chester bias, the osbornes, £3,600,000 & John Crouch.

​There is something wrong when a trainer withdraws a horse from a race for no other reason than it is drawn wide, as happens so often at Chester. Firstly, trainers should be fined no matter the reason given if they withdraw a horse that is drawn wide at Chester, other than when a vet on duty at the course issues a certificate confirming the horse is lame or unwell.
Secondly, something should be done to undo the unfairness in the draw at Chester and other racecourses where horses are routinely withdrawn because of an unfavourable stall position. What if horses drawn widest, say the three outside stalls, receive a 2Ib allowance, and those in the next two stalls a 1Ib allowance. Would this incentivise trainers to take their chances?

The Osbornes go big pot hunting at Pimlico next Saturday and I for one will have my fingers crossed that they come home with the laurels. Heart of Honour had a good time of it out in the desert regions of the racing world throughout our winter, finishing 2nd in the U.A.E. Derby. The Preakness Stakes, I suggest, is a whole different kettle of fish and Heart of Honour must raise his game a notch or two to be in the mix, yet I dare say we were all saying the same when Jamie sent Toast of New York to the Breeders Cup Classic, finishing an honourable and perhaps unlucky runner-up. I dare say having a female jockey riding in one of America’s classic races will attract a lot of media attention and I hope that Saffie is interviewed as much after the race as in the preliminaries. 

Rather like a government that can plead poverty when cutting benefits from the elderly and yet can muster twice the amount of money for a pet project, British racing is about to spend £3,600,000 on a marketing campaign to boost the image of horse racing to an apathetic public. In being critical of this initiative, ‘The Going Is Good’, I am not suggesting that all is rosy in the racing sector, only that less money spent more wisely might produce better results. Also, £3-million of the Levy Board funding for this project would be better spent propping-up prize-money or to speed-up the building of separate changing facilities at racecourses for male and female jockeys.
As I have proposed down the years, free entry to people living in the postcode for respective racecourses would be good start. Free bus travel from train stations to the racecourse. Free tickets won on local radio. Family fun days to emphasise that under sixteens get in free. Remind people that there is only one Royal Ascot and the sort of clothes mandated for that meeting do not apply on any other day’s racing. In fact, no restrictions on what clothes are allowed.
I have no more expectations for this marketing campaign as I did for the previous one. Or any that went before it. This is a prime example of the B.H.A. pushing a proposal for the sake of making it look like they are doing something, that they are on the ball.

When I come across a facet of racing history new to me, I like to share it. In reading a large tome entitled ‘Royal Newmarket’, written by R.C. Lyle, the man who wrote the story of the great Brown Jack, and illustrated by Lionel Edwards, R.I., I came across the name of the jockey who took on the mantle of retained jockey to King George VI when Joe Childs retired. John Crouch. He was obviously destined for great success, sadly, though, in 1939 he died in an air crash on his way to Newcastle to ride a horse for the King.
I cannot recall the name of John Crouch before the reference in this book and felt I should pass his name on to people in case his name is the answer to a question in a pub quiz or similar. My next query, of course, is whether Hector Crouch is related to him. Or even Peter Crouch, though that seems less likely.