retro publication looking at the  methods of  the trainers of the sixties and seventies would also appeal. 

On to an older publication but arguably one of the best racing publications ever, is ' Treasures of the Bloodstock Breeders Review' published in 1990 by the esteemed J.A.Allen & Co Ltd. The book is compiled by Ametican Leon Rasmussen who worked for Daily Racing Form for five decades, and former Jockey Club handicapper Miles Napier.

The Bloodstock Breeders Review was published annually from 1912 to 1979, and Rasmussen and Napier set about salvaging and reproducing the very best from the publication and have produced the best dip in and out racing book you can wish to read, and it's as good a read from start to finish too!

As an example of the delights contained in this book,there was a reproduction of an interview journalist Arthur W. Coaten conducted with legendary trainer John Osbourne jnr in 1917, the handler 84 years of age at the time. God knows what he would have made of the compressed weight range often seen in handicaps nowadays as he was bemoaning the gap from top to bottom a hundred years back and comparing it with the previous century, when a mare he trained, Alice Hawthorn, finished runner up in the Chester Cup giving away 5st 8lb to the winner!

Going back to books published even earlier, I managed to finally secure a copy of 'Classic Lines', to add to my copy of ' A Decade Of Champions' both narrated by Patrick Robinson with stunning template size paintings by Richard Stone Reeves. 

And for value, many of the old Timeform Annuals are available for buttons on eBay and I have now completed my collection for the 1960's. When good condition memorabilia is available so cheaply it is a sad sign of how the popularity of horse racing has dipped compared to half a century back. I also obtained a 1965 Raceform Annual from Lester Piggott's own library for sixteen quid, signed too. And anyone doubting authenticity should maybe try sticking a book on eBay, state that it's from the library of a famous person, and see how quickly they receive contact from a legal source.

Away from racing Roger Daltrey's ' Thanks A Lot Mr Kibblewhite' was an enthralling read for those who are fans of the traditional rock bands. And for the many who are still fascinated by the Cold War era,  'Stalin's Englishman' a metacilously researched book about the life of Guy Burgess, is unputdownable. And topically, books about Australian cricketers tend to be good reads and I'm presently enjoying Mark Taylor's 'Time To Declare'. It doesn't contain the shock and sleaze element of Shane Warne's ' No Spin' but is nevertheless very entertaining in its own way.

This multilingual lady from Switzerland has enjoyed a three decade long career on the European continent and is still going strong. Let's pretend this was released in December 1974 when Captain Christy prevented Pendil from achieving a hatrick of King George Chase victories.

SMALL DELIGHTS WITH BIG CONCERNS

You often have to search pretty hard nowadays to find aspects of horse racing to give credit to, particularly when it comes to visiting racecourses, something that on the majority of occasions has increasingly become more of a chore than a pleasure.

For those who now become unsettled amid the throngs who fill the cult courses or those the themed race days on almost any course, December is arguably the most suitable month to spend a day on track.There is something eerily attractive about National Hunt racing on those days when it never gets properly light, and the other seasonal elements come into play.

Aintree hosted an excellent card last weekend which included Grand National and Gold Cup winners of the past, plus plausible winners of those races in the future, along with an opening novice hurdle where the first three home all look smart animals in the making.

Although it was themed ' Christmas Party Day', there was thankfully no partying attendees on show - maybe they congregated in one of the indoor private suites but if they were they did not venture out. For those more than content to watch the action live outdoor, visit the paddock, view a race by the final flight of hurdles, view the first half of the Becher Chase on the embankment standing level with The Chair, and only going indoors to watch a race or two from Sandown, then the twenty quid paid for a Tatts ticket on the racecourse website was a bargain, a rarity to find given the types of attendees the courses openly court nowadays.

The Grand National course is a tribute version to the one that existed when the famous race provided a daunting test but it's still a sight to see a horse in rhythm leading the pack and Snow Leopardess ( in picture) being a grey in conditions where visibility was poor, added to the occasion.

Robbie Dunne has never had his name in lights more than at this moment. His mount in the closing event Pounding Poet was headed in the dying strides, and watching from railside as the two principals passing as they fought to the line, it crossed my mind that it could be a long time before Dunne was in the heat of action again - this less than an hour after Greaneteen had taken the Tingle Creek with Byrony Frost aboard. 

