thoughts on this and that.

​Soumillon.
I am told that Christophe Soumillon was warned about his conduct by the French stewards on at least one occasion during the season just gone. If this is true, why did his punishment for elbowing Rossa Ryan out of the saddle not reflect this? As I said before, a two-month suspension of his licence during the quiet months of October and November was no more than an enforced holiday for a jockey with Soumillon’s riding record and the wealth that accompanies such a stellar career. Now with the police that oversees such matters in France muscling in on the case, it seems the penalty imposed on Soumillon could be lengthened or might even extend to having his riding licence suspended indefinitely. 
As riding offences go, causing grievous harm during a race to a fellow jockey, would be pretty hard to beat, and the fact that Rossa Ryan walked away unscathed by the incident is hardly here nor there. The possible ramifications of an elbow to the face could have resulted in severe injury or worse. When a horse falls, a jockey, though not exactly expecting it, does have instincts that kick in to protect himself to some extent. An assault during a race would be completely unexpected, leaving the jockey unable to comprehend what had happened to him and, in Rossa Ryan’s case, with no experience on how to deal with falling off over the horse’s tail.
Soumillon, of cause, lost his retainer with the Aga Khan over the incident, not for the first time, and perhaps the lost revenue from not riding the largest string of racehorses in France will cause him to reflect longer and more bitterly on his ‘moment of madness’ than the two-months twiddling his fingers until his suspension runs its course. It is my opinion, that if Oisin Murphy deserved a 12-month ban, Soumillon deserved at least the same. Perhaps with the intervention of the French Gaming Police the penalty will fit the crime.

The Betfair Chase.
To some, changing your mind is a sort of weakness of character. Yet, as top trainers prove time and time again, a change of plan is testimony to the genius of being willing and able to think on their feet. After the Badger Beer at Wincanton, Paul Nicholls told everyone with ears that Frodon would go straight to the King George. It seemed a logical plan, yet now, subject to half-decent ground at Haydock, Frodon is to strut his considerable stuff against A Plus Tard on Saturday, not in hope of toppling the Gold Cup winner but in pursuit of second-place money, the £40,000 on offer a major help to him in retaining his trainer’s championship and a help to Frodon’s owner in paying the fees for those horses in his ownership who do not, unlike Frodon, pay their way. At 20/1 Frodon is the value in the race as he must have every chance of finishing in front of Bristol D Mai (the ground will most likely be nowhere near soft enough) and Eldorado Allen, though Protektorat will be a more stern foe.
On the subject of the Betfair; I believe the race has run its course and should be altered in some way or done away with altogether. If it was not for the ground invariably being soft or heavy at Haydock during the winter months, I would advocate the race being confined to second-season chasers (last season’s novices). If that were the case this year the race would be more competitive with the likes of L’ Homme Presse, Bravemansgame, Ahoy Senor and any number of last season’s better Irish novice chasers in contention for such a large early season prize. To my mind, the Betfair weakens every other 3-mile chase of note right up to the King George, and perhaps even the King George itself as the winner at Haydock invariably has a hard, tiring race.

The New Shape of British Racing’s Governance.
The B.H.A. now have the final say on all things affecting horse racing in this country. The tripartite agreement is now, rather than dead in the water, as most people have recognised, cremated, its ashes left in a trash-can where they should have been placed soon after its inception. 
Hooray, those who know about these things are generally hollering. But, the B.H.A. still have to make the right decisions and while it is beholden to shareholders that might not be as easy as a walk-over at Huntingdon.

Saturday.
Constitution Hill, Edwardstown, A Plus Tard, Hitman, Bristol De Mai, Protektorat, Frodon, L’Homme Presse, Goshen, Sir Gerhard, State Man, Vauban – Need I say other than Bring it On!