AN IDEA WITH A KERNAL OF SENSE TO IT.

In the course of my labours yesterday, an idea came to me. It is not an idea I have any major faith in, though within the construct of the idea there is, I believe, a kernal of ingenuity that a man or woman of greater intellect may be able to develop into a thing of respectability.

I was thinking of nothing much when Constitution Hill came into my thoughts. Then Invades, the company that brings coach-loads of students to sporting events, and the buzz that the great horse created when he ran at Southwell. My thoughts then shifted to the hated, by me, concept of team racing, as if horse racing should adopt the key elements of Formula 1.

Then I found myself wondering if horse racing, turf flat, could incorporate a genuine team event within an ordinary day's racing. Then my mind lingered on football's champions league, though the female tournament, not the men's as for reasons which would take too long to explain, I have come to detest the men's game.

The still hazy idea goes along these lines. Trainers who could provide a team of 4 or 5-horses are asked to submit entries for a British team Trophy, which for the purpose of this article I will term the B.H.A. Cup, mimicking the F.A. Cup, obviously. Eight or sixteen trainers, depending on interest and financial viability, are accepted for the competition, with teams pulled from a hat, as with any other team competition. For instance, Andrew Balding may be drawn against Richard Hannon, followed in the same manner the other entered teams. So we have either four or eight 'matches'.

At selected fixtures in any given week, in four or five selected races, Team Balding would be, incorportated within an ordinary handicap, trying to finish in front of the Hannon runner. In this match, if the Balding horse finished in front of the Hannon horse or vice-versa, the owner of the horse would receive, a ball-park sum, of £10,000 irrespective of where it finished in the actual race, the other competing owner would receive, say, £3,000. If either horse finished  in the frame, 1st, 2nd etc, this money would be on top of the prize-money for the actual race. At the end of the day the trainer who wins the most prize-money would qualify for the next round of the competition where the prize-money would increase to, say £15,000 and £5,000. At the end of the first round of 'matches' a new draw is conducted. Obviously the two trainers who reach the final would be contesting for a much larger prize haul.

By keeping the competition to the lower levels of the sport, it will be, at least one would hope it would be the case, that the 'poorer' owner might benefit the most, along with the staff of the successful team.

There are drawbacks to this idea, without even mentioning whether it would entice a sponsor or if the B.H.A. allowed the idea to become reality. Horses are prone to injury themselves. Certain ground conditions would rule out certain horses. Race-meetings can be abandoned due to the vageries of the weather.

But as I said at the beginning, the idea of a cup competition for trainers does possess a grain worth planting in the minds of the better educated. I believe the smaller owner needs to be supported, and in pursuit of helping the needy, I would be open to two or three smaller trainers combining to make a team. Although this 'cup competition' would take place within an ordinary day's racing, there cannot, I believe, be any scope for 'foul play' as the rules of racing still apply and if jockey on team 'A' deliberately blocks the jockey on team 'B' or trangresses any rule of racing, the horse is liable to be disqualified and his team to forfeit prize-money.

So there you are, another potentially brilliant/stupid idea to add to all other unappreciated and uncommented upon ideas of the past. But at least this idea would have true teams and not scratch teams whereby English jockeys find themselves riding for an Irish team and vice-versa and others made-up for the day rather like what happens in the school playground. I commend this idea to the parliament of common opinion