Press Room Life - Part Two

In my last blog I wrote about life in the press room, this time, as promised, it’s time to look at some of the characters who reside therein.

Catterick Press Room

I suppose the first thing I should point out to the uninitiated is there are two distinct sets of press rooms, southern and northern, with a slight overlap in the midlands.

Although, by nature of where I live, I spend more time in the southern press rooms, I’m one of a small band who ends up working in both sets and I can report there is a distinct north / south divide.

On the face of it the northern press rooms are far more blunt and down to earth but I really enjoy working in them as you tend to know where you stand and there is very little hypocrisy.

Let me give you an example.

I will always recall the first time I set foot in a northern press room, I can even recall the date, it was Monday 15^th, September, 2008 at Musselburgh.

I had barely set foot in the press room when I was greeted with a welcoming “who the f**k are you?”

Let’s just say a few “pleasantries” were then exchanged but after that I’ve always been made most welcome in the northern press rooms and, without exception, have found everyone helpful and friendly – even the gentleman who first greeted me.

In a southern press room when a new person enters there is a general “who’s he?” whispering (I say “who’s he” because the press rooms tend to be over 95% male dominated) and if nobody knows then someone will be quietly delegated to chat to the individual and find out who they are and report back.

As in any workplace there are many different types in the press room and it is invariable you end up getting on better with some more than others.

The commentators tend to be the friendliest bunch and I have managed to get on well with almost all of them.

Richard Hoiles

It’s probably unfair to single out individuals but I have to say the “big two” Simon Holt and Richard Hoiles are undoubtedly two of the most pleasant, genuine, likeable guys you could want to meet in any walk of life.

Some are a surprise. Ian Bartlett has been criticised in some quarters for not showing much personality in his commentaries or TV appearances – yet he has the most amazing dry, irreverent sense of humour – if he’s calling I know it will be a cheery fun afternoon in the press room.

There are two excellent young callers in the shape of David Fitzgerald and Gareth Topham.

It’s great watching young Gareth as he still has the (and I mean it in a nice way) innocence and exuberance of youth and hasn’t yet developed the cynicism which comes with age.  

David is a very assured caller and presenter but away from the microphone he is very quiet and reserved, almost shy.

 I hope he won’t mind me telling this story but a few weeks ago he called at Ascot for the first time and he seemed so nervous beforehand, as if he had the worries of the world on his shoulders – I almost wanted to put a paternal arm around his shoulder to comfort him and tell him it will all be OK – as it was the concerns were unfounded as he called to his usual high standard.

It goes without saying the press rooms at the quieter meetings are a world apart from the press rooms at the big meetings.

Fakenham press room

At the smaller meetings you are most likely to find the Racing Post reporter, the RP / Raceform race reader and maybe the occasional local reporter or the Press Association. It’s very unlikely you will see anyone from the national press.

The one exception probably being Alan Lee from The Times who does, in fairness, attend many of the smaller local meetings all around the country.

The trouble with too many of the journos from the nationals is you only see them at the big meetings and when they do deign to put in an appearance, a couple of them strut around the press room as if they own the place – the old “do you know who I am” attitude.

There is one, who works for a national, who is always having problems connecting their laptop but then demands the IT person at the course drops everything to sort the problem out, berating them if they do not respond immediately. Of course 99% of the time the problem isn’t anything to do with the infrastructure at the course – it’s down to their crap laptop. Having worked in IT front line support myself this sort are “heart sink” callers.

Then there is the vexed issue of seats – some correspondents have “reserved” seats in press rooms, which they don’t bother using at 90% of the meetings but should they consent to grace a meeting with their presence then woe betide anyone who may encroach into their precious space.

Of course seats don’t have to be specifically reserved for there to be a problem. I recall my first visit to Lingfield, not the biggest press room. I thought I would sit out of the way, in the back row in the corner. I set up my laptop and was typing away only to find one of the doyens of the press room standing over me enquiring “are you going to be long?” before continuing, “I’ve been coming here 25 year and have always sat in that seat.”

I felt like saying to him “well a change of scenery will do you good” but I just moved over one seat and ‘normality’ was resumed.

Tommo

I suppose I cannot talk about life in the press room without mentioning one of the Marmite ® characters, Derek Thompson.

Now Tommo gets a lot of stick, especially in the press rooms. I am no respecter of reputations, I take people as I find them and all the many times I’ve met Tommo I have found him a thoroughly likable, personable and pleasant person.

Yes he has an image and he works at bolstering that image. I admit I tease him about his reputation but he takes it in the spirit in which it was intended and he can and does laugh at himself.

My belief is a great deal of the dislike for him in the press room simply comes down to envy.

He does his job well (well maybe not always in the commentating), he can work a crowd and at a family fun day or a mid-week meeting he makes a great compare.

