Bookies must row in to make sport self-financing
How Patrick Kennedy could say Irish racing was second class when you’ve had Aidan O’Brien as champion trainer in England and as well as Ireland, we’ve had the Horse of the Year for two of the last four years and racing is so competitive here I don’t know.
I don’t like the angle they use either about quoting the €€540 million that racing has been given over the last 10 years. A lot of that is capital grants that have gone to improving the facilities.
Originally, racing was self-sustaining and when HRI was set up, betting tax was around 2% I think. If that had stayed, betting could be self-financing now, especially as there is much more revenue now in betting.
John Oxx is a very level-headed man so for him to get cross, something really had to have ruffled his feathers.
The betting firms are the ones to blame as most of them are offshore. They don’t want to pay tax to anyone. Meanwhile, we’re producing the product that’s making them their money and they make disparaging remarks about it. It’s frustrating and annoying. We need the bookies to row in to make the sport self-financing.
We’ve had rain, snow and sunshine in the last week which continues to play havoc with our plans. Princess Marlan won last Saturday though. She’s a very nervous mare who we thought she might need the experience and then she was nearly brought down at the first so we’re thrilled.
Gimli’s Rock was just touched off on Sunday but unfortunately the handicapper has put him up six pounds, which is rough when you don’t have the winner’s prize money. We will look at a winners-of-one hurdle for him in Punchestown.
I have three running in Dundalk today. Moment of Weakness is my first two-year-old but is drawn wide out in stall nine which isn’t what you need first time out. Ghost Mist is a good ground horse that has never run on the surface but if it takes to it, I would hope runs a big race.
Morning Time won at the track three weeks aao and I’m hoping for a big run as he clearly acts on the surface and is drawn one, which is positive. He steps up in trip but looked like he was staying well the last day.
In Cork tomorrow, I have a few runners but Agricola is my best chance of 8st 10lbs, with Fran Berry riding. They might be swimming down there, which won’t help the three-year-olds but you have to get a run into them. Phi Phi Princess is a Barathea so it wants soft ground but not bottomless.
The Fairyhouse festival is the main event this week. We’re all praying it goes ahead as we had five hours continuous rain again in Moone yesterday morning and it’s been the same up there. They’re pumping the water off the track at the moment but they’ll be trying everything to get it going.
The weather has scuppered a good few of my plans. I had three fillies that I wanted to run in the mares’ race but they won’t get the ground and there were a few others in the same boat.
Roberto Goldback runs in the Powers Gold Cup. He’s had a nice break and has won on heavy ground so that’s a plus factor. Robbie Power came down and schooled him twice during the week and we were very happy with him. At his best, he’s got a good chance but it’s a very hot race which you would expect for a Grade 1 novice chase.
I haven’t any runner in the Grand National. Badgerlaw did get in but he hates the ground, while Hume River would have loved it but he didn’t get in. It’s typical.
The National is a proper race with the full 30 runners. You want to go for something that goes on the ground. Oscar Time would be one I’d fancy while Moskova would also have a good chance if she takes to the big field.
FINALLY, it was with a touch of sadness I read this week that Well Chief had been retired. He raced against Moscow Flyer so it’s the end of that era of chasing. And what an era it was.
The two Champion Chase wins with Moscow were brilliant in but what I thought about this week was the Tingle Creek in 2004 after he had fallen at Cheltenham the previous March. Azertuiyop had won that Champion Chase and Well Chief had won the Arkle. All the chips were down and Moscow came out on top from Azertuiyop, with Well Chief third. It was a brilliant day. I was glad that Well Chief could retire sound and well.
Moscow is in the National Stud now. He paraded at Sandown and Cheltenham and looks like a two-year-old. You’d love to just go down to the gallops and find another one like him, but then he kept his light under a bushel for a long time. We couldn’t even win a bumper with him, so you never know. It’s what keeps me getting up in the morning.
