a tangled knot, r.o.r., thoroughbred group & shergar cup.

​In his usual expertly way, Lee Mottershead in a double-page spread in today’s paper on the appointment of Jim Mullen as the Jockey Club’s group chief executive, he lays before his readers all the troubles and pitfalls awaiting him when he takes up his position this week.
Also in today’s Racing Post, trainer Stuart Williams makes clear his discontent with the delay to Baron Allen taking-up his position as chairman of the B.H.A., although many are of the opinion that it is a good thing that the Baron is spending time attempting to understand how racing’s governance works, or does not work, before committing himself to the job. As I wrote the other day, it seems Baron Allen does not have the whip he was promised that he feels needs to sort out the mess that is racing’s governance policy.
As with myself, the casual observer to this on-going pile of nonsense might think that the knot that needs untangling in British racing is that it has far too many chiefs in need of briefing and not enough knowledgeable and experienced Indians.

In a fulsome and attack-minded letter in the Racing Post today, David Catlow, managing director of the charity R.o.R., makes clear the policy of grants awarded and why some equine charities receive more while others only receive advice. I found it comforting that virtually all the different communities of the sport from jockeys to owners, trainers to auction houses, now contribute to R.o.R. funds.

In another letter to the Racing Post, Julian Richmond-Watson, chairman of the Thoroughbred Group (yet another Chief in a sport with no shortage of Chiefs) sets out what his members expect from Baron Allen if and when he takes up office.
Horse racing is awash with political agendas, chairman and chief executives manoeuvring their strategies to be considered of most relevance to the welfare of the sport. If only the sport could agree on one diehard racing man or woman to become a friendly and yet forceful dictator.

An aspect of the decision by Ascot to have no female-only team this year that has been given no credence is the removal of the once-a-year opportunity some female jockeys have had to put their heads above the parapet. The Shergar Cup has given many female riders the opportunity to a) ride a better-class of horse and b) to prove their ability to rise to the occasion.
Would this decision have been taken if Hayley Turner had not retired? I think not. And it is all very well Hollie Doyle favouring the decision on the grounds that she is a successful jockey and not simply a female jockey but, with the possible exception of Saffie Osborne, she is alone at dining at British racing’s high table and she should give a thought to the sisterhood that must ride 50/1 outsiders far more often then they ride horses with half a chance and think on the opportunity she has helped to be taken from them.
Today, for instance, Joanne Mason has a ride for William Haggas, a ride brought about by riding him a winner at the Shergar Cup a couple of seasons back. At the time Haggas expressed his surprise at how well Jo Mason rode the horse and said he would be using her in the future. Her appearance in the Shergar Cup may not have changed Jo Mason’s career to any extent, and there is little likelihood she will ever challenge Tom Marquand for his role as first jockey to Haggas, but that day has had an influence on her career, even if Haggas was the only trainer present that day who recognised what a talented jockey she is.
The likes of Nicola Currie, Josephine Gordon, Gina Mangan and all the up-and-coming female jockeys, are now deprived of the one day in the year when opportunity might have knocked for them. 
Also, now the female attendees at the Shergar Cup will not have an obvious team to support and that, I predict, will have a deflating effect on the atmosphere. The Shergar Cup is not a world jockey championship and should not be treated as if it is more than just a popular though novel event. It is a lamentable decision by the Ascot authorities and one they will come to regret.