modest is vital, another british owner hightails it to closutton & LESS HORSES WILL ALWAYS AMOUNT TO LESS ENTRIES.

​In today’s Racing Post (Ultimate Members Only) ‘All Things Ireland’, which arrives as part of an e-mail extolling the virtues of the Racing Post, of which it has many, Alan Sweetman makes good his view that even the most modest of handicaps can be swimming with intrigue and with strands that can take the initiated back through the decades. It is a lovely bit of writing that extolls Alan Sweetman’s love of his job and I recommend you become an Ultimate Member – if for no other reason than it will half your yearly expenditure if you still buy the paper version, not that I do not miss having the paper copy to hand, being at loggerheads as I am with my Tablet which was meant to be a safety-net come convenience and is nothing short of a pain-in-the-ass – as some of the stuff written exclusively for the e-mail is worthy of inclusion in the actual paper.

The sadness doubles manifold times whenever an owner associated with the jumping side of the sport makes the announcement that he or she is either quitting the sport entirely or has decided to switch to having horses trained in Ireland or France or both. Bryan Drew is the latest high-profile trainer to abandon both British racing and worst of all British trainers. I fully understand the reason he and they give for their decision, which I dare say was not easy to make. Poor prize-money is always sited, yet on that front there are fresh shoots appearing on a regular basis, and you can be damn sure Mr. Drew and other deserters of British racing will not turn down the opportunity of scooping up British prize-money if their Irish or French trainers wish to have runners in this country.
There is too much racing in this country, that is unarguable, yet those races that people like Mr.Drew would object to, as I object to so much all-weather racing, is there to provide opportunity for those owners who can only afford to patronise this sport at that lowly level. There is too much of it, though on the other hand evening all-weather fare from Wolverhampton and Newcastle, for example, puts bread and butter on the table for a whole host of trainers, jockeys and staff that otherwise might be forced out of the industry.
Bryan Drew is correct, compared to France our prize money is derisible, even if it is on a par with Ireland, and no one, especially the B.H.A., whose only contribution to the problem is to steal from Paul to pay Peter, is coming up with ideas to turn the tide. And if someone tells me the ship has sailed on the notion of a Tote Monopoly, I’ll get very rude indeed! Get out your binoculars, that ship is anchored just over the horizon; it is not scuppered.
Horse racing is Britain needed Bryan Drew’s patronage, as it does every single owner and syndicate member. His departure to pastures foreign is another nail in a coffin destined for the cemetery of natural extinctions.
To add to the list of dissatisfied owners, I noticed Oli Harris sold four-horses at Doncaster yesterday, including the potentially useful Peaky Boy and Break My Soul.

The ditching of the intermediate novice chase at the Cheltenham Festival has not boosted the number of entries for either the Arkle or Brown Advisory. Some think this disappointing, where others, I should think, including me, see it as a reflection on the smaller pool horses in training at the moment. Sadly 20-runner fields for races outside of the handicaps at the Festival seems to be as aspect of the past, not that should add-up to a lack of either expectation or excitement as Sir Gino versus Majborough looks tasty enough on its own, added to which Jukebox Man versus Ballyburn and others should be worthy of the entrance fee. We cannot compare today with ten-years ago and certainly not 20-years ago. It is what it is and we must enjoy it for what it is, as you never know how many more there will be for us to enjoy.