As things have transpired he had a losing ride the following day at Kelso, his last before his harsh punishment was handed out by the authorities, given that a good proportion of the evidence centered on in what context comments were made, on heresay, and even more bizarrely included evidence from a fence attendant relating to what he is supposed to have heard Dunne shout at Frost as the runners passed during a race.

ITV Racing have been discussing the case, along with the presently running Tylicki v Gibbons civil action case.Those fronting ITV racing claim that both cases are bad news for the sport and appear to be under the illusion  that they are bold in openly discussing them - even informing their ' younger audience' who in reality are non existent, that the weighing room hullabaloo is not the norm.

Truth is, many indifferent to the sport fail to appreciate how brutally dangerous and competitive it actually is. When riders are killed in action the amount of newsprint the reports take up are a small fraction of the coverage a fatality would receive in other sports. Furthermore, those taking no more than a passing interest in racing do not appreciate how dangerous falls in flat racing are.

As for the weighing room carry on - well, the more publicity it receives in the wider press, more of the general public will realise that it's a deadly serious sport swirling with bitterness, jealousy and some intimidation which are aplenty in all top level sports. In fact, this is not something that will turn potential fans away from the sport.

It cannot be repeated enough that the area in which the sweeping under the carpet takes place is that of the high wastage rate within the thoroughbred industry, something which is now out in the open and will eventually do untold damage to the game as apart from the betting angle, it's the animals themselves that form the biggest attraction in the game.

Admittedly, those within the thoroughbred section of the sport, many who have links with farming, will understandably wonder what all the fuss is about, coming into contact with abattoirs on a regular basis or even having to dispose of animals themselves - but at the end of the day horses stoke up sentimental feelings in many, unlike pigs or poultry, and until the Panorama programme was broadcast ( other documentaries  are sure to follow), it's amazing to how few realised how many animals leave training each year and how difficult it is to find second homes away from racing, with many such establishments relying on charitable donations and having no room at the inn.

There was a pleasant enough lady handing out small, rainbow patterned ' Racing is for Everyone' badges at Aintree last weekend.This alone can do no harm but one can't help wondering that with the political leanings of the rainbow groups often close to those of some of the animal liberation factions, those being invited in might take a look around their new sport then wish to lobby for radical changes that would at the very least put National Hunt racing in even more peril than its already in.

image taken by author 

This from another household name in Central and Northern Europe who is almost unknown here. This from 2005 but we can return to when racing was in better shape and pretend it was released the weekend when Father Delaney won the Massey Ferguson.

A SPORT FACING DANGERS FROM ALL CORNERS OF SOCIETY

One wonders at what point the momentum building 'war' being waged on betting will reach its ceiling. Those with horse racing at heart once hoped and even believed that those actively opposed to the most addictive forms of gambling would pat themselves on the back for a job well done once the war on FOBTs was won.

Surely they could see the difference between speculating wildly without reflection time, and putting in hard cash to support an opinion as a hobby, albeit one that can be costly when wrong decisions are made. Surely they would realise how LBO's had been taken over by a different breed of gambler with no interest in wagering on anything equine

But those of us who naively in support of the ultimately successful campaign to limit the stakes per spin on these sinister, gaudy machines, and who ignored warnings that once they unarm the most damaging aspects of the FOBTs they would turn their attention to betting on horses amongst other things, now wish   the FOBTs remained as soul destroying as they were, and remained at the core of anti gambling campaigns.

Most worryingly, it is becoming increasingly clear that those jumping aboard this interfering anti gambling bandwagon who consist of cross party MP's, anti gambling organisations, and some sections of the national media, will not stop until a regulatory system is in place that will monitor and impose affordability limits on an individual - this after nosing through their personal finances.

Right now the bookmaking firms have some very concerned bigwigs pulling the strings. Having to play along with the game, put on a soft, warm game face, concerned for the welfare of the clients. One upon a time stories were abundant involving the big firms wining and dining their biggest players (well the careless ones at least), accompanying them to live sporting events while accommodating their erratic betting patterns, then completely cutting ties once they had drained the client of his whole disposable  wealth.

This still remains the inherent instinct of those running the these big national firms. It's a ruthless business model and one that will also stamp on smaller, rival firms that set up nearby. Right now they are frantically considering all possible options to prevent this meddlesome enemy from removing their clout - lobbying and strengthening their ties with MP's who may have ulterior motives for offering their support. to undercutting McDonald's on morning snacks and coffees, ostensibly to portray a mumsey image but in reality to hook in who they hope will become addictive gamblers.