For TV work he is a producer’s delight – if they want someone to fill for 45 seconds then Tommo will fill for exactly 45 seconds, an art most broadcasters are incapable of doing.

Those who criticise him most vociferously are those who, frankly, are not good enough to do his job and make the money he makes and they know it.

There is one journo in particular who will snipe about Tommo at every opportunity, yet oddly enough when Tommo is in the room he is perfectly pleasant to him.

You know the sort of person I mean, there is one in almost every workplace.

The person who has an opinion on everything, who feels the need to share that opinion with all and sundry, yet actually says nothing.  

The chap who would be your archetypical pub bore.

As I said he attacks Tommo at every opportunity, yet he himself is almost an anonymous  non-entity, a perfect embodiment of the Peter Principle.

He slags off colleagues seemingly oblivious to the fact that what he says will invariably get back to those he has bad mouthed.

Yet, like most of his ilk, he is a contradiction. He is one of those characters who will happily dish out the abusive comments, yet when given back to him he behaves like a spoiled brat and throws his toys out of the pram.

Machiavelli

Then we have the “smiling assassin” the one with the ingratiating smile, outwardly always polite and the perfect gentleman.

Behind the façade he takes bitchiness to a level which would out-bitch the bitchiest of women.

He is another who thinks his Machiavellian scheming will not get back to his “victims” yet he plays a dangerous game as he himself has a cupboard full of skeletons.

I will, however,  miss being in the press room.

I’ll miss the hard working journos who are being asked to do increasingly more work with tighter deadlines.

I’ll miss the irreverent banter of the snappers.

I’ll miss watching racing in the company of knowledgeable race readers, who love the sport and from whom I have learned so much.

The individual I will miss most of all though is Lee McKenzie, interestingly another our aforementioned  bad-mouthing  “friend” has taken a strong dislike to, then again there are more he dislikes than likes, so I suppose actually being liked by him would make you a select minority.  

Lee is the sort of guy who will do anything for anyone and has been a great help and encouragement to me professionally and, at times, personally over the last six years. He is one press room colleague I still hope to remain in touch with.

Champions Day & Channel Four Presenters

There are, I admit, times when I’m standing in the pouring rain, on a wet Monday afternoon with a couple of hundred other racegoers when I wonder why I bother following this sport of horse racing.

Then again there are days, like last Saturday, when I know there is nowhere in the world I would rather be. 

I’m referring, of course, to British Champion’s Day at Ascot last Saturday, where I experienced one of the best atmospheres at a racecourse ever. For one it seemed over 90% of those present were actually there for the racing.

Although there were five championship races most were there to see the one race, indeed the one horse, the mighty Frankel who was there to make his last appearance on a racecourse.

However it almost didn’t happen as the wet weather threatened the horses participation in the race and was dependent on connections walking the course on Saturday morning.

As Racing For Change’s Rod Street put it to me afterwards it was “squeaky bum time” – imagine the sense of anti-climax has Frankel not run.

Both the pre-parade ring and parade ring were surrounded by massive crowds wanting to get a glimpse of the unbeaten wonder horse, something that added another irony to the day.

Excelebration after winning the QEII

The race before Frankel’s was the Queen Elizabeth Stakes over the mile, the very race Frankel won last year and it was won in devastating style by the horse who has lived in Frankel’s shadow, Excelebration. A brilliant, gutsy horse in his own right who would have been an undoubted superstar had he not been of the same generation as the once in a lifetime horse.

Even on Saturday, the day he wasn’t racing against Frankel he still managed to be overshadowed and many at Ascot missed the brilliant turn of foot, reminiscent of Sea The Stars in his Arc run, which salvaged the race from a seemingly impossible position.

As Frankel entered the parade ring he was greeted by applause, not unprecedented at Ascot, what was unprecedented was the cheers and applause as he came out onto the track, although there was an amusing moment when some racegoers applauded his brother Bullet Train as he led the runners out in the second colours of the owner.

After the parade the runners set off to the start, all apart from Frankel who held back and slowly cantered past the packed stands to milk the appreciation of the fans, it was almost as if he was doing a lap of honour before the race.

Of course the race itself was heart stopping as Frankel almost fell out of the stalls, giving four to five lengths to his rivals and Ian Mongan on Bullet Train, supposedly in as the pacesetter, had to do som quick thinking to drop back and find his stablemate.

Of course the worries were unfounded and the roar of the crowd told you what was happening as he pulled upsides the defending champion Cirrus Des Aigles before edging clear to make it 14 wins from 14 races.

The crowds went mad, looking from my high vantage point you could see people running towards the rails so they could get a glimpse of the superstar.

One thing I really like though was the second and third, Cirrus Des Aigles and Nathaniel were both given a rapturous welcome back from the crowd, who appreciated what good horses they were and their contribution in making it a competitive race.

