A Symmetrical Year

In terms of racing there has been a certain symmetry to 2009.

The year began with the racing program being decimated by bad weather and the year is ending the same way.

Both the flat and National Hunt scenes have been dominated, literally, by stars.

We have seen the 25th anniversary of all-weather racing in the UK and continued decline of racing coverage on the BBC.

Also the sport is having to face the realisation of the wider economic slump.

It is ironic with all the talk of global warming racing has been badly hit by freezing conditions in 2009. January and February saw the loss of 52 meetings, whilst December is also seeing a spate of weather related cancellations.

Racing authorities responded to the spate of cancellations by scheduling extra all weather meetings, mainly – or is that exclusively – at the behest of the bookmakers, who seem to be champions of the sandpit racing. Presumably because it is fodder for the mug punters.

Indeed the bookmakers have again been flexing their muscles in 2009. To the extent one seriously has to ask who actually runs racing – is it the BHA or is it the bookmakers. One sometimes wonders.

Hindsight is wonderful but I must confess if I could turn the clock back to 1961 when betting offices were “legitimised” I would fight the bill tooth and nail. Looking back I do not believe the bookmaking industry has been good for racing and racing would have been better served has we had a Tote monopoly with a fixed percentage going back into the sport. With such provision the sport would, I believe, be in a better financial situation than it currently is.

We are now faced with the situation where the industry basically has to go “cap in hand” to the Levey negotiations to try and get money from the bookmakers, most of whom are now based offshore.

Indeed the Levy is archaic. With racing accounting for only a small percentage of bookmakers turnover it seems incongruous the industry should be treated as a special case. If racing receives a levy then why shouldn’t football, rugby, tennis, golf or cricket?

On the track we have been treated to two super stars, one in either code. This year it is impossible to claim the two champions are not stars as it is in their name. In the yellow corner, for the flat team we have Sea The Stars and for National Hunt, in the green and yellow corner, we have Kauto Star.

John Oxx’s Sea The Stars is the undisputed star of the flat in 2009. He overcame a training setback to win the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket.

The Derby was the next target, a race he approached with doubts about his stamina over 1½ miles. As he demonstrated his fantastic turn of foot The Derby was won without even breaking into a sweat. His detractors claimed he was lucky in the race was run to suit him


Next up was the Coral Eclipse at Sandown, down to 1¼ miles but taking on his elders for the first time. This time he had to work hard for victory but victorious he was beating fellow three-year-old Rip Van Winkle by a length with their elders four lengths plus in arrears.


Then the Juddmonte at York, only three rivals all from the O’Brien yard with Mastercraftsman his only serious rival. Riding a waiting race jockey Mick Kinane asked for an effort a furlong out and Sea The Stars eased into the lead for another length victory.

It was back to home territory in September as he lined up in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown. Once again his main challengers came from the O’Brien yard and although O’Brien runners took 2nd, 3rd and 4th places the winner was invariably Sea The Stars with a comfortable 2½ length victory.

His swan son was in, arguably, Europe’s greatest middle distance race the Prix De l’Arc De Triomphe at Longchamp. Two furlongs out it looked as though he was going to blot his copy book. However his veteran rider Mick Kinane did not panic and when a gap appeared he weaved his way through, the horse showing fantastic acceleration and a furlong out he was in front.

The rest, as they say, is history.

I was privileged to be in Paris that afternoon. I have never seen or felt such raw emotion at a racetrack. Standing in the press viewing area, surrounded by wizened and hardened hacks I wasn’t the only one to have tears running down my cheeks.

The brilliant horse, having achieved the unique Guineas / Derby / Arc treble has been retired to stud. Hopefully next year he will cover Zarkava , the 2008 Arc winner.

His rider Mick Kinane also decided to hang up his boots – not sure if he is off to stud as well – after a brilliant career and a season it would be impossible to better.

Also on the flat Ryan Moore was, once again, champion jockey.

Kieran Fallon finally returned to the saddle to show what a good rider he can be and he can put his demons behind him he could be the one to give Moore most to worry about next season.

On the jumps it was the other star Kauto Star who has taken most of the plaudits.

Having won last years King George for the third time his 2009 debut was in the Blue Riband Cheltenham Gold Cup, where he faced stablemate Denman (returning after a heart scare) and his old rival Exotic Dancer.


The race was over three from home when he hit the front and powered clear to record a 13 length victory over Denman with Exotic Dancer a further 2½ lengths back in third. In winning the race he became the first horse to regain the Gold Cup.

After his summer break her returned to Haydock for the Betfair Chase, where last year he unseated Sam Thomas at the last. He put in a clear round this year but his backers had a fright as Imperial Commander made him fight all the way to the line, with many observers thinking the champion had been beaten. After what seemed ages Kauto Star was awarded the race by a nose.


His final appearance this year was his attempt to win a fourth consecutive King George. Lining up against a high class field he put in what can only be described as the perfect performance.

