Mr. A.C. Hopkins, 2-day meetings & single enclosures.

​As someone who is granted the privilege of haunting the letters column of the Racing Post, I am invariably envious of someone who has a letter published that encapsulates my own thoughts on a topic, even if, as on this occasion, the composition is neater and more insightful than I am capable of producing with any regularity.
Mr. A.C. Hopkins of Steventon, North Ayrshire, is as peeved as I am seemingly that experts who should know better continually express the thought that Constitution Hill is perhaps the greatest hurdler of all-time after a single Champion Hurdle success and after only 9-runs. Like Mr. Hopkins, I believe Constitution Hill is an exceptional hurdler but we will only be able to gauge his position in the pantheon if come March he is taken on by not only the present champion, State Man, but also both Lossiemouth and Brighterdaysahead. Successive ‘walks in the park’ are no matrix for attributing greatness when those that came before had to stick out their heads and battle against horses of far more ability than the majority of Constitution Hill’s victims up until this point in his career.
Mr.Hopkins quietly rightly cast his mind, and hopefully the curiosity of the Racing Post’s younger members of staff, to the halcyon days of hurdling, the days of Bula, Night Nurse and Sea Pigeon, though, to me, that golden age began in 1968 with Persian War, with an interim of Comedy of Errors and Lanzarote.
As with Sea The Stars, though the comparison is unfair, Constitution Hill has thus far enjoyed the success-story of a meteor shower, whereas the three horses Mr.Hopkins highlighted, Bula, Night Nurse and Sea Pigeon were not only dual purpose, the latter being as good a handicap stayer on the flat as we have ever seen, the other two as chasers later in their careers. As Mr.Hopkins reminded people, Bula finished his career with 34-wins, Night Nurse with 35 and Sea Pigeon with 37. Even Monksfield won 19-races flat and jumps. It is likely that Constitution Hill will not even finish his career with 35 races under his belt, let alone 35 wins.
As with Mr.Hopkins, I am not dissing Constitution Hill, even if I predict he might have his work cut-out to concede 7Ibs to Brighterdayshead in the  Champion Hurdle come March. I am criticising journalists and presenters who should know better than to repeat hyperbole for no other reason than to propagate a narrative that might, just might, engage the outside sporting public. Apart from the probability that Constitution Hill should improve mightily for his run on Boxing Day, and Nicky Henderson’s record for pulling the phoenix out of the fire, I saw nothing at Kempton that suggested he was a good thing to beat Lossiemouth at Cheltenham, let alone storm home to the same effect as he did as a novice, which may yet prove as singular a day as when Master Minded scorched the Earth in the Champion 2-Mile Chase.
Anyway, my congratulations must go to Mr. Hopkins for bringing a large dose of sanity to the debate.

No doubt the scenario for this weekend is that neither Warwick nor Kempton will be fit to stage racing on Saturday, though by Sunday the situation may have reversed itself. This is why I advocate during the months of January and February that the big weekend fixtures should be two-day affairs, Saturday and Sunday. Yes, it is more than a possibility than both days may be defeated by the weather but a Saturday/Sunday fixture would provide a safety-net to ensure an important race is staged. The Warwick Classic is unlikely to be transferred to another course if Warwick is abandoned this Saturday and though if staged on the Sunday it will be unlikely that I.T.V. will be able to televise the meeting, at least the Warwick faithful will get to see the race, Warwick will get their big pay-day and trainers and jockeys will have something to do on the day. As will bettors and gamblers.

The Racing Post are currently running a series featuring the thoughts of racegoers on how happy or otherwise they are when attending a race-meeting. So far, all-weather fixture at Lingfield has featured, with the more elderly racegoers pleased with their experience, while today a Salisbury evening fixture with music after racing was the focus. This meeting targeted younger racegoers and the reaction to their evening were mixed with some there solely for the music after racing, while others were there to enjoy the racing and the music.
Where I agreed with the thoughts of one young man was that racing needs to cater for the age in which we all live. The various enclosures on racecourses came into being at a time when criminality was rife, with pick-pockets and card-sharps attending the races with one object in mind, to fleece the lords and ladies of their money, pocket-watches and anything else they could get their grubby hands on. That age no longer exists and I believe a racecourse should be one large space where everyone can mingle, with racegoers allowed everywhere except where only horses and their attendants can go.