HAD TO GET A RUN INTO….

Our racing correspondent writes:

There seems to be some correlation between the number of horses injured on the racecourse in recent months and the number of times one hears the mantra “I had to get a run into such-and-such.”

In fact, connections never have to get a run into any horse. In times when the ground is dangerous for whatever reason, why not just “possess one’s soul in patience”? Why not train one’s horse at all-weather tracks which I am quite sure would be happy to earn a bob or two by providing good ground for beleaguered jumpers? Maybe run them on the all-weather? Why not go to Red Rum’s Southport beach, or Brean Sands? Britain is an island; perfect ground by the seaside is available in every direction. Invite the owners. Sea air will do them as well as their horses the world of good.

What about roadwork? What’s the name of that hill between Childrey and Lambourn, for example? Twice up that hill three times a week and your beast will be fit to run for ever, without having to endure that wretched “run” which his trainer decides he “had to get into” the unfortunate quadruped.

[The day after the above was written, galloping on adequate turf at Kempton took place, featuring participants from the stables of Henderson, Greatrex, Longsdon, Nicholls and Tizzard.  Moral of the story: when the going gets tough, the cream rises to the occasion.]

EUROPE

Cameron Man of Straw

The Donec Council reminds its public that since we first identified David Cameron as a man of straw and very little integrity (he stole the Tote from racing and sold it to Mr Done), the evidence against him has accumulated in a most alarming manner.

Cameron as stubborn as he is stupid

Now, by his antics over Europe, he has made his inadequacies more obvious than ever. The “deal” he brought back from Brussels simply emphasises Brussels’ determination to resist any bid for a return of sovereignty by any member state, and his persistence in endorsing that “deal” suggests that he is as stubborn as he is stupid.

Cameron: If the Tories don’t sack him, the country will sack the Tories

With so many Conservatives featuring in the Brexit OUT camp, and so many other parliamentary groupings with no love or respect for this travesty of a prime minister, surely a vote of censure (or do I mean no confidence?) by the House of Commons would have every chance of removing him from public office, and a lot of people would be dancing in the street.

Thereafter, important decisions have a chance of finding their way into the hands of statesmen with the judgement and integrity required in these troubled times. The whole European debate could start again, for example, under proper management.

SIX NATIONS RUGBY

Halfway through the current Six Nations competition, as the English and Irish teams took to the field, a TV presenter was heard to say, “This competition could do with a good game.”

Too true.

In addition to the low quality of the play, there is the addiction to “big hits” affecting promoters and media.  At a time when the long-term effects of concussion are a source of real concern in rugby circles, one might have expected a more responsible attitude.

It is only in the last twenty years that excessive physicality (aimed at injuring opponents) has become a feature. It must be  recognised as a pernicious element and ruthlessly eliminated from the game, and the sooner the better. In Britain, the BBC, for example,  should be leading the charge. At present it  treats thuggery as a main attraction. Sad.

BIG-FIELD STARTING

Not the usual moan – far from it.

Feb 27^th, Newcastle, Eider Chase, 17 runners.

In spite of the “rolling maul” (an abomination which continues to rob all big-field races of the “fair start” to which all competitors are entitled), here we had a perfect start, because the starter ensured that all concerned had the opportunity to spread out and close up during the final paces (walking) of the approach to the tapes.

Congratulations to Jason Callaghan and Michael Reid, who were the starters officiating at that meeting. If only higher command (Mr Jamie Stier) would unroll that practice nationwide, he might even one day deserve a pat on the back.

JOGGING

Once a year Donec “has to” update its jogging memorandum for the sake of the health, happiness and eternal youth of our clientèle (Elsie and Doris McWittering, both 97, of Sandbanks near Bournemouth).

I. All you need is a comfy pair of shoes.

2. You can do it anywhere. Up a flight (or several) of stairs for example.

3. No sweat, no huge subscription, no waste of time. 15 minutes  a day will do.

4. Is that all? Yes. Try it and see.

5. It is highly effective. Explain? Certainly….. Every time a jogger puts one foot ahead of the other, the full weight of the body is lifted off the ground, then lowered. So the jogger is gently weightlifting as well as going from A to B. Walking, for example, simply cannot provide this benefit.

