Jockeys heading out to ride in the first and only race held at Naas on Sunday© Photo Healy Racing
UK racing’s ‘Premierisation’ initiative has got off to a rocky start. Small fields for the first effort at Cheltenham last week was followed by something similar at the weekend at Plumpton and the first Sunday evening fixture at Wolverhampton has been slated by many working within the industry.
The boosted prize money levels at Wolverhampton did ensure decent field sizes on Sunday evening, but that was only achieved by diverting money from other midweek fixtures and there are plenty grumbling about the added workload of night racing on a Sunday.
I remember when Sunday racing was first introduced here on a trial basis in 1985 with a total of six meetings, coincidently the same number as the UK trial for Sunday evenings. Unions had resisted the introduction of Sunday racing for almost twenty years before that. It was seven years later before Britain held its first Sunday fixture at Doncaster and even then there was no betting allowed on the day and betting shops remained closed.
It was 2004 before Northern Ireland held its first Sunday fixture at Downpatrick and even then there were protesters at the gates from the Free Presbyterian Church of Ian Paisley.
The first Saturday evening fixture in Ireland was held at Dundalk in 2009 and now in 2024 racing in Britain has broken new ground by racing on a Sunday evening.
The one constant that links all of these significant changes to the lives of those working within the racing industry is that the people who have made the decisions don’t work weekends.
History would suggest that Irish racing will eventually follow suit with Sunday evening racing, but ultimately that decision will now be made by betting operators rather than racing administrators. If the corporate bookies see money in Sunday night racing its introduction here is inevitable.
From an Irish perspective it is reassuring that, so far at least, the Irish meetings have been unaffected by the Saturday afternoon ‘shop window’ between 2pm - 4pm. With less horse racing taking place in the UK during this peak betting period on Saturday afternoons as part of the ‘Premierisation’ changes the Irish action could well see increased betting turnover. This has the potential to have an impact on the media rights revenue for some of our smaller Irish tracks that traditionally hold low-key Saturday afternoon meetings. The current media rights deal, brokered by Horse Racing Ireland, sees the racecourses’ share linked to betting turnover for the first time.
Increased prize money for the UK’s Premier meetings must also represent a decent opportunity for Irish-trained horses, but thus far few seem to be inclined to exploit it.
The Cheltenham fixture on New Year’s Day saw only three Irish-trained runners make the trip over (below average for any meeting at that venue), but they were well rewarded and collectively came home with €77,938 in prize money.
There wasn’t a single Irish runner for either of Sunday’s Premier fixtures at Plumpton and Wolverhampton. This is remarkable considering the levels of prize money on offer were plentiful for horses of average ability.
The Wolverhampton meeting, which included seven flat handicaps for 4-y-o’s and up, had total prize money of €186,000 which compares favourably to Naas’ Grade One card on the same day with €190,500 in prize money. Plumpton’s jumps fixture easily surpassed the Naas numbers with €226,000 in prize money, again catering for middle-tier horses.
I’m not sure how easy it is to get a horse from Ireland to Plumpton racecourse, but it’s certainly an ideal destination for any Irish racing fans looking to experience something a little different. Plumpton is only 30 minutes by rail from Gatwick Airport and the train station is right beside the racecourse.
With regular flights from Dublin, Cork and Shannon into Gatwick it would be feasible to do a day trip from almost anywhere in Ireland to Plumpton and you get the added bonus of being able to pick up some duty free on the way back thanks to Brexit.
The abandonment of Naas on Sunday due to fog was bitterly disappointing for both those in attendance and those of us eagerly anticipating one of the best novices’ hurdles of the season. But ultimately it was the correct decision to abandon after just one race.
Fog must be the most unpredictable of adversaries for a racecourse’s clerk of the course. One minute it looks sure to clear and the next it is thicker than it was before. Where I live on the Curragh we get more than our fair share of fog and on Sunday it was coming and going all day. At the time Naas was called off we were in sunshine on the Curragh, but twenty minutes later we were back in a thick blanket of fog.
One of the big questions to arise from Naas on Sunday is whether or not racing should take place if the audience in attendance cannot see the action, which was certainly the case with the only race run on the day. The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) officials make their decisions based on the safety of the horses and riders, rather than the aesthetic quality of the view of the racegoers.
Considering horse racing is a spectator sport I do think the audience should also be taken into consideration, but it’s difficult to know where you might draw that particular line. Is it acceptable to race if the audience can see the final obstacle? Or do they need to see the entire home straight? Or the entire course?
One thing that can mitigate against poor visibility is audio commentary. If Jerry Hannon was able to follow the runners around in a vehicle it would help paint a picture of what was happening. It would have been a great asset on Sunday when odds-on favourite Brandy Love went from 5 lengths up to 10 lengths down in the space of two foggy furlongs.
Over the Christmas period I thought the IHRB’s officials made some good calls. In particular, I think they were right to open an investigation into comments made to the media by Patrick Mullins after he won on Gaelic Warrior at Limerick.
Mullins stated “that he had advised Danny Mullins (riding a stablemate) during a conversation prior to the race that he would be leaving a gap down the inner to get a breather into his horse and he advised him not to go for it.”
This statement probably sounds worse than it actually was when you take into consideration that Gaelic Warrior has a tendency to jump to his right, but with so many of our top jumps races now being contested by multiple horses from the same stables the authorities need to be seen to be proactive when there is the slightest suspicion of collusion between riders.
Of course the fact that Danny Mullins didn’t follow Patrick's advice and tried for a gap on the inner of Gaelic Warrior was very positive for the sport even if it did irk his cousin.
