Government must get betting tax legislation right
That’s what racing needs and we’d all be in favour of it, but the bookmakers are already screaming.
If it can be done, it would make racing self-financing. There would be no more need for handouts.
It won’t be easy though. They have got to write the legislation correctly. I’m no expert on that side of things but the bookmakers have gotten around so much with offshore betting, online betting and all the rest of it.
Right now there is the ridiculous situation of betting having increased from €1.3 billion to €4 billion in the last 10 years but in the same period, the tax take has been more than halved, from €68 million to €31 million. That’s just crazy but it shows how the bookmakers can get around legislation.
It has been a very busy week but a good one. Last Tuesday almost everything went right for my horses at Punchestown. I always love it there but having two winners, two seconds and a third; well you’d have to be happy with that! We had a one-two in the maiden hurdle and that was a great race as there was just a head separating Sandymount Lady and Common Alliance, and another head back to the third.
Just Moscow was second in the Fáilte Ireland Hurdle and then we had first and third in the bumper, with Bullock Harbour coming home in front by a neck and Thieving Gypsy just two lengths back.
I was very pleased with Bullock Harbour’s win as I’d bought the horse for Barry O’Connell and it was his first winner since coming back after three months out with a bad injury.
Barry puts so much into racing in terms of buying horses and it’s tremendous that he is riding winners at 51, having only sat on a racehorse for the first time ever at 30 years of age. It’s incredible really.
You always like to win a bumper with a horse as it is part of its development. Then you want to win your maiden hurdle, novice chase and so on. It’s part of the process. They’re competitive enough though and it doesn’t always happen.
Moscow Flyer didn’t win a bumper but he more than made up for it after. Maybe it was a case that I wasn’t able to train him to win one. But I’ve done reasonably well in bumpers over the years and trained Cork All Star to win the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham three years ago.
I actually missed the racing as I was in Doncaster for the sales. We took four over but one went lame so we couldn’t sell him. He’ll go back in August now. The other three sold though so it was worthwhile.
Given my previous experiences with the volcanic ash, I was just glad to be able to get over there, and get home, with no detours required! I was at the breeze-up sales yesterday in Goresbridge. We watched all the horses breeze in Gowran Park in the morning and then went to Goresbridge where we looked at the individual horses and also had a chance to look at the vide of the breeze-ups.
You take a whole load of factors into account and whittle them down. There were three horses we liked and it was left in Johnny’s hands as the sales began in the afternoon and I had to hit the road for racing in Wexford.
I really think Lady Chatterbox would have won the first division of the bumper last night but she had a dirty nose in the morning so that was the end of that. These things happen and you can’t dwell on them too much. It is frustrating though.
I have three going in The Curragh today. It will be very interesting to see how well Moment Of Weakness goes in the Marble Hill. He’s done all we’ve asked of him so far but this is a step up in class. We hope he will run well but we’re happy with him.
Righteous Man is a nice horse having his first run for us having come from Ger Lyons’ yard, while New Magic will be running in her first handicap.
The Guineas weekend looks like being very good. The weather will bring out all the glamour and while as a trainer, I wouldn’t mind a bit of rain at all, I do love the sun so I hope it hangs around another while.
There will be a great buzz around, not least because there is very good racing. The two Guineas races look like they are of a high quality, and you have Fame and Glory running again too.
Paul Deegan has a fancied horse, Lady Springbank, in the 1000 Guineas. She would definitely want some rain but I hope she runs well for him.
I know Paul a long time. He spent a while in my yard before going to work in Mick Channon’s in England. He has done really well for himself and at just 31, has it all ahead of him. It’s really good to see the young people coming through.