Let's be honest, all punters, even those who concentrate in the main on horse racing and who consider themselves genuine fans, will from time to time show a degree of irresponsibility. Often coming in the form of getting a bit too cute when things are going well and placing some careless wagers when the bank is big, or at the other end of the scale trying to smash your way out of a poor run, which in the worst case scenario results in an enforced sabbatical during which everything you want to back but at the very best can only afford a fraction of normal stakes, wins.

Moreover it's something that all lifelong punters are able to take on the chin - never too happy during a good run, never too down during a bad one. If these proposals that these anti gambling lobbying groups are introduced, such as being allowed to lose, say, £200 a month, punters will be sent insane, using up their allowance in the first week then painfully watching from the sidelines as a host of horses in your mental notebook go in without carrying any of your money which you know you could have afforded to bet, but live a life were out of choice having a bank for Cheltenham is a bigger priority than a new three piece suite.

And what of the destruction such measures will inflict on horse racing? Take no notice of those who say racing doesn't need punters to survive. It's not just the levy; media rights would not be worth a box of matches if punters deserted the sport as no one would want to watch racing anymore. Yes, it's fine us genuine racing fans say they can watch racing all day without having a bet, and would happily spend life reading historic racing books, but for the funding of the sport to be maintained at any sort of reasonable level at a time when racing's share of the betting pie continues to decrease, it will not be able to overcome a scenario where affordable limits are imposed.

For starters a majority of racing bettors, probably a significant one too, would just tell any operator to stuff his checks up his jacksie. And even those what comply would, from reduced levels of wagering, have collectively a detrimental affect on the money that can be harvested for the sport.

There exist serial spenders who run up huge debts on their numerous credit cards, buying clothes with the in vogue labels that may be worn just once;  there are amateur stock market players who lose devastating sums by going in heavy on Blue Chip 'investments', the stock market equivalent to big race odds on favourites, then there are those who through lack of knowledge and preparatory research, invest all they have in a franchise that goes backwards.

But the attention is on gambling which is becoming the new smoking. Just like the 'smoking can damage your health'  messages on the sides of a packet of Players No 6, we had the ' bet responsibly' slogans. Then in line with pictures of diseased lungs on the ciggy packets, we had adverts showing angry characters betting, leaving a subliminal message that this was a first step to mental ruin.

In the case of cigarettes, the anti smoking lobbies took a while to really gain control as for literally decades it was slogans and pictures, even the removal of tobacco advertising from sport did not hold any clues to what was around the corner for the banning of smoking in indoor public places including pubs, allied to a price hike out of proportion to previous ones, has set the way for a move to outlaw smoking outdoor, with the ultimate aim of removing cigarettes from the shops.

For those of us old enough to recall aunties and uncles who'd smoke up to 80 cigarettes a day, every day, and who lived to ripe ages, this villifying a habit of choice is a little disturbing even if it will assist the collective health of those it targets.

It appears that the anti gambling brigade have now quickly reached the equivalent of outlawing smoking in public indoor places. And if they are able to install an affordability check system in place they would have reached the same stage in just a few years that the tobacco opponents took decades to reach. 

This is a real worry.And it's so ironic that there are innovations in racing to get the emerging generations involved at the same time that other bodies are brainwashing them on the evils of punting. Have no doubt, the future of this sport is in peril.

Advent has begun so on to some xmas music - this from a talented Belgium singer who is a household name in many mainland European countries. It's from the late 1990's but reverting back to a better time for racing let's pretend it was released the weekend when Bregawn beat Captain John in the 1982 Hennessey.

THIS SPORT IS ON ITS WAY OUT

This present weekend is a reminder that ten years have now passed since Kauto Star was beginning his last hoorah. Four or five decades back you could guarantee that such an illuminary, along with his monster rival and stable companion Denman (in picture), would have refuelled the racing fanbase and put untold mileage on the future well being of the sport.That is sadly no longer the case.

It's not really that long ago and was a most welcoming era that coincided on the level with SeaThe Stars career and the beginning of Frankels, and witnessed a continued run of years that was a gift to racing, something that in another era would have consolidated the standing of the sport, even without promotion from within.