It was a brilliant atmosphere, it’s a shame it cannot be bottled.

Channel Four have finally announced their presentation team for next year, a mixed bag with some surprises.

It is, of course, no surprise Nick Luck will be there as a main presenter alongside Clare Balding. There were some surprises in the “supporting” team.

The biggest surprise for me was the inclusion of Emma Spencer, who for me is the most lightweight member of the team, both physically and as a presenter. I’m told by many that she is considered pretty and “eye-candy” although that is something I fail to see, as the saying goes beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Graham Cunningham was the surprise inclusion in the team, he’s an astute analyst not afraid to have an opinion and I can envisage some chippy exchanges with Jim McGrath and Mick Fitzgerald who will be the other paddock commentators.

The dropping of John McCririck has sparked some debate but it cannot really be a major surprise, he really is past his sell-by date and, unfortunately he has become a caricature of himself.  His rant at being omitted from the line-up exemplifies why he was omitted.

Three of the other droppings from the team are more questionable.

Alastair Down isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, like an avuncular Uncle, sometimes tetchy he wasn’t really a TV natural but his way with words and his passion for national hunt racing was unsurpassed.

Mike Cattermole is a very accomplished presenter and a very decent chap, as demonstrated by his very graceful reaction to his not being included in the line-up (Take note McCririck) and I think his omission is a mistake especially when Spencer is being retained.

The dropping of Derek Thompson is also something of a mystery, yes he is a Marmite man, but from a TV producers perspective he is an absolute Godsend. He will do the interviews nobody else wants to, he can get across the atmosphere and work the crowd and, most importantly from a TV production perspective if you need somebody to fill for 23 seconds he will give you exactly 23 seconds, not a second more, not a second less.

This brings us onto the other Marmite character, Matt Chapman – who isn’t in the team. This may come as a surprise but I am slightly disappointed by this.

Yes I know I have been Matt’s biggest critic over the years but a “tamed” Matt would have been a good addition to the team.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, when he plays it straight Matt is one of the best interviewers we have in the sport, he can get even the most reluctant of trainers to open up.

However Matt is his own worse enemy in that he tries to be controversial, he always denies this, but he does and it is so frustrating. If he could just calm himself, reign himself in, he would have been a shoe-in for a Channel Four role and a great addition to the team – it’s a terrible waste.

It’s good to see Simon Holt and Richard Hoiles will continue to be in the team, Richard once again showed why he is head and shoulders our best commentator with his excellent call of Frankel’s race as Ascot.

I am also disappointed there is no role for Stewart Machin in the line-up.

Cheltenham Preview Evenings

Tis the week before Cheltenham and the racing is quiet.

Yes it is that depressing week, where there is a marked drop in the quality of racing as final preparations are made to the festivals stars and the Racing Premier League gives way, for a week, to the Racing League’s One and Two, with a slight return to some class at the Imperial Cup on Saturday.

Of course as the build up to Cheltenham progresses there is always the diversion of the Cheltenham Preview Evenings and this year there seem to be even more than ever. The events which help fund the summer holidays of countless pundits, not to mention the endless rubber chicken dinners they have to endure.

Are they worthwhile though and with so many taking place the length and breadth of the country how do you decide which one, if any to go to?

So here is The Beasts guide to Cheltenham Preview Evenings.

To Go Or Not To Go

That is indeed the question. Well if you are hoping to find some great “secret” outsider at a very long price to fund your retirement then stay at home, you ain’t going to get it.

If you want what should hopefully be an entertaining evening in which you may find some new approaches to the races, then a carefully selected preview evening will be well worth a visit.

I’m In Charge

That doesn’t mean Bruce Forsyth is going to be there (if you are old enough to remember his catchphrase from the early 1960’s then you should qualify for any OAP discounts available though)

A good chairman (or woman) is important as they need to maintain the flow of the evening, ensure all the panel have a chance to contribute and quell any excesses. If they happen to be pretty knowledgeable themselves then all the better.

Also, and this will be a recurring theme throughout the piece, they should not have massive egos, which will get in the way of debate.

For me the two best exponents come from opposite sides of the racing TV aristocracy, namely (Sir) Robert Cooper and (Lord) Nick Luck. Both can keep the debate flowing and both can interject with pertinent questions and observations themselves.

From The Horses Mouth

It is increasingly common to find a spattering of trainers on these panels.

I have one simple question . . . . what value does it add?

If you are going to a preview evening where there is a trainer on the panel, please ensure you take Lot’s wife with you, as anything they say will invariably need to be taken with a huge pinch of salt.

They are going to talk up their horses, with the amount of spin that would have Alistair Campbell salivating with delight. They are not going to turn round and say “so and so has no hope of winning and is only running to satisfy his owners ego.”

