Crazy to have so few National Hunt meetings in run up to Christmas
Well, Horse Racing Ireland is responsible for the fixture list, so the obvious response is they clearly feel that is the right thing to do.
It really is totally baffling that the National Hunt game is allowed to almost shut down for long periods at this time of year.
We all know about the avalanche of racing over Christmas, but surely that has to be regarded as a separate issue and other weeks should be treated on their own merits.
It is simply ridiculous that there was no racing in Ireland last Thursday week and none either last Thursday.
On Sunday, December 7 we had two meetings in this country, at Cork and Punchestown, and then nowhere for National Hunt horses to go until the following Saturday at Tramore.
It was the exact same scenario this week. We raced last Sunday at Navan and the first National Hunt programme since takes place at Fairyhouse today, a whopping six days later.
From December 1 to tomorrow, December 21, only eight National Hunt meetings will have been held in this country.
What it means is there have to be many jockeys in Ireland who will have earned virtually nothing for three weeks.
Imagine the outcry if the numerous staff employed by HRI were told that they would be on reduced wages, or no wages at all, for those three weeks? Now, now stop laughing! The fixture list over the month, of course, was bulked up by running four meetings on the all-weather at Dundalk.
Here’s one who likes Dundalk, principally because it is not difficult to win there, but it is no substitute for real racing at the height of the National Hunt campaign.
Providing so little racing also very much sends out the wrong signals to the thousands of National Hunt aficionados who absolutely love the game.
The weather through December has been especially favourable, essentially ensuring perfect conditions.
Punters are crying out to be entertained, but the people who run racing in Ireland know best and have decided they should go elsewhere.
You only have to look at the size of the entries for Christmas to realise that dozens and dozens of horses are literally screaming for an opportunity.
Are lessons ever learned? Next year’s fixture list tells us there will be more of the same, so what do you think? It’s just stupid.
At Dundalk recently, I backed a horse called Shannon Soul, who proceeded to win, beating Solomon Northup by a head.
Shannon Soul was partnered by Shane Foley, who has a different way of using his whip to most other jockeys, in that he tends to swing it rather wide of his body.
His whip action was bound to get him into trouble at some stage, you would have thought, and this could have been such an occasion. Inside the furlong pole, Foley’s whip clearly cut the nose off the challenging Solomon
Northup and a stewards’ inquiry seemed inevitable. But the stewards, presumably they missed the incident, didn’t call an inquiry and it was left to Solomon Northup’s jockey, Fran Berry, to lodge an objection.
I felt it was an open and shut case and that Solomon Northup was greatly favoured to get the race.
The stewards thought otherwise and left the result stand. So, the benefit of the doubt, certainly not for the first time, was given to the sinner and that just cannot be viewed as right.
Further evidence, as if it was needed, that when it comes to the deliberations of stewards there really isn’t any point in having an opinion as to how they might nod.
They are worried in Britain about a lack of horses and, as a result, small sized fields and limited each-way betting opportunities.
So the Racing Post wheeled out Ladbrokes’ David Williams, who painted what they described as “a gloomy picture.’’
Referring to the subject, Williams was quoted as saying: “The impact will be painfully straightforward, recreational punters, for whom Saturdays are the biggest day of the week, will look elsewhere for their betting entertainment.’’
Isn’t that just comical? Immediately replace recreational with mug and you will see what Williams is driving at.
A recreational punter, no matter what he bets on, is the reason why companies such as Ladbrokes make millions every year.
If you want recreation go to a match, play a round of golf or enjoy a few pints.
There is precious little recreation in losing.
