Home Farm© Photo Healy Racing
Would the proverbial Martian, if he'd dropped to earth for Ascot's Ladbroke Hurdle, have looked at the outcome and concluded Noel Fehily is a mug? And if so, can a cogent argument be presented as to why he might be wrong? You know, apart from hopelessly subjective stuff about some horses running for the whip and others not: in cold logical terms could you persuade said Martian that the relevant whip rules haven't originated on the planet Fundamental Contradiction?
Some will possibly point to Davy Condon's fifteen day suspension and four thousand Euro-plus fine for his winning ride on Bayan as an Irish thing, the whole getting-tough with the outside guy which let's face it is hardly unknown. But James Doyle got hit with seven days and ten grand for his Champion Stakes winning effort on Noble Mission, so maybe it's an Ascot thing.
Except we all know it's really a racing thing, where any amount of agenda and supposed nuance has got thrown into a burbling pot of hopelessly convoluted fudge.
Condon's return from serious injury is a heart-warming story. But only in racing could a breach of the rules so serious it merits a fifteen day ban still allow Bayan hold onto the race. It was the same with Doyle in the Champion, and Leighton Aspell in the Hennessy, and it will be the same in God knows how many more big races in the future when jockeys calculate it's worth their while getting serious with the whip.
The hoary old argument about not penalising the horse for the sins of its jockey is facile. The horse hasn't a clue about anything: the jockey does. As for its owner and trainer, since they employ the jockey, and often with very specific requirements in mind, it's hardly realistic to argue they somehow are by-standing innocents in all of this.
Condon got fifteen days and Sam Twiston-Davies on the runner-up Pine Creek got four days for his use of the whip. Fehily stayed within the rules and presumably may have left the owners of Activial pondering what-might-have-been if their jockey had gone for broke with the stick.
Ah, the argument goes, but horses are all different, individuals, with different requirements for showing their best. And that is true. But just as true is that the whole theoretical essence of sport revolves around having the same rules for everyone, and those rules being enforced impartially for everyone, leaving as little room for individual interpretation as possible: otherwise you risk a free-for-all, which in effect is what is happening now.
It's no coincidence whip bans flourish in the most valuable races. Jockeys can tot better than most when it comes to calculating their percentage in relation to potential penalties, and they can hardly be blamed for stretching the rules when those rules give a nod and a wink to go ahead - the usual penalise the jockey but let the horse keep the race bit, a culture which inevitably will eventually be binned because it's fundamentally ludicrous, although, sadly, probably much later rather than sooner.
But when it does eventually happen a month of pain in terms of disqualifying horses whose jockeys break the whip rules will pay off in years of black-and-white certainty about what is and isn't permitted. Jockeys will adapt to that black-and-white just as quickly as they've adapted to the current grey area. But that will require decisive leadership which looks to be in regrettably short supply.
Even more decisive leadership might provoke an experimental month of races where the whip is used for purely steering and safety purposes, but there's hope, and then there's fantasy; although the old line about modern whips having little or no coercive impact hardly holds much water when you remember the alacrity with which Davy Russell went looking for someone else's while riding an odds-on favourite at Clonmel.
It's amazing though what can be done when the will from upon high is there to do it. The nuts-and-bolts details of what money goes where, and for what, is still unclear but on the face of it a projected E10.5 million in relation to integrity for 2015 looks a significant gesture of intent from Horse Racing Ireland.
Circumstances during a torrid 2014 conspired to leave unrealistic, particularly on the back of increased government funding for next year, any maintenance of the status-quo. But the noises from HRI HQ, now look like being backed up by funding which is often the most important test of actual intent.
Now the money has to be employed meaningfully and effectively by integrity services which just as importantly need to be backed up by a political will from racing's top brass which is commensurate with the intent outlined in their budget figures.
There don't appear to be precise figures about whether or not racing in Ireland attracts attendances in comparison to a recent British study which showed that racing there is behind only football in terms of overall crowd figures. But evidence that it is the top festival events which provoke the impressive numbers in Britain surely applies here too.
Few festivals provoke the figures and profile that Leopardstown's Christmas festival does and it's unlikely to be any different this time. Potential highlights abound, such as Vautour, and Hurricane Fly V Jezki. In form terms, though, the Lexus Chase could be fascinating.
The top-rated chasers in Ireland right now are Road To Riches (167) and Don Cossack (166.) Along with the Gold Cup holder Lord Windermere (163) they represent an impressive collection of talent which nevertheless can hardly be likely to overwhelm and deter those with ideas for knocking them off their perch.
At this last year you would have secured big odds about Lord Windermere and On His Own fighting out a Gold Cup finish and unless Champagne Fever pulls off something spectacular in the King George, more or less the same usual suspects dominate current `blue-riband' betting.
That looks to leave potential room for more dark-horse contenders and might the Lexus provide one, possibly even in the shape of Home Farm who has a stone to find in ratings, but could have been transformed by a wind op, and is likely to get decent ground at Leopardstown.
If that sounds Martian, then blame it on Christmas fever! Hope you enjoy it