His jumping was sublime and foot perfect. Taking the lead turning for home the judge needed binoculars not a camera to determine the winning distance as he came home 36 lengths clear of his rivals.

Of course his stablemate Denman cannot be ignored. Coming back from his heart scare he had an easy introduction back, coming second to Madison du Berlais at Kempton.

Next up was the Gold Cup, where he was arguably still not fully fit, and his second to Kauto Star.

He reappeared quickly in the Totepool Bowl at Aintree where he took a crashing fall two out. The screens went up and he was taken away in a horse ambulance but luckily the worse he suffered was a bad cut. The news was not so good for Exotic Dancer, runner-up in the contest, who sadly collapsed and died in the stables after the race.

After a summer break Denman was back at Newbury for the Hennessy. Burdened with a top weight of 11st 12lbs he was giving 17lbs plus to his rivals.

Despite this welter burden he came home a convincing 3½ length winner.

Elsewhere Venetia Williams became only the second woman to train a Grand National winner as 100/1 outsider Mon Mome took the Aintree showpiece.

It is hard to believe 2009 saw the 25th anniversary of all-weather racing. To some a great racing format to others the spawn of the devil.

It was mixed news for racecourses in 2009. Attendances seemed to buck the recession with a slight year on year rise on 2008.

January saw the demise of the ill-fated Great Leighs a course seemingly fated from the outset, late opening and seemingly dragged down by poor management.

By contrast the UK’s newest course Ffos Las opened to near universal acclaim. Its well drained racing surface attracting praise from some of the toughest critics – the top trainers.

Mixed news for those who rely of terrestrial for the television coverage. The BBC announcing they are greatly reducing their 2010 coverage on television.

BBC Radio has fared little better with their plumbing the depths and turning their racing coverage into a pantomime farce on the Friday of Royal Ascot.

A new agreement has been reached with Channel Four, however at a cost to racing where the industry is paying C4 to cover the sport – another case of the tail wagging the dog?

As in the real world the recession has hit the sport. The Levy being reduced with a consequential drop in prize money. Even the top owners are cutting back, some reducing their strings others leaving the sport entirely.

It will be interesting to see what impact the financial crisis in Dubai has on the Arab involvement in the sport. They are saying the funding issues are separate and unconnected. However I fail to see how, morally, the rulers of Dubai can continue to inject such huge funds into the sport when their country is verging on bankruptcy.

All in all 2009 has been an eventful year – I wonder what 2010 has in store for us?

BBC Contempt For Racing

Once again the BBC has clearly illustrated the contempt in which it holds racing.

In the BBC Sports Personality Of The Year, racing was given a derisory 45 seconds, plus a surreal item on Sea The Stars by that well known racing personality Professor Robert Winston – I cannot recall the last time I saw him on a race course!!

Yet BBC Radio’s erstwhile racing correspondent, Cornelius Lysaght, says in a Twitter posting “Racing industry loves to knock this prog but decent coverage length.”

Decent length?

A 45 second summary in a two hour program – decent?

Plus a meaningless item about, arguably the greatest horse of this generation, fronted by a fertility expert with no active involvement in racing. Why couldn’t Jim McGrath have presented an item about the horse?

Even gymnastics and cycling had a greater air time in the program.

Can you imagine the outcry if Football was dismissed in such an offhand manner? There would be questions in The House.

Then there was the award itself … Ryan Giggs, in defence of his victory Lysaght says, “here is a 36 year old decent guy still playing that you cant fail to admire.”

What about AP McCoy? He has been around almost as long as Giggs, has made a greater contribution to his sport than Giggs has ever made to his, yet he never, ever makes the shortlist.

Racing on BBC Television will be almost non-existent next year as they “cherry pick” the big races, Grand National, Derby, Royal Ascot and a couple of other meetings. Remember the days when Grandstand always had racing almost every week, sometimes two meetings in an afternoon.

It isn’t much better on BBC Radio Football, sorry Radio Five Live.

If there is a goal somewhere in some obscure game in the Blue Square Conference that will invariably take precedence over a live race commentary.

Even when there is live commentary it risks becoming a pantomime farce, literally.

BBC Radio has one of the best commentators in the business in the shape of John Hunt, yet even he ends up playing the stooge in a pantomime farce, a criminal waste of his talent.

Cast your mind back to the Friday of Royal Ascot 2009.

Instead of dedicated coverage of the Royal Meeting, coverage was interspersed with the Simon Mayo show (a broadcaster who makes no secret of his dislike of racing). On this particular afternoon he was performing a double act, in front of an audience, with some character called Mark Kermode, or listening to what he spouts he should perhaps be called Mark Commode.

Two races, the Albany and Coronation Stakes were to be broadcast during this sequence.

What happened, with both races, was that Cornelius Lysaght came up with 3 fancied horses and allocated them to the left hand, middle and right hand sections of the audience back in the studio.

They were instructed to cheer every time that horse was mentioned. During the race John Hunt would pause every time he mentioned one of these horses and they'd cut to the studio audience cheering.

