the august trough.

​The flat season has been building to a bit of a crescendo in recent weeks what with York just gone and the St.Leger meeting at Doncaster fast approaching. Yet proving yet again that the B.H.A. are great twiddlers of thumbs, last Saturday, the last day of August, was allowed to become a trough of mediocrity, at least in comparison to what had gone before. Surely the B.H.A. must have noticed that a Group 3 two-year-old race would provide poor fare for a Saturday following on from a million-quid Ebor?
The B.H.A. are not innovators. They get excited and aroused when people come to them with stupid ideas, and yes, I am referring to City Street Racing and Formula One inspired nonsense, as if there are horses the equivalent of Ferrari, Maclaren and Racing Point. As if racing enthusiasts will form an allegiance to Team Ladbrokes, Team Godolphin or Team Daz. As if!
Last Saturday was a prime day to experiment with one of the following ideas. Please be free to blow any or all of these ideas out of the water.
I am critical of the large number of amateur races on the flat. I am not against amateur races as such, just the randomness and quantity of them. These races are popular, I admit, and give opportunities for a certain type of horse. But why not organise these races to finish with an all-amateurs day at one of the metropolitan racecourses, say Sandown, allowing amateurs a flat equivalent to a similar day over jumps, rather like the hunter chase meeting at Cheltenham. There could be finals for female and male amateurs, novice riders, plus finals for qualifying races over sprint, middle distance and staying distances. A different kind of meeting for the flat which will attract friends and families of the participating riders. Not high-quality racing, I admit, but it possesses novelty and competitiveness. The Solario and the other races on the card could be run on the Sunday, which would provide an upgrade in quality for what tends to be a lesser quality days racing.
Although I understand and tentatively support the upgrading of handicaps such as the Ebor, Cesarewitch and propose their should be similar races over 5 or 6-furlongs and one over a mile, I regret that the type of horse that have traditionally run in these races are not compensated with a race over the same distance, of the same value as of old and with the same conditions. There is a limited place in the calendar for these compressed handicaps buy why must they be at the expense of horses further down the ratings band.
The Saturday after York might provide a perfect date in the calendar for a 1-mile 6-furlongs race, with the same prize money and conditions as the old Ebor, and if already established sprint and mile races are upgraded to a compressed handicap and worth a million-quid, why not similar races for the horse that would not now get into the race. I would have thought the Royal Hunt Cup, although that would require sponsorship to be allowed at the Royal Meeting, of course, and either the Stewards Cup or Ayr Gold Cup are prestigious enough races to be considered for similar elevation.
Think about it, three valuable and competitive handicaps raced for on the same day, perhaps at the same course. What great betting opportunities it would generate?
My third suggestion would be the most valuable flat race in the world restricted to female professional jockeys. On this issue, the advancement of female jockeys, we should be leading the world and a six-figure value race would set the racing world’s eyes in our direction. I have written at length on this subject and will say no more here.
My fourth suggestion for this barren Saturday relates in some way to my second suggestion. The Grand National is definitely a better race because of the changes to the course, though I am not as convinced that the compressing of the handicap is as agreeable as some will have us believe. The great race is most definitely easier to win nowadays and I doubt if Tiger Roll will be the last dual winner of the race come the next twenty years and as much as I salute the achievement and believe him to be one of the most remarkable racehorses in racing history, even if he won three Grand Nationals I don’t believe it will match up to what Red Rum achieved. Could Tiger Roll give weight and a beating to a dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner?
To my way of thinking the compressing of the handicap allows too many jaded and out-of-form horses to get in the race and denies too many obvious Aintree horses a chance of glory. To this end I suggest a proper Summer Grand National run at Aintree over the full Grand National course for horses who currently have a rating that would not allow them to get into the big race come April. What bigger race to fill this last Saturday in August trough than a race over the Grand National fences, with the lure of ‘win and you’re in’ condition come April.
So, there you are, four suggestions to brighten a dull day, some, of course, better than others, some more pipe-dream than easily doable. If someone from the B.H.A. were to read this, would they stop twiddling and give my suggestions a little thought?