What else? The action of jogging provides exercise for feet, ankles, calves, knees, thighs and pelvis. Higher up the body, guess what else is gently working….the heart, the lungs, and the airways. All those bits and pieces are being reminded  that they are working parts! That reminder triggers an instinctive reaction. The body  takes steps to ensure that “the bits” maintain a level of fitness that enables them to do the work for which they are designed. Just like that. Rust diminishes, lubrication improves.

15 minutes a day and the job’s a good ‘un, as Miss Hastings used to say. Not that she was a jogger, mind you. Not as far as we know. But she could recognise a worthwhile occupation when she saw one.

Notes

When you jog, you should be able to talk comfortably. If talking proves uncomfortable, you are going too fast. Slow down – you’ll soon discover your comfort  zone.

If you recite poetry out loud, the words and the beat will obliterate practically all discomfort in feet, knees, lungs. Try it (on an uphill slope) and see. I promise it’s true.

If you sing out loud, it will have the same effect, and you will be amazed at how much more tuneful you become. There is a theory that pop singers  began to gyrate in several directions at once for that very reason. That is not necessarily a fact.

WHIP

[Another refreshing innovation: Donec  bows to higher authority.]

Since the late 1940s racing has been able to rely on the truth contained in the Timeform annual assessment of horses in training, which also includes superb articles on all subjects of interest and/or concern which have surfaced during the year in question. Its excellence stems from the fact that Timeform’s founder, the late Phil Bull, was a man of huge intellect and unquestioned integrity.

I suspect that his influence persists to this day and that the standards of those  now in charge of Timeform are the same as they were in Mr Bull’s time.

Here is what “Racehorses of 2014” had to say about the use of the whip: “The next review of the whip rules needs to consider dropping the ‘norm’, the specifying of a numerical limit, which is at the heart of most of the problems (that have arisen)… The rules need to be flexible enough to fit individual cases and to place more emphasis on the incorrect use of the whip, rather than how often it is used.”

Timeform argues that racecourse stewards should exercise much more discretion and judgment over the use of the whip.

It also points out that the disqualification of horses “[on whom] the whip was used in a way deemed unacceptable….would risk too many possible miscarriages of justice and would be certain to create controversy, as well as risking the alienation of punters and racegoers”.

Timeform goes on to highlight the fact that “the publicity which usually accompanies whip suspensions given to leading jockeys after big races is an embarrassment to the sport and serves only to give the impression to the wider public that racing is cruel”. 

(Which it isn’t.)

It is interesting to note that Timeform’s recommendations are very similar to the principles which the Irish authorities apply to whip use, without arousing any of the controversy which continues to bedevil British Racing.

The padded whip invented by the late Jim Mahon and endorsed by the British racing authorities has been embraced by racing throughout the world and has virtually put an end to the whip controversy elsewhere.

But not in Britain, where one beleaguered department of the BHA persists in treating the padded whip as a deadly weapon. British Racing pays a disproportionate price for that extraordinary situation.

PENDLETON

She was unseated after fairly serious interference in mid-air over a fence (her neighbour gave her a definite nudge and then deposited its own jockey on Pendleton’s landing area).

Elements of the racing press seem to have decided that the only way to get “value” out of the story is via the (almost immediate) elimination of all reference to the “nudge, the bump, the interference.” Charming.

They didn’t re-write history when S. Twiston-Davies fell off his pony on the flat, twice, (no outside interference) or when R.Walsh crashed out at the last twice (no outside interference.)

Why Pendleton? Freedom of the Press, one supposes – a fundamental right, you know. The tall poppy syndrome! Arsenal!

PS. One David Carr, of the Racing Post, looking forward  to Pendleton’s ride this p.m. at Wincanton, refers to the unseating but makes no mention of the nudge, the bump, the interference. How much lower can a reporter sink? Does the term “fair play” mean nothing to Mr Carr? Incidentally,  there was one aspect of the Fakenham incident which would have entitled him to criticise the rider – but he missed it.

Best wishes (David Carr excluded).

Happy Cheltenham (ditto)

Donec

PS. 3.20 p.m. 2/3/16. Wincanton, Miss P wins by a distance!

PPS. 7.11 p.m. 2/3/16. Dear Mr Carr, airbrush your  way out of that one.