The Morning After The Day Before

After deciding not to go to Leopardstown yesterday I had the relatively simple choice of going to either Newbury or Warwick instead.

In the end I plumped for Warwick, simply on the basis with Newbury being such a big meeting all the great and good of racing journalism would be there and the press room would be full to bursting.

Whereas at Warwick it was a near deserted press room with three of us there, plus Stewart Machin popping in between races.

As I write this the morning after the nightmare events in the Newbury parade ring I am pleased I made the decision to go to Warwick. Yes, part of me thinks it would have been a good professional challenge reporting from the scene of a breaking news story but being close to a story can cloud ones judgement.

One aspect that particularly struck me is the incident occurred pretty close to where I do my paddock observations at Newbury. So there is a strong chance, had I been there, I would have witnessed the incident first hand.

Would that have been a good thing? Clearly from a purely emotional aspect it certainly would not, how could anybody witness such an event first hand and not be impacted?

Moreover I think having witnessed such an event first hand would make reporting on what happened all the more difficult. Yes, it would have been possible to report what happened from an involved perspective but that would also make looking at the wider picture much more difficult as there would have been too much emotional baggage attached and I know I would have struggled to be objective.

That is why I have greatest admiration for the broadcasters who were able to report on such a horrifying incident so well. They provided understanding and informative coverage striking a great balance conveying the tragedy of what happened, without over sensationalising events.

Particular praise should go in the direction of Nick Luck who, once again, showed what an excellent broadcaster he is – dare I say it was his finest hour.

Mention should also be given to the BBC’s Cornelius Lysaght. I know I have been a strong critic of some of Five Lives racing coverage but, credit where credit is due, Lysaght’s description of the events he witnessed in the parade ring was radio reporting at its very best, you almost felt you were there and the tone was spot on.

Investigations are still on-going and whilst all the known evidence so far points to an underground electrical cable it would not be constructive or helpful to speculate further. Enquiries are still on-going both within and outside racing and in due course I have no doubt all will become clear.

Lessons will clearly be learned but I believe it will transpire this was a terrible freak accident.

Unbelievably, although sadly not unsurprisingly, I have seen suggestions online that the incident was no accident but a case of deliberate sabotage . . . . you really do wonder if inmates in the asylums should be allowed internet access?

I do have three points to look at further concerning yesterdays events.

Should the first race have gone ahead?

On the whole I believe those responsible handled this unique situation as well as they could in the circumstances, the one exception being running the first race.

As we now know the decision was taken to run the first race, albeit 20 minutes late. This happening after one trainer, Nicky Henderson, went to the start and decided to withdraw his runner, Kid Cassidy, who had been affected by events in the parade ring.

There was clearly confusion as to what had happened in the parade ring and the first race not have taken place until it was clear what had happened.

In an interview stipendiary steward Paul Barton, speaking about the decision to run the first race, said, "They were extremely unusual circumstances. We were reacting to things as they occurred at the time - we didn't know if the horses had had heart attacks or what had happened.”

The final part of the statement is the most pertinent “we didn't know if the horses had had heart attacks or what had happened”

They did not know what had happened - in which case the decision to race was crass.

What would have happened if either Kid Cassidy or The Merry Giant (another horse involved in the parade ring and reported by connections to be “badly traumatised” after the race) had collapsed during or after the race?

Barton also said, “…..after the race, as we got more information, the decision-making process changed."

Doesn’t common sense dictate that if you do not have the information then you err on the side of caution?

There were suggestions regarding a possible electrical cause before the first race was run, that must have rung alarm bells.

Barton added, "The horses were examined by the veterinary surgeons before the race,” but my understanding was this was only a heart rate check. How thorough were the examinations?

The bottom line is they did not know what killed the two horses in the parade ring, nor what led to two other horses to stumble, yet the race was allowed to proceed.

The decision to run the first race was, at best, crass bad judgement, indeed I would go as far as to suggest negligent as it raises serious horse welfare issues.

Undoubtedly the BHA will enquire into the circumstances, however I also believe an external enquiry is also required and I trust this is a matter which will be investigated by the RSPCA.

Were broadcasters right to show footage of the incident?

Another topic which set the message boards and Twitterland alight.

For me this is a simple issue, what happened at Newbury was a breaking news story, with relevance to a wider audience. The pictures put the incident into a wider contest and clearly illustrated what happened.

I have no doubt the audience figures will show people will have switched to Channel 4 Racing as the afternoon progressed and word spread, hence the need to show the incident on more than one occasion.

It was not a pretty sight, it looked horrible but that is what happened, it cannot be ignored.

Should broadcasters not show news coverage for fear it may offend somebody? If that were the case the only pictures we would probably see in news bulletins would be of sheep frolicking in fields – then again even that may well offend somebody.

News is reporting of what happens in the real world, it should not be sanitised.

Are those complaining about the pictures being shown also saying broadcasters should not have shown pictures of the planes hitting the Twin Towers, or show film of JFK being assassinated?

I would suggest the planes hitting the Twin Towers is far more distressing than what happened yesterday.

Some complained the incident was shown repeatedly and they found it upsetting – my question to them would be, if you find it so distressing then why were you watching it repeatedly?

You will find your television has an off or channel change switch.

Are there double standards with some of the reporting?

Some final thoughts to ponder - which I make without comment.