Granted it was an extreme example and has, fortunately, never been repeated.

However the coverage was crass, embarrassing and should never have been broadcast in the first place.

What were Lysaght and Hunt thinking of agreeing to take part in such a farce?

Surely they are not that desperate to get the racing broadcast that they would stoop to any level?

If I were the racing correspondent, I would have refused point blank to play along with the charade and if it meant the races not being broadcast then so be it. I would, however, have made damned sure the public knew why the races had not been broadcast.

Even ignoring this extreme example there are still plenty of unnecessary interruptions in commentaries, especially in national hunt races, to serve as a distraction.

People generally listen to racing commentaries on the radio because they are unable to watch the race live or on television. They need the commentator to paint the picture of what is happening, developing the scene.

What they don’t want is to hear the views of Luke Harvey or anybody else, as the horses cross the Melling Roadback onto the main course at Aintree, they want to hear John Hunt describing the action.

Racing is not like football or golf, where commentators can be whimsical or engage in chit-chat. The action is relatively short and sharp and nothing should detract from the action on the track.

Since the late Peter Bromley retired the diminution of racing coverage on BBC Radio has been palpable.

No more classified racing results, no more results in sports bulletins. No more morning or evening racing bulletins.

One of the “justifications” for dropping the racing results was the information is available on Teletext or the internet. Not if you are driving and want to hear the results it isn’t!! Anyway the same argument could be applied to any sports results or sports news. Why not drop the classified football results, after all they are available on text and online?

I remember, a couple of years ago, when Alan Lee in The Times broke the story that BBC Radio were to drop the morning racing bulletins, it was contemptuously and arrogantly denied by John Myers in that mornings racing bulletin. Yet everything Lee predicted has come about.

It is conspicuous that neither Clare Balding nor Cornelius Lysaght have publicly come out to criticise the BBC’s approach to racing. Perhaps they are more interested in protecting their careers than the sport they follow, only they can answer that.

Do they really think what the BBC is doing in relation to the sport is acceptable?

If so then I would respectfully suggest they should make way for others who will fight, and fight publicly, for racing to have the air time it deserves.

If they do not agree then they should have the moral courage to fight their corner and fight it publicly, they would have a great deal of support from both inside and outside the sport.

It is an absolute disgrace that the BBC is being allowed to marginalise racing, a sport which has attracted almost 5.5 million live spectators in the first 11 months of 2009.

Had these changes been proposed under Peter Bromley's watch, the foundations of Broadcasting House would be shaking as a result of his explosive reaction. In these PC days it seems the acceptable thing is to roll over and accept the cuts.

Peter Bromley must be turning in his grave.

Not That Bad ........

Love them or loath them, bookmakers are an integral part of racing both in the UK and Ireland.



They add to the atmosphere on course, they contribute a significant amount to prize money both via the Levy and through sponsorship. Although it is interesting the Government has hinted they want to completely review the Levy and probably not before time as it was designed before exchanges, the internet and offshore bookmakers were even thought about.



To their supporters they are an essential element of the sport without whom the sport would not survive. To their detractors they are seen as parasites, keen to make as much money from the sport and only paying lip service to supporting the sport and doing all they can to fleece punters.



The truth, of course, is somewhere between the two.



One criticism of bookmakers, especially at all-weather meetings where the markets are inherently weak, is the over rounds are poor and it is almost impossible for punters to get any value. Indeed the ring at some meetings is so weak it is effectively controlled by the high street bookmakers.



Punters rightly complain at books in the mid 100’s for small field contests.



I, however, have made a discovery that makes the bookmakers, even at the all weather meetings, appear positively generous.



Having now done every UK track at least three times I am now aiming my sights higher. My new quest is to go racing in as many different countries as possible.



Latest in the quest is Malta, home to two courses one just south of Valletta on the main island and one on the adjacent island of Gozo.



Last Sunday I visited Marsa racecourse, the islands principal course. Staging mainly trotting with some flat racing, this meeting was an eight race trotting meeting, although meetings with ten race cards are not uncommon.



For punters there is a choice of the Tote or betting with bookmakers.



At the meeting five races had 16 runners, two 15 and one 13. Yet with such large fields the biggest price I ever saw on offer from the bookies was 6/1 and that was only on one horse in a single race. The over rounds were appalling, there wasn’t a single race where the book was below 300%. In one race it was a staggering 391%.



Despite the terrible odds, there were crowds six deep around the bookmakers kiosks, clearly the locals in Malta have no concept of percentages or value.



The Tote prices seemed to be more realistic, with some runners showing indicative odds of 33/1 for example.



Can you imagine the outcry in the UK or Ireland if bookmakers priced up a 300% plus race – the forums would melt with the heated comments and their pitches would probably be overturned.



I cannot see even the most ardent supporter of bookmakers trying to defend such a book.



So although our bookmakers have many faults we, in the UK and Ireland, should be grateful we don’t have Maltese bookmakers.