If an opposing trainer has an obviously superior horse they may, through gritted teeth, conceded they “fear so and so’s runner.”

But will they contribute anything meaningful, anything you did not know? Will they give even a scintilla of a stable secret?

Of course not, there would be more chance of Tony Blair and George Bush issuing a joint statement saying they got it totally wrong with Iraq.

Size Matters

The age old question, does size matter? More honest women will tell you it does.

It is the same with preview evenings. I have seen some preview evenings advertised with six, seven, even eight panellists. That is far too many.

With 27 races and a panel of seven or eight people the situation will be races will be skipped through briefly without any meaningful discussion or the preview evening will end up concentrating on just a handful of races.

For me the perfect size panel is four plus the chairman and provided there is the right balance that is enough to give a decent analysis of most of the races.

Beware The Ego

There are plenty of “characters” in racing, we all know who they are. The ones happy to contrive a public image, to play to the cameras and to court controversy.

The marmite men and women of our sport.

Don’t get me wrong we need characters like this in the game and we also need them to liven up these preview evenings. However they need to be chosen with care.

So my two golden rules for the egos are.

Don’t have more than one ego at a preview evening. All that will happen is they will play off against one another and the egos will detract from any substance and from the other panellists.

Secondly make sure there is a strong chairman to keep them under control.

As an example I am the first to admit I am not a member of the Matt Chapman fan club, I don’t particularly like his style.

He can, however, come out with unorthodox and controversial views. When questioned and when he drops his act he is fully capable of producing a sound and rational argument to support his theory and is worth listening to, even if you don’t agree with his view.

What’s In A Name?

A large number of panels consist of “names” – “him off the TV” etc. etc.

However some of the best panellists are those who are not household names and the big stars in the media firmament.

So don’t be put off if you have not heard of all the panellists.

Who’s Best Then?

Obviously a great deal is down to personal preference.   

For me I like the views of commentators, they are invariably good racereaders, they spend most of their time watching racing and they can often point out some different angles.

For me, there are two who stand out head and shoulders above the rest. They are excellent commentators, excellent racereaders and they don’t have egos to get in the way. Please step forward Stewart Machin and Richard Hoiles, two men who I would actually spend my own money to hear their views.

Stats and trends can be controversial. Some dismiss them out of hand, others swear by them. Personally I think they are a very useful too but they are obviously not infallible. “Rules” are made to be broken but where there is a strong trend in a race it is dangerous to ignore.

The undoubted master of stats and trends is Paul Jones, who produces the Weatherbys Cheltenham Festival Betting Guide, which is the bible for trends and stats followers. Paul is a regular contributor to preview evenings and he is worth listening to.

Then there are the TV pundits, with those you pays your money and takes your choice. You generally know what you are going to get with them and if it happens to be a pundit you like then you can hang on their every word. If, by contrast, it is a pundit you do not rate at all, then you can always lay their tips.

Jockeys? Like trainers I question their value as they are going to invariably talk up their rides and runners from their own stables. Retired jockeys are a slightly different proposition as they may be more objective but remember the old adage “jockeys are the worse tipsters.”

Earlier I referred to the lesser known panellists. Three names who I would recommend listening to if they are on a panel are Andrew Mount, Sam Turner and Kieren Packman.

Andrew Mount, he of Trend Horses, fame is one of the most astute analysts in the game and he will often produce an interesting angle.

Sam Turner, of the Daily Mail, has the handicap of being a Wolves fan but ignoring that error of judgement he is one of the best analysis around and is always worth listening to.

Kieran Packman, Timeform, is able to add plenty of flesh to the ubiquitous Timeform ratings.

Beware The Couch

Finally a very personal view, avoid any panel which has Mark Winstanley on it.

No I have no particular view on Winstanley as a pundit, however as a human being he is the most obnoxious individual you could ever wish to meet.

I had the misfortune to witness him at a preview evening and it was the first time I have ever come close to walking out of such an event.

Now don’t get me wrong I am no prude, I am perfectly capable of coming out with rich Anglo Saxon language like the best of them, I also know enough dirty jokes to make even the most broad minded person blush . . .  but there is a time and place for both.

Winstanley’s performance at this particular preview was a constant stream of expletives, so bad it would even make the proverbial London docker blush, coupled with frankly offensive sexist and misogynistic asides. He was an utter disgrace.

My ideal panel?

My ideal panel would have either Bob Cooper or Nick Luck in the chair.

The panel would be Richard Hoiles or Stewart Machin, Matt Chapman, Paul Jones and any one of either Sam Turner, Andrew Mount or Kieran Packman. With Gary Wiltshire around to give a betting perspective.

Whatever your preference may be, if you go to a preview evening I hope you have a good time and I am sure all the winners will be mentioned by someone, sometime during the evening. You still have to identify which ones though.