horse racing's opportunity to secure its future.

​Without intending to belabour a point many will disagree with but what we are having to live through, this manufactured global health crisis, is designed by unelected powerbrokers to allow governments all around the world to announce ‘The Great Reset’, the brainchild of the founder of the World Economic Forum’s Klaus Shwaub (spelt wrong, I know) and his associates.
Without wishing to suggest the B.H.A. should piggy-back on this shameful agenda to pull the rug from under the feet of populations around the world, we have lived now for 10-months without on-course bookmakers and, if any of them remain solvent, it might be the time to go all-hog and think the unholy of all unholy ideas and ask ourselves this question – Is this the time to set about establishing a ‘Tote Monopoly’ in this country.
For decades now, perhaps even longer, the dilemma of prize-money has haunted the sport. Great Britain and Ireland practically invented the sport, certainly drew up the first rules and disciplines, and without question own most of the prestigious races in the world, yet our prize-money lags far behind our major competitors.
In suggesting his own solutions to the age-old problem, Richard Hoiles dismissed the ‘Tote Monopoly’ solution as a ship that had long sailed. He is right, it has sailed from port but it is not scuppered; one ship-to-shore signal and that old lady can turn around and return to harbour. Every idea put forward by Richard Hoiles, and others down the years, are all workable, all have fancy multi-digit numbers attached to them but they are piece-meal, add this number to that number and multiply by two.
The ‘Tote Monopoly’ system of funding the sport works in every other racing jurisdiction and if you said to France, Australia or Hong Kong that they should find another method of funding the sport they would send the men in white coats around to have you sectioned. To fund a sport as money-hungry as horse racing a system where all profit from betting returns to the sport is the only sensible solution.
The sport of horse racing in Great Britain and Ireland needs a reset, a great reset.
Of course, this will cost a humungous amount of money to set-up but given the success around the world of similar methods of funding the sport, would any bank or money-lending institution seriously refuse such an opportunity? And remember, the core owners of our sport are wealthy individuals, many of whom are ideally placed and have the financial skills to offer advice and leadership in setting up the monopoly I suggest. Someone once said, John Banks, I think, that bookmaking was like printing your own money and a well-run Tote Monopoly would be the sport’s mint. 
I am sick of reading about how poor prize money is in this country. I have no problem with the major races having reduced prize money. An Epsom Derby worth £500,000 would be exactly the same race if it was worth £1-million. A Grand National worth £500,000 would be the same race if it was worth £1-million. Ebor Handicaps do not need to be worth £1-million. But 2-year-old maidens at Newmarket should not be worth less than £20,000 to the winner. A 4-year-old hurdle at Plumpton or Fontwell should not be worth £3,000 to the winner but a minimum of £10,000. In fact, no race should be worth less than ten-grand to the winner.
Our prize-money shames us. Doodling around the edges of the problem has to stop.
I do not subscribe to the notion that owners should always make the sport pay. It is sport, even flat racing, but equally owners should not be supporting the sport on their shoulders; they should at least be given the chance to break-even.
And it is not only about owners. A properly funded sport should have the capital to improve the sport in every manner possible. Stable staff could be big-wage earners, not little-wage earners, for instance. 
With money to spare, Wetherby’s could instigate a system where owners pay their training fees direct to them and Wetherby’s would then transfer it into trainers’ accounts. I am sure such an arrangement costs money, which at the moment the sport cannot afford.
Money remedies most problems.
The B.H.B. needs to get active on this matter. With consistent proper funding, the sport will not have to chase after and depend on sponsorship and advertising and if to achieve such a prized goal a quieter, non-bookmaker atmosphere on a racecourse is the price, I would take it every day of the week. The B.H.A. and all of us cannot stand idly by and allow the lifeblood of the sport, owners, drift away to become telly-viewers.