Budgets, boycotts, blunders and more
WINNERS ENCLOSURE
What’s been good in racing in the past week…
- ITV Racing’s Ed Chamberlin and Francesca Cumani being named sports broadcasters of the year at the 2018 British Sports Journalism Awards – one judge described them as “fresh, fun, knowledgeable and accessible. They’re a classic racing double act whose passion and insight shine through every race meeting”
- ITV Racing being highly commended for their Royal Ascot coverage in the live sports broadcast category, won by Sky Cricket
- French racing authority France Galop reducing the maximum number of times the whip can be used from six to five, this follows a reduction made two years ago from eight – the rules were also changed so that the elbow must not rise above the shoulders
- Donald McCain’s yard getting the all-clear following the outbreak of equine flu
- Paul and Clare Rooney reversing their decision to boycott running their horses at Cheltenham after their racing manager Jason Maguire met with clerk of the course Simon Claisse
- Warwick charging only £5 advance admission for their latest meeting and being rewarded by a 35% increase in attendance at nearly 2,900 – makes you think – whilst Catterick got over 1,000 racegoers who were given free admission for a replacement meeting put on at short notice after the track had lost its last three fixtures
STEWARDS ROOM
…and what hasn’t been so good
- Threats of ARC tracks being boycotted in response to cuts in prize-money for lower grade races triggered by anticipated reduction in media rights due t closure of betting shops after FOBT minimum stakes being cut from £100 to £2 – a temporary solution of transferring prize-money from higher grade races has been agreed with the National Trainers Federation
- Newmarket abandoning its plan to offer £1m prize-money for the Cesarewitch due to uncertainty over finances caused by the expected drop in media rights – the prize fund for autumn-double handicap will be £350,000 in 2019 compared to £500,000 last year
- Pontefract announcing prize-money cuts although all races will be above minimum value
- Two yards near France’s major training centre, Chantilly, contracting equine flu
- Chelmsford abandoning a fixture after two races due to fog which “came down in a matter of seconds” said clerk of the course Andy Waitts
- Trainer Alan Jessop being unable to run his two Huntingdon entrants as one did not have an up-to-date vaccination record and the other because it travelled in the same horsebox…
- … and Keith Dalgleish was without an intended runner at Catterick when the wrong horse was despatched to the Yorkshire track
- Amazon sending an email stating that the expected delivery of the Racing Post Cheltenham Festival Guide 2019 was between 16 March and 11 April
RACE OF THE WEEK
The Luke Harvey trained Drumlynn being beaten by a nose into second place in the 2m4f maiden hunter chase at Leicester where many thought the TV presenter’s charge had got the race. But the judge, trainee Emily Jones, called Asangy the winner after inspecting the photo. Jones and Harvey used to be romantically involved
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“We’ve noticed that since we upgraded our facilities here that the attendance figures are going in the right direction”
Naas racecourse manager Tom Ryan – the nearby Curragh, due to unveil their major redevelopment in a couple of months, must be hoping for the same effect
