BHA and media whipping up a ridiculous storm
A combination of the British Horseracing Authority and the Racing Post has driven the debate to such an extent that there is more than a possibility that, by the time they are finished, racing will be unrecognisable.
Then we had those running Towcester racecourse wanting to go on a solo run and bring in their own rules governing the use of the whip. Towcester, from their meeting on October 5, thought it would be a good idea to allow jockeys to carry whips, but they could only be used for hitting horses in front of the saddle, as a steering tool. If their rules were breached, the horse would be disqualified.
You have others demanding that horses be disqualified if the jockey is found to have used his whip excessively, that is under the current rules. Entirely unworkable, of course, and a recipe for disaster, but then there are lunatics in every walk of life.
The BHA is currently conducting what they describe as “an extensive consultation on the regulation of the whip, which will include whether to allow its use in races for only safety and correction.”
If that was to become law it would surely be utterly impossible to police. A jockey comes in after a race and says he thought his horse was going to hang, or duck, or run out, whatever came to mind first. He claims he had to hit it for safety and correction, but when the connection was made the beastie shot forward. As a result he won the race.
Obviously an inquiry would then follow and punters would be left dangling until the result was announced. It would be utterly chaotic, totally unsatisfactory and bring the game into disrepute.
Anyway, whatever about the BHA and the crazy attitude of Towcester, why is the Racing Post behaving as it is? They wheeled out David Ashforth to fire the bullets. Now I've met Ashforth and found him a mild-mannered and particularly nice man.
But Ashforth is no more an expert on the whip than I am, or indeed the countless other men and women who write about racing in Britain and Ireland every day.
There is no mystery as to who the experts are when it comes to this subject. They are jockeys and ex-jockeys.
When you have a problem with water in your home you call a plumber - not a painter. Personally, I take my lead on the whip issue from listening to the likes of Ruby Walsh, Tony McCoy, Richard Johnson and Kieren Fallon.
They have all come out in recent days in favour of the whip and the current guidelines. Walsh, in his column in this paper last Saturday, called on racing to stand up for itself.
He also said he had no doubt but that the results of races would be changed if the whip was banned, or restricted.
The Racing Post is the voice of racing, or at least it should be, so what the hell are they at? They would argue, I'm sure, that their coverage has been balanced, but was all of what they have produced in recent days necessary in the first place?
For whom are they writing? Certainly not for me - and I buy the paper seven days a week - and, one suspects, not for most of their regular readers either. At a recent meeting at Towcester, the Post went to the trouble of canvassing a number of racegoers about the whip.
They asked 14 people and nearly all of them said it was not an issue with them. And it is not an issue with the vast majority of people who have an ongoing interest in the game.
And yet the Post continues to beat a drum which, I think, absolutely infuriates its core readership. Some of the rubbish they have subjected us to of late would go down well with those who want the whip banned completely and who also want National Hunt racing banned. But you can be certain they aren't even reading what's on offer and never, ever buy the Post.
You just have to despair at the whole thing, at the BHA, Towcester and the Racing Post joining forces to whip up a storm which is almost entirely of their own making.
We may have banjaxed our own country, at least the politicians, bankers and developers managed it, but are far too intelligent to travel down the British road when it comes to racing.
Galway in July will attract probably in excess of 150,000 patrons. Bet a pound to a penny you will not hear the whip being mentioned once. But the Brits seem determined to continue to shoot themselves in the foot, without the slightest notion, it seems, as to where it is all going to end.
Let's hope those who run the game here at home are made of sterner stuff.
WELL, today is the moment of truth for Frankel and we will finally find out if he is indeed the real deal.
All the talk about a small field has not materialised and there is plenty of opposition. Pathfork, Roderic O'Connor, Native Khan and now Casamento are there and if Frankel can treat this lot with disdain then he is all many believe him to be.
It seems as if 4-7 might be the worst price we can lay him and here's one who wouldn't get a wink of sleep tonight if failing to dip the toes in the water.
Mind you if Frankel overpowers his 12 rivals in the season’s first classic then the sleep might be accompanied by the odd nightmare or two!