However, times had already changed in a sport that had fallen a couple of tiers in real popularity (which is not measured by a head count of the weekend and evening attendees at the cult crowd courses), and the number of new genuine racing fans the era attracted is now comparatively small as the decline has continued.

There was a TV interview after one of Frankel's victories with Khalid Abdullah's racing manager Lord Grimthorpe, who was full of beans and cheerily proclaiming that Frankel will have created a whole new generation of racing aficionados.

The problem for those who are within the confines of the racing circle is that they overestimate the popularity of the sport outside of their cliques. It's regrettable but true that the horse who surpassed the Timeform rating of the mighty Sea Bird, something we never thought would happen, would not break into the outside world and be lauded like a Pele,Viv Richards, Mark Spitz, Mohammed Ali, Eddie Merckx, Ayrton Senna did in their respective sports. For truth be told, outside of the sport there is no Frankel legacy.

In the case of Kauto Star, the best chaser since Arkle, more hope could be clinged on to for it is invariably the great National Hunt horses that stoke up admiration for the game and reign in new fans. Grundy was a distant background figure compared to Red Rum in the popularity stakes, the same could be said when comparing Nashwan to Desert Orchid, or Sea The Stars with Kauto and Denman.

Alas, no long term benefit had been derived from that wonderful period for steeplechasing that concluded nearly a decade back. Just look around racecourses now and see what a rarity if is to spot a book stall, or one with paintings and photos.These were once standing dishes at almost every course and appeared to be attracting a strong, steady stream of business throughout the day.

It's a sign that the tracks are being populated by an increasingly 'cold' audience who have no feel for the game. You saw them at Cheltenham last weekend when ITV randomly picked out a group of twenty somethings on course who were going on about backing number this and number that. This really is how it is.

And those pictures from Haydock Park today - yes there were plenty crowded around the paddock but it was hard to pick anyone out who looked under forty, a sign that the attendees born after1980 are a different species from the fans who have sadly either passed on, are seriously ill, are infirm, or who have gone mad with age.

Some may say, well, what's to worry about if they call horses by numbers or don't buy old racing books? The worry is that these emerging generations will wager their betting money on things other than racing away from the course. And as the share of racing's percentage of the betting pie decreases, the financial shortfall will deepen.

This can't be repeated enough, nor can the certainty that anyone becoming hooked on the sport and developing a real passion for it, will be a punter for life and a contributor as most, no matter how knowledgeable, lack the iron clad self discipline to squeeze out a long term profit.

The attempt by the TV broadcasters to allay an impression that the sport is thriving is total illusory. It's wilting. And what is scary is that we exist in an era were customs, beliefs and habits don't change gradually anymore, they change overnight. 

The most ridiculous concepts are being forced on society and rapidly moving tide of change will leave horse racing behind. It's not a sport that can modernise and keep its place.To those who make things move within populations, any sport that involves animals is not one that is acceptable to have links with.

Whether it be in the area of betting turnover, or in the sphere of the high equine wastage rate within the sport, no amount of cajolery from smug TV frontmen will improve the standing  of the sport. It's merely  papering over cracks that can't now fully be hidden. 

That Panorama programme has done more damage than those within the sport think. Try talking to normal everyday people who once thought that the so called welfare issues within the sport were confined to the Grand National and whips - the programme really proved to be an eye opener for them.

ITV racing addressed it once, raised it as a concern, but have gone quiet, preferring instead to portray a John Craven's Newsround image of the sport, probably hoping that the wastage issue is back to how it was - out of sight, out of mind. 

They are very mistaken. It's a subject now out in the open and one that won't be going away. 

image taken by author

This previously unreleased track appeared on what was in most part a compilation album released the day before Terry Biddlecombe partnered the Fred Rimmel trained future Grand National winner Gay Trip to success in the Mackeson. As well as the horse racing being in a better place, so to was music. Anyone who has read Roger Daltrey's ' Thanks A Lot Mr Kibblewhite' will be aware how much respect he had for the singing ability of Steve Marriott.

CONDITIONS THAT NEED TO BE IN PLACE FOR AN ENJOYABLE DAY AT THE RACES

There has to be a set of circumstances that fall together to make it bearable to go racing nowadays, particularly on weekends, given that we clearly have emerging generations who have considerably less enthusiasm for horse racing than those preceding them.

