“Pushing through. Throughout the day….”
I guess we are getting to the point where tomorrow’s Oaks runners might well be headed standside. There will be plenty of poking and prodding with going sticks ahead of racing, and photographs of Aiden in his shades surrounded by the covey of Ballydoyle jockeys as they walk the course…
Showers that might be downpours but might miss the place altogether but could be torrential…
“Who would be a Clerk Of The Course ?” Good morning Andrew….!!
Our Desert Cop and The Dash plan scuppered. He loves it like the road. And they are not going to switch The Dash from the turf to the trackside road…
The Oaks. Amelia Earhart around the 5/2 mark. Legacy Link solid. Money for Thundering On who is into 5s…
The Derby. Ryan sticking with Benvenuto (obvs), but plenty of good judges putting up the “second string” Pierre Bonnard as conditions continue to ease. What fun it would be to go into a race like this with a second string that good…..!!
Another day and another talented Trainer calls time on his career…
James Ferguson drawing stumps to pursue another career, and now Noel Williams. Two talented guys. Lost to our ranks for varied reasons. Noel citing the financial pressures as costs rise across every single board…
The move to the spectacular Downs House in Epsom has reignited our business, and no licences are being tossed anywhere by me for many years. But it is unbelievably tough on the coal face right now as costs spiral and prize money continues to be of the “chocolate cake and rosette” category….
We have bucked the trend of being down on numbers in the past two years which is the case for many. We have many more horses on the place than a year ago. Because we have some fabulous long standing and loyal owners with us every step of the way, and because our move has seen us attract wonderful new supporters into our fold. Without them, we are nothing, and I am eternally grateful and humbled by those who have tied their flag to our mast..
But our sport’s ice is thin, and there are plenty of cracks in the paper…
There are still those who sit in gilded towers who consider prize money a dull irrelevance – heads need to come out of the sand very quickly, and we must have strong governance and leadership now. Others, sadly, will follow James and Noel to pastures that might well be greener…
I do not know Nick Alexander for whom Tallulah has been riding out, but he summed it up on social media…
“Another day and another good trainer packs up. Sensible for Noel but sad for the sport, the only way to turn the sport round is radical reform of prize money to create sustainability at all levels. Noel’s last winner would have earned £1917 for the Owner….says it all, completely unsustainable and the horses simply won’t be there in the future if this doesn’t change”.
Radical reform of prize money to give those who provide the product a chance….
We move on. To London yesterday for lunch in his Farringdon flat with TV pundit Dave Nevison. A very happy gathering of racing hacks and rogues. And Dave is some cook…!!
Lords later. In the rain probably. And then a happy gathering this evening at our sponsor Charles Tyrwhitt’s flagship Jermyn Street store. You know where to go for all your racing suits, shirts, shoes and ties…..!!
1986. Agony….
