simple, if flawed, solution, high praise for female apprentice & martin molony still worshipped.

​It is easily seen that David Jennings is a fine fellow. He is also a fine assembler of words relating to the sport of kings. He wants the best for his sport, as we all do. He is also forgiving of The Curragh and those now responsible for restoring its reputation as one of the world’s best racecourses and believe them short-changed in their efforts to get more people in attendance for race-meetings.
In today’s Racing Post, he advocates the need to get more actual race-fans on course, as well as the broad approach to have the stands heaving again, as they once did in the not-so-far-away past. At the Derby meeting a month ago he was particularly impressed by witnessing Aidan O’Brien being interview in the Champions Lounge fifteen-minutes before off-time and Jennings would like to see such a feature trialled by both the H.R.I. and the B.H.A., with trainers, jockeys and owners obligated to provide information that race-fans could dissimilate to their heart’s content.
In theory this a good, if simple solution to the problem of real race-fans staying at home and watching the racing from the comfort of their settees. I am not so sure it would have any effect on attendance, and I doubt if there would be many trainers who would want to sign-up to being interrogated for fifteen-minutes before off-time. Aidan O’Brien is an obliging chap but he can afford to be given he has a legion of minions capable of saddling his runners, talking with owners and able to deal with any incident that may befall any of his horses. Not all trainers have a similar support system behind them.
Jenning’s hope to persuade jockeys to cooperate with interviews inside of racecourse buildings is fairly remote, I would suggest, given the time-pressure they are under to change from one set of colours after a race to another, to weigh-out and then to talk with owners and receive riding instructions in the parade ring. 
And let us be honest, trainers, especially, never give great insight about their runners, do they? We know their horses must be in good order or they would not be at the races and when a trainer is asked how his horse will cope  with the ground conditions, be it unfamiliar firm or soft, their reply is speculative and will often underscore their positivity with ‘only time will tell’ or something as equally unhelpful.
Apart from suggesting free-entry to the lesser meetings at The Curragh and the construction of a National Hunt course, I am neither acquainted nor experienced enough of The Curragh and its history to put forward any more worthwhile suggestion on how to re-elevate the racecourse to its previous heights. I am sceptical, though, that a short interview with a trainer or jockey fifteen-minutes before a race can possibly persuade race-fans to get in their cars and drive to the racecourse when everything they might hear from Aidan, Ger or Joseph will already have appeared in the Racing Post.

In his column today, David Jennings also heaped high praise on Jim Goldie’s young apprentice Lauren Young for her ride on ‘the loveable nut-job’ (Jennings words, not mine) Classy Al when defeating Paul Mulrennan (I think) by a head at Ayr last week. For a 7Ib apprentice to be praised for giving a horse a ride that Ryan Moore would be proud of is unusual, as if Classy Al may have paid for a lot more than a round of drinks for Jennings. He even hinted that Young may be in receipt of a Lester for ride of the season. It would please me if Jennings himself was in receipt of an award come the trophy-giving season.

It was good to see a letter in the Racing Post praising a jockey whose career was long in the past. Angela Gill of Maplehurst was writing about Martin Molony, believing him to be the greatest National Hunt jockey of all-time, better even than McCoy and Walsh. Some accolade but then as a jockey who was as successful on the flat as he was over jumps, it is difficult to argue with her opinion.