Aintree looked a good opportunity. There were no themes attached to the programme, the weather forecast was a gloomy one with grey skies and showers forecast throughout the day. All in all it had all the ingredients to offer an enjoyable day for those who still go along for the actual racing.

As things turned out, the fact that the crowd was modest in size made things bearable but evidence was all around of how, in those months when the climate is more friendly, staying at home is the better option.

Finding a speck down by the rails to watch the opener I was joined by a large group of twenty somethings,  well groomed lads and girls with their drinks in hand, bottles of what looked like Prosecco, bottles of beer, all very vocal, all with southern sounding brogues. They were referring to the horses they backed by their number as opposed to name. As the runners passed the stands for the first time one of the group was yelling  "fall over! fall over! fall over! " - the others seemed to find this amusing.

This is how people develop when brought up on the modern, sanitised comedy, while those of a certain age will recall being able to laugh together with the family at the likes of On The Buses, The Two Ronnies, Rising Damp, and many more in that mould. Timeless, still funny, and you have to be pretty retarded not to be able to chuckle at such classic comedy. In fact, good advice would be to make a point of not associating with such dreary characters who cannot find amusement in these shows. 

The only pleasing moment was when a gust picked up and a heavy shower broke out during the late stages of the races. But they hadn't had enough and were back out for the second race, shouting encouragement to number this and number that. I hardly heard a horses name mentioned never mind the name of a trainer or rider.

The racing industry are reaping what they've sown. These characters will not betting on the horses away from the course thus are not contributing to the pot that racing desperately needs to survive. Media rights are are interwoven with the public betting on horses so it's ridiculous to think that racing's share of the betting pie can continue to decrease without threatening the value of pictures from the tracks.

Admittedly some venues make their largest chunk from party type crowds, particularly in the summer months. But at the end of the day these 'racegoers' feel no attachment to the sport and are fodder to be drawn away to the next in vogue rival attraction. They are merely sticky plaster papering over the cracks.

Another way of losing decent attendees is the fact that everthing bar exchanges with the small number of racecourse bookmakers in attendance was payment by card only, as I discovered when purchasing a coffee  and a Fanta. Whether this is a way of using covid as an excuse to make these transactions the only option I've no idea as only an airhead would truly believe that it reduces the spread of infections. 

Maybe, it's just an empty, nannying, ' caring' gesture though it would be certain that there would of been one or two elderly people in attendance who went without any form of refreshment for the duration of the meeting. It's measures like this that half make you wish racecourses harm and lack of prosperity.

On popping inside to watch a couple of races from the off meetings there was a group of half shot lads chanting football songs. I've no idea the team they were singing about but they were not local and again had southern accents, sounding as though they came from as far down as south of the midlands at least. The only warming sight was to spot someone with Betfair on his phone watching a race from Donny while glancing at the in running prices. Another racing fan! They are a rarity.

It crossed my mind that none of those downing the booze can have been racing fans. There was a certain Breeders Cup to look forward to in the evening and those beginning their sessions at noon clearly had no intention of watching the action from Del Mar, though truth be told most were probably unaware of its existence.

Two further examples of the glaring lack of enthusiasm for things racing are that all those who bothered to view the animals in the paddock seemed over forty at the very least. And as I always wander down to the final flight of hurdles to watch a race or two, I came across only one other person who was passionate enough over proceedings to do the same.

The course hosts Becher Chase day on December 4th. It could be extremely pereshing. It will be gloomy with no proper daylight, hopefully rain and wind too. People will have Christmas on the mind, respiratory viruses will have surged, perhaps Mr 'fall over' will have caught something nasty along with his cohorts. It really does have the appeal of an enjoyable day for genuine racing fans.

image taken by author

No cover versions can beat the original of this sung by a class act whose own cover versions surpass the originals. Too classy to have been released in the 1990's thus to join in with the modern spirit of rewriting the past, let's say it was released the week that Rag Trade won the original Grand National which is no more.

A SPORT THAT CAN ONLY DREAM OF PAST DAYS

 

One can only chuckle over how many in the cricket world express deep concern over the future of the Test game as though the whole sport is in crisis - a sport that when put side by side with racing, is absolutely thriving on a global basis and whose formats that have unorthodox razzmatazz added will eventually create new fans, many of whom will then gradually be weaned on to appreciating the traditional format. 

