Lewes, emotional defence, iroko, john durkan & correct decision.

​The land that was once Lewes racecourse, high on the South Downs, is for sale. If I had 2.45-million quid lying idle I would be tempted. Thankfully I do not even have the decimal point lying idle.
The racecourse closed in 1964, when I was 10-years old and I have no memory of the place. Strangely, since becoming aware that there was once a racecourse a mile to the west of the Sussex town, I acquired a nostalgia for Lewes, as if its loss was a burden too heavy to bear. Yet for all of its picturesque resonance, the English countryside in all its golden and green glory, with the racecourse closer to the heaven than hell, when the weather is minded Lewes racecourse can be as bleak as a coal-mine and as miserable as the wild oceans.
There was no mains electricity or water and there was no main road passing by. To get to the racecourse from the town of Lewes required a bus ride up hills Tour de France riders would wish to avoid. During spells of picnic weather, though, I doubt if there was a more charming and unspoilt racecourse in the entire world.
Many trainers have tried to be successful at Lewes since its closure, with the racing surface still serene, including John Gosden’s father, Towser, the only trainer, as far as I can ascertain, to make a go of the place. It would be sacrilege to have the land go under the plough and it would be pleasurable to have someone train top-class winners there again. But it closed for a reason and that reason was its remoteness and the huge cost it would take then, and now, to bring it up-to-date. Thankfully, Sussex still has racecourses at Brighton and Goodwood and we should treasure them for there uniqueness. 

Apparently, not surprisingly, social media took full notice of the sad accidents that occurred at Cheltenham last Sunday. What was surprising was that the topic found its way onto I.T.V. news, the channel that currently holds the terrestrial rights to British racing. Ed Chamberlain needs to go talk to the editor of I.T.V. news and explain they should be batting for the same side.
One of the owners of Abuffalosoldier, the horse that suffered a fatal heart attack after winning the handicap chase, wrote an emotional defence of the sport on one of the social media outlets, the letter published today in the Racing Post. He was correct in everything he said and I am grateful to him and the Post for bringing to my attention the unsurprising outburst of counterfeit horror from the ignorant few who rely on the death of a racehorse to air their supercilious prejudices. If only these same people would take an interest in the U.N. war in Ukraine and the natural habitats that are being destroyed by human stupidity, animals both sides of the border being decimated by bomb and chemical! If only these same people would look-up the meanings of the words accident and cruelty and guide their consciences towards animals subjected to the latter and not try to decimate the jobs of thousands of people.

I like Iroko, the G and G trained chaser owned by J.P. McManus. It concerns me, though, that a horse who has yet only run 3-times over fences, with only 2-more planned, is to be aimed at the National at Aintree this season. Given it is considered reasonable for a horse to have run 5-times over fences to qualify to run in the Cheltenham Festival handicaps, is 6 a reasonable number to qualify for Aintree? As Ruby Walsh made plain last weekend, should a horse not be determined a novice by the number of chases it has run in? As it stands, a horse who runs in and wins a novice chase in November and then sustains an injury that prevents it running again that same season becomes ineligible for novice chases the following season and is considered a ‘handicapper’. It is an issue that needs to be debated.

The John Durkan at Punchestown on Sunday is, as things stand on the Thursday, an absolute cracker. Not only is Galopin Des Champs slated for his first run of the season but nearly every other Grade 1 chaser in Ireland. If only we could see such a race at a British racecourse this side of the New Year. By comparison, the Betfair Chase at Haydock on Saturday looks a dud, and yet it could be the best renewal for many a long day.

The B.H.A. still believe, as do the majority of us, that the decision of the Whips Review Committee to disqualify Alphonse Le Grande from winning the Cesarewitch was correct. Yet again the wording of the whip rules has caused controversy and consternation. They are too complicated; they need simplifying. Six-strokes – one over and the horse is disqualified on the day, with connections allowed to appeal on the Tuesday. Simples.