Two horses died at Newbury in unusual circumstances and it becomes a major news story not only within racing but on the wider news agenda. It even made news bulletins overseas as well.

Also yesterday afternoon, two horses died at Warwick and at least two died at Leopardstown.

Are the losses at Newbury any greater than the losses at Warwick and Leopardstown?

Shouldn’t the same amount of passion and column inches be dedicated to the deaths of the other four horses?

Are deaths in-running just an accepted part of our sport?

Even More Random Musings

I did something quite novel this week, I actually went racing just for the pleasure of it and I had forgotten just how enjoyable an experience can be.

Normally my trips to the races mean arriving 1½ hours before racing, then dashing between the parade ring, the stands and the press room, barely having time to draw breath. Even watching the race requires so much concentration you can lose the enjoyment.

This time it was relaxing, being able to take a leisurely look at the runners in the parade ring without having to scribble notes, being able to amble back to the stands. Having time to put a bet on based on what I had seen in the parade ring.

Not having to battle to find an unobstructed view of the racing and not having to watch the race like a hawk, lest I miss some incident. Best of all I was able to watch one of Fontwell’s chases from the centre of the course, crossing between two of the fences to see the horses jumping “up close and personal” something wholly impractical on a working day.

Add to that some excellent company and it was a pertinent reminder of how enjoyable a day at the races really can be.

Having visited all the UK racecourses and around half the Irish courses it is quite a novel experience for me to experience the anticipation of visiting a racecourse for the very first time. In what has been a different week for me I was able to add a new racecourse to my portfolio – Leopardstown.

I have to admit I was disappointed – no there is absolutely nothing wrong with the course, my disappointment was I had left it so long to make my first visit.

If you read most UK produced racecourse guides they invariably refer to Leopardstown as being “Ireland’s Sandown”

That epithet is somewhat patronising as Leopardstown is a great racecourse in its own right, indeed it stages more high class races annually than Sandown so, nowadays, it could be equally valid to describe Sandown as “Britain’s Leopardstown”.

Even though this was my first visit to the Dublin course, there was a mild feeling of déjà vu, as the course is very much modelled on its Esher cousin. Indeed in the not too distant past it even had a separate, straight, sprint course. OK they do race the opposite way round but it is easy to see how the comparisons are made.

However Leopardstown is no clone and it has its own unique selling points.

I am not sure if there is more than one way into the course but the main entrance has a long, sweeping, tree lined approach road, all the more attractive with the autumn colours.

There are a couple of delights to be found at the main stand as well.

The first is Madigans Bar, approach it from inside the grandstand it looks like any other racecourse bar. Step outside the grandstand it has a façade like that of a typical Irish Bar – it looks incongruous against the main grandstand, but it equally a fun addition.

Equally strange, and I have yet to find the reasoning behind it, is the area opposite the bar has a number of advertising hoardings extolling the virtues of living in Australia – quite why anybody would wish to swap Ireland with Australia is quite beyond me!!

The other “hidden gem” is an area next to Food Hall where there are a number of cabinets displaying racing memorabilia, well worth spending a quarter of an hour having a browse.

Much as I love the Irish rural tracks I have to say Leopardstown has that intangible something extra. It is a course I felt happy and relaxed at from the moment I arrived and although I waited a long time for my first visit, I am already checking flights for my next visit.

If you are in Ireland when there is racing at Leopardstown make a point of visiting. Even if you aren’t in Ireland and are UK based still make an attempt to get there – you will not be disappointed.

I am one of those people who love flying but I have to say I am glad the flight home from Dublin on Monday was not my first, as I would probably never fly again. It was with the Irish based “cheap and (sometimes) cheerful” airline, the one with the gaudy yellow interiors, who play a really annoying fanfare whenever a plan arrives ontime or early.

Actually their punctually claims are quite fatuous because if you look at the times they schedule for their flights, they are always at least 20 and sometimes 35 minutes longer than the flight actually takes, therefore giving them plenty of leeway to arrive “on time” or early.

For example the flying time from Dublin to London is 55 minutes, yet they actually schedule up to 1 hour 25 minutes for the flight, giving themselves 30 minutes flexibility.

Anyway as is common with this airline, most of the cabin crew were eastern European and whilst the senior cabin crew member spoke excellent English, two of her colleagues English was so poor they could not be understood – you do wonder what would happen in an emergency situation.

Speaking of an emergency situation, I was sitting in the front row, next to the main door and was somewhat perturbed to notice the fitting holding the emergency exit slide to the door was almost hanging off.

Throughout the flight itself my ears were continually popping due to fluctuations in cabin pressure. At first I thought I may just have been me but I then herd other passengers complaining about it too.

Then finally the landing was almost sufficient to remove ones fillings. Anybody who flies regularly, or who has flown at all, will know the touchdown is a relatively gentle affair. First of all the rear wheels touch down, both together if it is not too windy, or one at a time if there is a cross wind. Then a few seconds later the nose wheel touches the runway before the plane begins to brake.

Not on Monday night, the pilot came in far too fast and steep and instead of a gentle touchdown the plane almost belly flopped. Instead of the wheels touching down gently they slammed into the runway with there being barely a second between the rear and front wheels hitting the tarmac. The front wheels coming down so hard I really was half-expecting the nose-wheel to collapse.

A very bumpy end to an otherwise enjoyable day out.