It's now customary for all the household names of the game to keep to the script about the Test format being in grave danger but some of the suggestions to tackle the so called crisis are workable and could be the solution - such as Geoffrey Boycott's proposal for the five day game to be slotted into four, longer days, with stricter rules to deter slow over rates.There exists no unmovable object that would prevent a mass resurgence in the popularity of the Test game.

From a horse racing point of view it almost makes one jealous of the position cricket is in. For in racing they do not turn back from change. The Grand National In Name Only Chase will never revert back to the real thing, that butterfly in the stomach test of a race it once was. Haydock Park will never rebuild that wonderful old chasing course with drop fences and the second longest run in, in the country. That heart in the mouth second last on the old course at Cheltenham will never revert back to where it was once cited.

It's the problem of animals and sport not going together in the modern world. Even without this angle, there is also the damage created by greed ruining the fixture list. Do we really enjoy the Breeders Cup as much since the extra races and Friday were introduced?  And we know too well how the Cheltenham Festival has to a real extent been ruined by the increased number in opportunities for connections to dodge and dive when picking the race for their animals to compete in.

We can only sit back and marvel at the immediate success of the Dublin Festival that has more in common with a 1970's  Cheltenham Festival than the present Prestbury Park event does with it's former counterpart.

Curiously, some will be trying to use the marvelous Frodon to forward a view that the Anglo-Irish balance of power in the jumping game is not presently as one sided as the majority righly make it out to be. In reality it's a sad reflection of how threadbare the quality of fields that fill the British mainland programme is when you consider that on paper, the field that lined up for the Down Royal race yesterday could feasibly turn out to be better than the one that lines up in the Kempton Park showcase event on Boxing Day.

It's such a wonderful high quality Christmas programme in Ireland that it's now more likely the King George V1 Chase would be chosen as an opt out from the more competitive Leopardstown race, notwithstanding of course the different nature of the Kempton circuit,

And talking of the increasing pattern whereby the showcase Saturday events in the UK mainland jumping fixture list are producing fields with quality thinner on the ground than in living memory, yesterday's Charlie Hall not surprisingly saw a turn out weaker than what would have been expected in former times. A once exciting animal in Cyrname who had for a spell been officially rated the best chaser in training but who has now truly lost his mojo,  up against Shan Blue,  a high class novice from last season whose merits were exposed come Festival time.

Ironically, he may end up winning the King George, something which would be a reminder of how ordinary the quality of the British mainland National Hunt programme has now become. While it's true that the high class hurdlers and chasers are campaigned more sparingly nowadays, they do not exist in any sizeable number in the UK to fill the quality races even if more bolder approaches came back into fashion.

Those of us old enough to have got hooked on racing the year that Comedy Of Errors regained his crown from Lanzarote, then to witness the front running hurdler who was arguably the greatest of them all, Night Nurse, come onto the scene, will have given up trying to reason with those who use Istabraq as the benchmark to compare all top class hurdlers with.

With regularity the main protagonists for the hurdling crown would be appearing in one combination or an other with the magnificent array of support players, some such as Bird's Nest having serious claims for the title, others being solid animals worthy of their place in the line ups of such events such as Dramatist, Flash Imp, Tree Tangle, Navigation, along with a former Epsom Derby sixth who after being purchased by Scotsman Pat Muldoon had moved from the Beckhampton stables of Jeremy Tree to G W Richard's, then to Peter Easterby's yard after a fall out. Just Sea Pigeon and yes, at that stage of his hurdling career he was just a support player. What an era!

Back to the present and irrespective of whether or not the inbalance in Anglo-Irish strength is maintained - of which there is no guarantee that it will be beyond the near future - the sport must brace itself as its general profile and popularity declines in comparison to other sports.

It has been revealed that Spotlight Sports, the owners of the Racing Post, are up for sale. The appeal is being branded on the data products it owns with an emphasis of continued expanion into sports other than racing.This is further confirmation that the portion of the betting pie taken up by horse racing will continue to decrease.

And without doubt one of the other sports where eyes go blurred at some of the figures involved in the betting liquidity will be the shorter format cricket competitions  - although the amounts involved in tests involving the main teams are also impressive. If only those involved in that sport realised  how truly safe and secure it's future really is.

A track from an album released two months before Comedy Of Errors regained his crown, and which would have been in thousands of racing fans households by the end of the year when Night Nurse emerged  as a champion in waiting.