regional nationals, ged shields, jonbon & mr. vango.

​In the ‘Another View’ column in the Racing Post on Friday, or was it Saturday? Anyway, Craig Thrake presented a half-hearted argument against the proliferation of regional Nationals. In his list of 19 such races, he included the Aintree National and the Scottish and Welsh Nationals, so he was having a moan about 16-Nationals, all of which have a right to exist, to my way of thinking.
If we were honest, even those of us who love the thoroughbred racehorse just for its beauty and comportment, the majority of the species are either very fast over a short distance of ground or very slow over a long distance of ground. If these horses are not catered for both flat racing and jumping would be much the poorer and would begin to  look very samey indeed.
With Aintree having robbed us of what a true National should be, the regional nationals now fill a void. I would argue that every race over 4-miles should be designated a national of one sort or another, and no race with the word ‘national’ in its title should be run over less than 3-mile 4-furlongs. The word ‘national’ in racing parlance should have a clear definition – a steeplechase of extreme distance.

As I have said time and again, the B.H.A. fails as it is not populated and directed by people with coal-face experience of the sport and all its facets. In today’s letter column in the Racing Post, Ged Shields, owner and friend of the sport, is critical of the B.H.A.’s latest marketing initiative, a subject Ged Shields feels they are less than efficient in. The new committee, (Ged has little faith in committees) will report into the ‘all-powerful’ commercial committee which in turn will report to the B.H.A. Board. I have no insight into business matters, though my instincts tell me that committees reporting to committees that report to a further committee seems a long-winded and perhaps overly expensive way of going about things. Ged Shields quotes David Ogilvy, a paragon in the world of marketing, apparently – ‘Search the parks and your cities. You’ll find no statues to committees’.
Why can’t the B.H.A. consult people who put their hard-earned money into our sport, either by owning horses or racecourses, people who have made their wealth from, in this instance, marketing and big business, and pay them a consultation fee for their expert advice. Why employ a committee, when one wise head already has the answers required?

A great record doth not make a great horse. That is not a quote but opinion. Mine. Jonbon is a wonderful racehorse and deserving of winning a Champion Chase. Not that a single Champion Chase will put him on a par with Sprinter Sacre who, I admit, is a grade up from being referred to as a ‘great’ and is now and for all-time will be referred to as a legend. Energumene has won two Champion Chases and overall has as good a record as Jonbon. Is he not already a great?
Accolades like ‘great’ and ‘legend’ should only be attributed at the end of a career, not before. On this day, at this time of his career, Jonbon is undoubtedly the best 2-mile chaser around. His record of 16 wins from 19-starts (or is 17 from 20-starts now) is testament to his excellence, and if I could be bothered to go search of Energumene’s career record, I suspect he has won more chases than he has lost.
Yes, they are two great horses. But what then Banbridge, is he a great horse for winning a King George? I could list a good few more but that would be labouring a contentious point that would only confirm me as a grouch. We need to enjoy these horses for the enjoyment they bring and leave their place in the pantheon to when they are retired. Jonbon, and Energumene, have great records and both are a joy to watch; let us leave it at that for now.
My opinion of yesterday’s Clarence House was that the best horse on the day won. Come March and the possibility of mud, the result might prove very different.

To return to slow horses. My top delight yesterday was Mr.Vango winning the Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock. The Bradstocks have always punched above their weight and it is a great tribute to Sara and her daughter Lily that in compliance with Mark’s wishes, they are keeping the flag flying. It is was his jumping, I believe, that won the race for Mr. Vango, as much as his unlimited supply of stamina. The dream is the Grand National and, contrary to Sara Bradstock’s comments to the press, I would not put Mr. Vango’s presence in the line-up at Aintree down to the ground being heavy as his jumping is such an asset that soft-ground and 4-miles plus could be enough for him to be competitive.