Ebanoran and Fascinating Rock at Leopardstown© Photo Healy Racing
It took almost twenty five minutes from the time they passed the post in the Derrinstown Derby Trial to the announcement that the stewards had placed Ebanoran behind Fascinating Rock: how long would it have taken for that same decision to have been reached in France, or Australia, or the US, or Hong Kong? The PA announcer probably wouldn’t have had time to clear his throat.
The Leopardstown stewards eventually got it right, and it is undoubtedly better to slowly get it correct than rush into a mistake. But the real giveaway as to how dysfunctional the interference rules continue to be in Ireland and Britain is that during the delay, there was consensus about it being a flip of the coin as to which way the call might go.
Most everyone knew in theory it was perfectly straight-forward: Ebanoran veered left across Geoffrey Chaucer, then went right to cross him again, and under a left hand drive from Declan McDonogh bumped Fascinating Rock who lost out by only a head. It was self-evident Ebanoran should be thrown out. But the uncertainty and unpredictability surrounding skewed rules, and their often idiosyncratic implementation, means there was genuine uncertainty over what would happen.
In fact the longer it went on the more some extremely wise and knowledgeable heads started nodding sagely to the probability of the classic fudge - the horse keeping the race and McDonogh getting a ban. As it happens he did get a three day holiday and his record clearly must be excellent because he could hardly have quibbled had it been more.
The consensus after all that in terms of Derby clues was mostly to downplay the Derrinstown’s significance but that could be dangerous. Australia might dominate the betting, and he could yet wind up in a different league to these, but the hype got unstuck before the Guineas and it goes against the grain to run scared of a single horse, no matter how big its reputation.
And there’s the fact that Epsom can be very far from straight-forward. Even a simple factor like an inside draw could produce a single incident which changes the complexion of everything. There’s also the Epsom factor in terms of acting on the track although Dermot Weld was noticeably confident that that won’t be a problem for a colt as pacey as Fascinating Rock.
Considering he looked like he will improve significantly for his first start of the season, got far from a clear run, and was conceding a penalty, Geoffrey Chaucer came out of the Derrinstown with his reputation at least intact if not enhanced. And don’t write off Ebanoran either. He might have a kink, or it just be greenness, but the Oxx horse has a turn of foot and is bred to stay. Even so, maybe the French Derby rather than Epsom could wind up playing to his strengths, although a lot will clearly depend on what the Aga Khan has based in France.
Talking of France, and stewarding, there’s no getting away from the desirability of increased standardisation across the jurisdictions because it isn’t just here that beggars belief sometimes.
Looking at Longchamp’s Prix Hocquart, and Adelaide securing a run up the rail after Gallante, also owned by Coolmore, allowed him up the inside following an obvious peep over his shoulder by the jockey, one could only speculate as to what the Meydan stewards would have made of it. Or what Pat Cosgrave might make of it, considering what got him a six month ban in Dubai was hardly a million miles from what happened in France.
It would be easy – and fun – to point out how yet another lobby group is just what this country’s political culture is short of. But the new ‘Alliance for Racing’ which aims at bringing together industry stakeholders to present a unified message to government might yet surprise us all with ambitions that go beyond the usual lobby group aim of ‘gimme more.’
Apparently on the eve of local and European elections, the new Alliance wants to get across the message of how important the racing and breeding industries are in Ireland, and to communicate this to the highest levels of government.
Apart from how such a function is already presumed to be carried out by Horse Racing Ireland, charged after all with the development and promotion of the Irish racing industry, and that the importance of the horse game is hardly a well-kept secret, it looks an awful lot of huff-and-puff to get to the highest levels of government.
This is Ireland: getting to the highest levels of government is not like getting to Putin in the Kremlin. Things are a lot more personal here. A phone call can do it. Now who in the horse game is capable of picking up the phone to the big boys who tell the little boys what to think and be confident of getting an answer? Hmmn – a toughie.
Coming on the back of confirmation that an enquiry will be held into the Aintree National start comes the debacle of a void race at Ludlow where the apparent failure of one man to wake up and do the one thing he’s paid to do ensures the issue of starting National Hunt races will continue to be on the news agenda.
Clearly there’s no simple solution but rushing the tape at a gallop surely has to start becoming a non-runner. Sometimes it really can pay to slow down.
