Economics and bleeding, thousand stars, oisin again & saturation saturday.

​In the Friday column of today’s Racing Post, Peter Scargill makes a very good point on whether horses with a history of bleeding should be allowed to stand at stud. Bleeding can be hereditary and by breeding from ‘bleeders, dam or sire, can only weaken the thoroughbred species.
There are two levels of bleeding. It is considered that nearly 75% of racehorses will at one time or another bleed into the lungs – Exercise-Induced-Pulmonary- Haemhorrage – though it is not considered by trainers to be enough of a problem to be of any concern. Epistaxis, though, bleeding from the nose, which is uncommon, is a major concern as this condition actively stops a horse from running to form and in many instances is cause enough for a jockey to pull-up.
Economics is exampled by Peter Scargill as a horse who bled from the nose in his previous race, which was as far back as last autumn. He is yet to race since. Many a shining light promises to be a wonder horse, again Economics is a good example, who though able to maintain form for a couple of races, suddenly becomes a shadow of his or her former self. There is a long list of horses who ‘caught pigeons on the gallops’, yet after one promising run lost their form and were never the same horse ever again. These days internal bleeding is easily diagnosed and external bleeding is obvious to all. In the past internal bleeding, EIPH, might have been stopping all those morning glories, the most expensively bought and those with ‘pedigrees to die for’, after an inglorious spell on the track, going to the stallion sheds stud to claw what they have cost their owners, to pass on their genes, including the gene that makes offspring liable to bleeding.
Scargill is correct to ask whether known bleeders should be allowed to stand as stallions, and I would ask the same question of colts who had suffered lameness on multiple occasions whilst in training. As they are not subjected to any rules that I am aware of, breeders have cart-blanche to do as they see fit, and that includes breeding from stallions that can only weaken the thoroughbred blood-line for generations into the future.

Thousand Stars was an easy horse to remember. A big grey, trained by Willie Mullins and occasionally ridden by Katie Walsh who won several big races on him, his popularity proven by the large number of people who volunteered to give him a home when he was retired. Willie Mullins selected Katie Walsh for the honour and aged 21 she has reported his death. Thousand Stars, a well-named and hard to forget horse.

Oisin has only gone and done it again. As Captain Mainwaring might say, stupid boy! When will he admit that drink to him is a poison of the mind. The man is a wonderful jockey/horseman, a talented, likeable young man with all the world’s oysters at his beck and call. Yes, anyone can have a driving accident, as he did, apparently, driving his lovely Merc off the road and into a tree, his passenger requiring hospital treatment. Where Murphy did wrong was not cooperating with the police in the aftermath, especially as he was over the alcohol limit.
His record in such matters is far from good. He is a fool unto himself. The two charges in September 2020 in relation to the Covid rules I personally forgive him as history will prove the restrictions on our freedom were totally unnecessary. Two failed tests for alcohol in May and October of 2021, and acting in a manner prejudicial to the integrity, conduct and good reputation of the sport landed him with a suspension of his licence that kept him off the track from November 2021 to February 2023.
The B.H.A. may decide Oisin has not learnt his lesson and give him a similar sentence, and who could blame them. As much as I admire Oisin Murphy, my belief in him as a good human being who is good for the sport is being tested to the limit. Perhaps now is the time for the sport as a collective to stop forgiving Oisin’s weakness and give him a great big kick up the arse. As with so many jockeys before him, alcohol is going to kill, if not bodily, his career. Stupid boy hardly covers it.

This Saturday, Northumberland Plate Day, makes a mockery of Premier Racing, the protection of the sport’s crown jewels, of which the Pitman’s Derby must be included. It is racing saturation tomorrow and must be a headache for trainers finding suitable jockeys for all their runners. As well as Newcastle there is racing in the north of England at both York and Doncaster - does that make any sense – as well as Windsor and Lingfield in this country and the Curragh in Ireland.