SPORT 51

LADY JOCKEYS

Donec’s oldest operative reminisces:

“How well I remember foxhunting in my youth, with three packs in particular, Old Berks, Tedworth, Royal Artillery, and there was another called the North something-or-other. Later on, drag-hunting with the glorious Bucks & Berks. Believe it or not, if you asked the oldest subscriber to any of these packs if he or she would name the four most formidable performers across country that they have ever known, the quartet in every case would feature two ladies – strong, handsome, fearless, skilful and competitive.  In those days there was no doubt whatsoever that the female was as deadly as, if not more deadly than, the male.

 

“Indeed forty years ago, I wrote an article for an equestrian magazine in which I prophesied that women would soon be a familiar sight riding in flat races.  Two reasons for this: first, girls, as previously explained, ride as well as boys; second, the weights carried on the flat suit women more than men, because men are getting larger and larger every day and finding it more and more difficult to reduce to the levels required. As we now see, women are a feature in flat racing. The reasons that only a few of them ride regularly on the flat or over jumps are as follows: one, they are not stupid; two, they have better things to do, including having babies.

 

“Even over the sticks the girls have competed magnificently. Last year, unless I am much mistaken, the leading conditional rider was a girl. End of story.

 

“Ex-champion jockey AP McCoy suggested that girls are at a disadvantage because ‘girls can never be as strong as blokes.’ I have no idea where he came across the notion that jockeyship is so much a matter of strength. Willie Carson and Willie Shoemaker in America were about seven stone nothing, and lack of strength didn’t stop them becoming champions at the highest level.

 

“Even in the case of “riding a finish” rhythm and balance and the ability to avoid falling off take precedence over whatever it was that caused McCoy to rely so much on strength.

 

“Girls, you are accepted in racing as never before and that will continue to be the case.  And of course you will be a minority, because, as I have rather delicately suggested, the maternal instinct is a sensible instinct that tends to avoid occupations that quite often cause horrible injuries.

Whereas men like to show off, and are expendable.”

 

ANCIENT HISTORY

If you google British Pathé and search for Grand National 1936, you will have the great pleasure and thrill of watching large chunks of Battleship’s victory ridden by 17-yr-old Bruce Hobbs. Plenty of other Nationals as well. Something to do when it’s raining (or when  Xmas becomes intolerable).

 

GARLIC

The juiciest, tastiest garlic that Donec has ever tasted is grown in SCOTLAND – would you believe? It is called the really garlicky garlic and it comes from New Reekie, Balnakeith, Nairn. It makes French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese varieties taste like old socks. New Reekie garlic is a life-changing experience!

 

LITERATURE

Our literary editor writes:

”Wow! I have just finished two excellent books: “The Masters of Manton” and “Beckhampton”, both by Paul Mathieu. He knows his racing, he knows how to write, he makes the past come to life – and his fund of information is apparently inexhaustible. “Manton” has been out for some time, and I somehow managed to miss it – I have now ticked that box. “Beckhampton” is fresh as a daisy, and should be on every racing fan’s Christmas list.

 

AUTHORISED BETTING PARTNERSHIPS

Donec was shocked to discover (we still hope it’s a bad dream) that the ABP project was launched on October 20^th 2015, and incorporated as a precondition in all sponsorship deals coming up for renewal about a month later. Ouch!

It is a fact universally acknowledged that racing cannot survive at any satisfactory level without the financial support of a friendly betting industry, and ABPs are a way of testing that friendship and turning it into regular cash.  Therefore ABP or something similar is a must.

 

However we would have preferred a different structure for the project:

An ABP Award should be offered as a thank you, with no preconditions, to racing’s real betting friends. That would be a fitting return for benefits received.

As regards racing’s “second division” betting friends, an  ABP could be a precondition for any new sponsorship deal, but those who belong to that category should be given time to consider the prospect, and existing sponsorships should not be affected. That is simply good manners.

As regards the parasite element of the betting industry, racing should show no mercy.

 

(Health Warning: Donec has no experience of the real world.).

 

RUGBY

The mouth-watering prospect of Scotland beating England in the Six Nations (or not) becomes even more fascinating now that Eddie Jones (a miracle-worker recently attached to Japan) is England’s coach. Donec suspects that every member of the England team will be about a stone lighter come February than they were at the World Cup, and that Scotland may have to work rather hard.

 

All best wishes for Christmas  and the New Year,

donec