EPSOM/THE CURRAGH, GUILTY BUT NOT GUILTY, THE WAYWARD LAD & CHRISTMAS CHANGES.

It struck me the other day that the tactics used by Ryan Moore at The Curragh in the Irish Derby where not the tactics he told the Epsom stewards he intended to use before Benvenuto Cellini chose the three-legged approach to jumping out of the stalls. Ryan wanted to be prominent at Epsom, whereas at The Curragh he took the opposite approach, settling at the rear and making steady progress in the straight. We all know, of course, due to a lack of common sense on the part of the Epsom stewards, that our eyes deceived us and Benvenuto Cellini never actually took part in the Epsom Derby of 2026 but shouldn't the inquiry be reconvened so that we might be introduced into the whys and wherefores of the differing tactics from Epsom to The Curragh. I hate to think that Ryan told porkies at the inquiry to the Epsom stewards and the way he rode Benvento Cellini at The Curragh was not his intended tactics at Epsom.

In the manner that only the B.H.A. can manage, they have concluded that Christophe Soumillon wa both guilty and not guilty at the second day of his appeal against his eight-day ban. If Soumillon's defence of his ride on Puerto Rico was not overly convolute enough, the B.H.S. verdict is a mish-mash of words that requires an Oxford don to interpret. Firstly Soumillon's ban is reduced from eight-days to five; secondly, seemingly, he has been found guilty of causing interference to David Egan on Power Blue. Thirdly, as this is my interpretation of their explanation; if they had found Soumillon guilty they would have had no option but to then bring Aidan O'Brien, as Ballydoyle's team manager, in for questioning as it would have made him culpable in the offence. The B.H.A. got themselves into this tangle due to the fudginess of the rule the inquiry was based around. Data from TurfTrax proved Soumillon's claim that the route he took through the race offered the best ground; there was no evidence of collusion between Soumillon and Aidan or with Ryan Moore and that the tactics used were entirely the choice of Soumillon. The B.H.A. figuratively slapped Soumillon's wrist by saying that his ride fell short of what was expected of a top-flight jockey. I would add, it should be remembered that Puerto Rico finished stone last in the race. It is not as if he finished second and if he had crossed to the rail, Gstaad might have finished last or given Soumillon was on the fastest strip of grass, he might even had won. It is all conjecture; a game of ifs, buts and maybe. So, as at Epsom, when Benvenuto Cellini both ran and did not run, Soumillon is both guilty and not guilty. At least it proves the B.H.A. is never wrong even when common sense is the most telling evidence on show.

When he was riding, Graham Bradley was, perhaps, my favourite jockey to watch. He was neat in the saddle but most of all he was a kind jockey. He was a quiet yet effective horseman, even though Robert Earnshaw was looked upon as the real horseman amongst the team of jockeys that the Dickinson's employed. In death, of course, no man is talked about as mean or a scoundrel, though everyone quoted in the Racing Post today remembers Bradley as someone who would do anything for anyone and a good human being. Kind words that cannot be said in death of everyone, including me, sadly. Bradley may have made his own turbulence in life, yet if life had treated him the way he treated others, his life after being a jockey could have been a whole lot better for him.

Ordinarily, I do not speak with any gratitude or affection towards the B.H.A., accusing them of being reactive rather than proactive. Occasionally, though, they do good, even if, as in this case, they have to be nudged in the right direction. A collaboration between rival bookmaking groups, Entain (Ladbrokes) and Coral and brokered by Racecourse Media Group and supported by Kempton Park, Chepstow, Newbury and I.T.V. has led to four-days of consecutive t.v. broadcasting over the Christmas period. The King George remains on Boxing Day, though the Kauto Star novice chase has moved to the 27th, with the Welsh National on the 28th and the Challow Hurdle at Newbury now on the 29th. Personally, I do not think that either the Kauto Star or the Challow are usually competitive enough to be feature races, though as Leopardstown  race over the same period there will be no shortage of star horses for us to enjoy.