mullins, muscat, mares & auction levies.

​Having championed the writing exploits of the champion amateur rider Patrick Mullins, I bask in reflected glory at his award as racing writer of the year at the Racing Writer and Photographer Awards bash last night. It is his greatest achievement as his father, apart from being his father, had little or nothing to do with his son being lauded above so many wonderful writers employed by the Racing Post. Indeed, the success is greater still when you take into account that though he may be a member of the journalists’ union, he himself is not yet a full-time journalist.
In picking-up the Clive Graham Trophy, his are the last hands to raise it aloft as from next year the award is to be named in honour of the late and irreplaceable Alastair Down, for whom Patrick, if he chose to turn his back on his Closutton inheritance, is warm favourite to step into the great man’s socks, as it is impossible to imagine anyone stepping into the master’s shoes.

In today’s Racing Post, Julian Muscat puts data alongside opinion that the Pattern programme has laid waste to the heritage handicaps over jumps. Although the field size was disappointing for the Coral Gold Cup on Saturday, I think time might tell it was at least an average running of the race, if not slightly better than average. The first three are all young horses with their futures looking bright. The first two are Grand National bound and the third achieved great honour in finishing so close when so far behind entering the straight.
But Muscat is correct, the pattern programme, and I would argue the whole National Hunt season, is in need a tweak here and a radical overhaul elsewhere. Where I might take issue with Julian Muscat about the race at Newbury since the halcyon days when it was ‘The Hennessey’ is that he believes the demise in quality is a direct result of the introduction of the Pattern, where I would suggest it was the introduction of the Betfair Chase at Haydock that hammered extra nails into the body of the race. 
I have always been in favour of downgrading the Betfair to last season’s novices but now I am persuaded by the idea put forward by those advocating that British-trained Gold Cup horses are being asked too severe a question first-time out by running them over 3-miles. So why not trial the Betfair at 2-miles 4. It works for Irish-trained horses and the John Durkan, so let’s copy Ireland.
We clearly need more novice chases at the start of the season. A novice should be redefined, as Ruby Walsh has suggested, by races competed in and not by the calendar. A good horse that wins on its chase debut but suffers an injury preventing it from running until the following season is at a major disadvantage by being forced into open company when clearly it has no more experience of chasing than those running in a novice chase on the same day.
So go read Julian Muscat’s column where he attaches data to an opinion I share. Oh, and I hope someone from the B.H.A. also reads it and shares it amongst his or her colleagues. Someone, I suppose, employed by the B.H.A. must read the Racing Post, even if the decisions and ideas to come out of Portman Square leave the impression only The Times and Daily Mail are ever read.

Lossiemouth being currently favourite for the Champion Hurdle is not a sound defence for the continuation of the Mares Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, not as it is, anyway. She is a sound defence for the mares’ programme, however. If the Mares Hurdle is to remain at the festival, it should not be allowed to detract from the Champion Hurdle itself. At the moment, the festival is becoming pot-hunting exercise for the major owners, allowing them to use Cheltenham as a route to either Aintree or Punchestown. 
It was an unforgettable occasion when Honeysuckle ended her career by winning the Mares Hurdle, though half the outpouring of love that day was for the de Bromhead family after the tragic loss of their son. But as a former double Champion Hurdle winner Honeysuckle should have run in hurdling’s Blue Riband race. Yes, give connections the option of the Mares’ Hurdle but with a 7 or 10Ib penalty as a Grade 1 winner.
Personally, I would prefer the Mares Hurdle be run at what is called ‘Trials Day’ as the main feature and renamed the Champion Mares Hurdle, then the top mares can go on and run in the actual Champion Hurdle in March.

Finally, with seven-figure purchase prices being paid at the breeding stock sales at the moment, my belief is reinforced that a levy on auction prices is a way to both fund the aftercare of racehorses – why shouldn’t those who bring racehorses into the world pay a share in their aftercare when they are no longer fit to race – and provide prize-money for the buyers of yearlings, horses-in-training, foals and broodmares to help pay the bills and keep the racing show on the road? Caught U Looking made 1.8-million guineas yesterday. Do the math. Would the seller miss 2% of 1.8-million guineas? Would the auction house?