AXE THE SLOTS, FLEXIBLE B.H.A., BADGERS & OLD PARK STAR.

Gordon Brown, once in the running for being the worst Prime Minister the country has ever had to endure, is demanding the government increase the tax on slot machines in betting shops. I believe most of our sport's problems with affordability checks began with the introduction of gaming machines in betting shops. Slot machines, I believe, should only be found in arcades, and not in any form on the high streets of Britain. In fact, I would suggest betting companies might do well to remove these machines from all their shops, thereby thwarting the government's raid on our sport. If we cannot be enriched by these infernal machines, why should the government? Fixed odd betting terminals, to give this incidious and no doubt addictive form of gambling its correct name, has no place in an environment where a certain amount of knowledge is required in an effort to work out the puzzle that is every horse race, every football or tennis match. F.O.B.T.'s are an abomination and an easy target for government to extort money from betting companies and our sport. Yes, the sport will lose more revenue if these awful machines are consigned to history but it is a method of fighting back against a kind of democratised tyranny. It is not as if Gordon Brown wants this extra tax revenue to go to suporting addiction charities; his thinking is this money could stave-off general tax increases in a ploy to persuade the British people to like the Labour Party a little better. I say take the money-pot away from governmant and drive the addicted to the arcades. 

My hope that the B.H.A. might prove themselves flexible if it proves impossible, due to the summer drought, for the likes of Ascot, Newbury, Cheltenham and the other racecourses to provide good ground in October or even November, are hopes no more as it seems they are ahead of the curve and already have plans afoot for the courses that have raced through the summer, and hence have irrigated ground conditions, to continue racing past the cut-off point for 'summer jumping'. This is great news; proof that the B.H.A. can be proactive.

Badgers, those endearing creatures of the night, so mistreated by humanity over the years, are taking chunks out of Sandown racecourse, both on the perimetre of the course itself and in the parade ring. Thankfully clerk of the course Andrew Cooper is sympathic to the monocrome worm eaters, placing all the blame for their actions on the appalling work-to-rule stance of the weather-gods. The badgers cannot get at their usual food source due to the hard ground surrounding the racing surface and, no doubt with a heavy heart, the badgers have had no other options but to dig-up parts of the irrigated racing surface. If I had known of Sandown's problem I would have recommended that Andrew Cooper buy in several large sacks of peanuts to distribute  over the parched and baked parts of the Sandown estate, thereby giving the badgers an alternative to making life difficult in difficult times for Mr. Cooper and his groundstaff.

I am relieved to read in today's Racing Post that Nicky Henderson has made the decision to send last season's Supreme Hurdle winner Old Park Star over fences this season rather than go down the Champion Hurdle route. I was concerned that with the Champion Hurdle division looking on the weak side at the moment, the trainer would have been tempted to stay over hurdles when the horse looks all-over a chaser. It is all very well going down the Champion Hurdle route with a five-year-old but if a six-year-old takes a similar path and proves inadequate at the hurdle discipline, he or she will be seven when faced with a steeplechase fence and will then have only two or three-years before natural decline renders that horse at a disadvantage against younger legs. Of course the race programme in this country makes life difficult for trainers of potentially top-class young horses, with novice handicaps given preference over ordinary novice races. We need more conditions hurdles and chasers as they have in Ireland -there is one at Down Royal this week - to allow horses to gain either experience against more moderate opponents or confidence if they have suffered a fall. If Old Park Star, heavens forbid, falls first time out or is not particularly fluent to begin with, what choices would Nicky have but to return to hurdles, which he has done in the past with some success, whereas in Ireland a similar horse could be found a quiet conditions chase at a country course. Trainers should be consulted when race programmes are being scheduled.