Here’s one rule that will never see the light of day in this country
Davy Condon gave Bayan a powerful ride to land the Ladbroke Hurdle at Ascot last Saturday, but was then found guilty of breaking the guidelines on the whip.
Condon incurred a 15-day suspension and a fine of £3,150. Sam Twiston-Davies rode the second, Pine Creek, was deemed to have also broken the rules and received a four-day suspension.
As usual those who believe that horses should be disqualified in such circumstances soon emerged from the word-work, in many ways led by Sir Mark Prescott in the Racing Post.
The Post seems to love getting involved in this sort of bullshit and it was almost a surprise they didn’t wheel out John McCririck to boot.
McCririck, of course, having got the bullet from Channel 4, is no longer that high profile, so maybe it wasn’t a total surprise!
Anyway, why anyone thinks that good trainer Prescott’s opinion should be regarded as of particular importance, on this subject, is difficult enough to understand.
Prescott makes his case well enough and one read it almost with an air of disinterest. That was until he produced the following: “People will say’’, offered Prescott, “how will punters feel when their horse is disqualified? But it will happen so seldom that it will hardly count.”
He cannot possibly know that it will happen “so seldom” and, even if it was only to occur say four times a year, it bloody well would count.
No self-respecting punter, with even a modicum of intelligence, could ever back a horse knowing that it might be disqualified after the race on the basis that the jockey broke the rules.
At least no punter could back it unless he was on double result as an absolute certainty.
The world and its mother is aware of how hard it can be to back a winner and if an added element then came into the equation, that the horse could still lose a race in the stewards’ room, because of the whip rules, then a punter with half a brain could have no truck with that.
Picture the scenario. You have just backed a little beauty, given a brilliant drive by one of your favourite pilots, only to see both your stake and profit taken away by the stewards, after they decided the whip rules were broken.
We all know that a different set of stewards could interpret the rules differently and there would be days when a horse would be disqualified and others when it wouldn’t.
Before long, it would be a complete farce.
If the rule were to be ever brought in, it would have a massive effect on betting on the exchanges. By its very nature such betting can only ever be paid on rules of racing.
But off-course bookmakers, on the basis of double result, would have to flourish. Only an idiot would come out to play anywhere else.
It would surely finally sound the death-knell for struggling anyway on-course layers.
They could not afford to pay double result and so would almost certainly be forced to fold their tents and head off into the night.
Both Condon and Twiston-Davies took their punishment and Condon, in particular, paid a very hefty price. That should be the end of the matter.
But it won’t be in Britain and the Racing Post, which should be the punters’ best friend, will continue to stoke the flames.
And, in the end, maybe the rule will be brought in over there and horses disqualified, on the basis the jockey has broken the rules.
Say what you like about those who run racing in Ireland, but I’ll bet here and now this is one rule that will never see the light of day in this country. Our lads are made of stern stuff.
Coral bookmakers recently announced they were going to lay their office punters win bets, placed after 9am on raceday, to lose £5,000 on races televised live by Channel 4.
It was a somewhat surprising, but very welcome, initiative and gave hopes that off-course bookmakers were finally ready to give clients a proper service.
If one had access to a Coral shop, and wanted to have a chunky wager, then that’s precisely where you would go and leave the rest to their own devices.
In Ireland all the shops are short of is putting up signs that say “thou shalt not win.’’
Paddy Power has long been a leader in the field of self-promotion and surely it is time they threw down the gauntlet to the opposition.
Why not indicate a willingness to lay any horse to lose say €2,000, no messing. That’s not a fortune, but would bring some solid punters back into the offices and away from the exchanges.
