WISDOM 1

“It is a truth universally acknowledged,” that a military man, in possession of a good fortune and with aspirations in the world of horseracing, must be in want of an excellent trainer. One arrangement that has stood the test of time requires the military man to finance the operation, and entitles him to influence the long-term strategy to be employed, while all matters relevant to the well-being and development of the equine talent are left to the judgement of the trainer.

In recent weeks Sheikh Mohammed Obaid al Maktoum, a wealthy military man, has declared that he will give  orders relevant to the preparation and running of his horses, and his trainers will only be employed if they accept those orders, just like that.

Theoretically, if history tells a true tale, this approach could prove counter-productive. It exposes the enterprise to a level of potential error that can undermine the best endeavours of all concerned. It is for that reason that I have felt it incumbent upon me to offer a few words of advice on a subject that some may consider none of my business.

Apart from the question of error there is also the possibility of divine intervention.  The goddess Nemesis (if she exists) may find the Obaid philosophy unacceptable. Early in the second century AD the poet Mesomedes wrote a hymn to Nemesis, where he described her role as “discouraging the frivolous insolences of mortals”. If Mesomedes knew what he was talking about, perhaps even as we speak the goddess may be preparing to retaliate.”Frivolous insolences of mortals” is a fairly clumsy way of referring to Hubris, the sin of exaggerating one’s own importance.

History also teaches us that when a man wishes to end an association which has lasted long and proved fruitful, there are ways of doing so which are beyond reproach and there are other ways which aren’t.

 

WISDOM 2

I caught a glimpse of Henry Candy on the box the other day answering questions about Limato’s optimum trip. He is a most intelligent man, as indicated by his luxuriant eyebrows, which signal plenty of activity at the highest level.

He observed that very good horses can excel at a variety of distances, and there was a palpable buzz in the air as several hundred people in the gathering which was hanging on his every word cast their minds back to 1887 (perhaps I imagined the buzz and the gathering) when Ormonde ended a career which was 15-0 unbeaten. He won the Triple Crown, which included the 14-furlong St Leger, and his last race was – guess what – the Imperial Gold Cup at Newmarket – over six furlongs!

WISDOM 3

I have no doubt whatsoever that Art Sherman is as good a trainer of flat race horses as there has ever been. Let the interested observer dial up California Chrome’s racing record and take in the races he has won and the money he has earned. Let him then factor in the holiday time which the horse has enjoyed, and from which he has been restored to full fitness on more than one occasion. Let him then summon up two photographs, one of CC as a three-year-old, the other two years later, and think about the transformation from neat, well-balanced but not over-imposing youngster to the picture of power, majesty and grace which he now is. Next a glance at the You Tube of the Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Saturday 20^th August would be in order. Then let the observer ask, “Whodunnit?” – and the answer will surely be,  “Art Sherman.”

In an age when we are constantly being told where a horse is going to run next before it has had time to pull up after today’s exertions, it is a joy to witness the judgement and the artistry of one who actually understands the nature of the thoroughbred and the parameters which must be respected if the beast’s potential is to be fulfilled and its level of performance maintained and improved.

WISDOM 4

Until the Rolling Maul is banned, the BHA is sanctioning a starting process under NH rules which, in the case of large fields, is guaranteed to produce unfair starts, and which impairs a horse’s ability to concentrate on the job in hand, thereby making a dangerous sport into a more dangerous sport for horses and jockeys.

The 2014 consultation between Cheltenham, Aintree, the PJA and the BHA is evidence that the problem is no secret. The fact that no action has been taken indicates unforgivable negligence on the part of the authorities. A trial period (perhaps six months) during which the Rolling Maul is excluded from the starting procedure could be arranged in five minutes and would settle once and for all the benefit (or harm) for which it is responsible. Note that “large fields” include practically every prestigious race in the Calendar.

WISDOM 5

The BREXIT revolution may allow racing to turn the clock back in an interesting fashion. All true followers of the longest-running tragedy in the history of sport (racing’s struggle for financial survival) will remember that at the turn of the century (circa. 2000 AD) Weatherbys constructed a perfectly sound plan to achieve a sustainable level of prosperity for the sport. Stage one: you establish the principle that the data which the racing industry produces at an enormous rate belongs to that industry. Once that has been established, the sport can charge a fee for the use of every item of data used by those outside the racing industry who wish to use it. The majority of the users of the material who are not part of the racing industry are the bookmakers, whose daily market is based on data produced by Weatherbys. Financial problem solved, just like that. Wrong.

This formula was tested in a British court and passed, then in a British appeal court (as far as I recall) and passed again. It was then sent over to the EU for approval. Whereupon Messrs William Hill appealed against it being given a clean bill of heath. To the surprise of many, the Weatherbys submission was found to be illegal. This verdict has subsequently been labelled “perverse” by respectable legal commentators who have no reason to be anything other than disinterested. One must take one’s hat off Messrs William Hill and Co. Its operatives and its advisers were apparently better equipped to survive in the jungle that is Europe than was the British Racing authority.

Every British racing fan will be looking forward to the return match, played on British soil and regulated by home-grown referees on the basis of the British rule-book, as will be the case once the “sceptred isle” has distanced itself from the suffocating embrace of the continent.

WISDOM 6

One day recently I picked up “Men and Horses…” by George Lambton, and found myself reading about the third Lord Lurgan, alias “the aristocratic tout”, who was the Hon. George’s great friend and did most of his betting for him in the eighteen-eighties.

A few days later I was browsing through “Golf is my Game” by the great Bobby Jones. I reached the chapters which describe his Quadrilateral (winning the British Amateur and Open, followed by the two equivalent American championships, in the same year). This was in 1930. His preparation for the first stage (the British Amateur) included the Golf Illustrated Gold Vase, a one-day competition at Sunningdale. He won by one stroke from “a very good young Irish golfer, the Hon.W.G. Brownlow, then Lord Lurgan.” Actually he didn’t become Lord Lurgan for another seven years, but this was the son and heir of George Lambton’s pal. Wiki tells us that the 4^th Lord L was a Walker Cup golfer, whose passion was music. If one dials up the “lurgantrust.org” one can see how much it meant to him and his wife. Unsurprisingly the same source reveals that “the aristocratic tout” was also a very good golfer.

What’s this all about? It’s a small world, possibly. Or maybe the above is just one tiny example of the extraordinary charm which sport adds to life’s rich (and sometimes quite disagreeable) pageant – and let’s not overlook the contribution to human happiness made by a) books, and b) Wikipedia.

 

Best wishes,

Donec.