NATURAL EXTINCTION IS ALREADY UNDERWAY, N.R.W. NEXT WEEK, 4.6-MILLION & WATER AND RACECOURSES.

I am not a conspiracy theorist. However, I do like conspiracy theories and mysteries and, yes, that includes U.F.O. and stuff like it, and whether there is life after death. The unknown intrigues me. Now, whether I am peddling a conspiracy theory of my own making when I suggest there is a universal policy of natural existinction for human activities that take place in wide open spaces intended for nature in the future to develop in its own way, only time will tell. Yet, world-wide, fifteen racecourses have closed, including both racecourses in Singapore (?), as well as the famous U.S. racetracks at Aqueduct and Arlington Park. The two racecourses in Singapore (?) closed for different reasons than the other racecourses and may not be included in the figures released by the I.F.H.A. Council on Anti-Illegal Betting and Related Crime.

In five-years, closure of racecourses have increased 50% and the I.F.H.A. suggest that British and Irish racecourses could soon be drawn into this spiral of closures. As things stand, Kempton Park is in danger of closure and, perhaps for different reasons, so is Thurles. The main cause, according to the report, is illegal black market betting and the new evil of 'prediction markets' which is pure profit for its inventors.

The question I ask is this: it is not only British and Irish racing that is losing great chucks of its revenue from people betting on the black market, governments, too, are losing revenue. Do you not ask yourself why the exchequer is not going the extra mile to close down these black market villains, given they operate in plain sight and do not actually pretend not to exist. It is hard to find anyone outside of the Gambling Commission that supports the affordability checks, yet this one piece of legislation is responsible in this country for the growth of the black markets. This is why I believe our government is following a policy of killing our sportt through 'natural' extinction.

It is National Racehorse Week next week. Please find a local racehorse trainer and book yourself a visit. Take a friend. A relative, even. The kids are on holiday, take the hint. At this period of crisis what better way to show politicians how popular the racehorse and racing is than by showing your support by learning more about how well our racehorses are cared for. Go to www.nationalracehorseweek to book a visit to a local trainer.

The racing world is, if not actually mad, it is difficult to explain. The industry is in trouble, at least in the main, with prize-money lower in real terms than twenty or thirty-years ago, yet yesterday Coolmore paid 4.6-million euros for a yearling colt by their own sire Wootton Bassett that is a half-brother to their champion stayer Scandanavia. As John Magnier said. 'We are the clowns that sold the mare.' Well 'clowns' is going too far. They are Coolmore after all. But 4.6-million! For a half-brother to an Ascot Gold Cup winner! And it is claimed that staying races are not sexy anymore! Got to stop now as I am in danger of running out of exclamation marks.

All summer, well, since Royal Ascot, I have moaned about the hot weather and in particular the lack of rain. My other half kept replying 'it is what it is' and I continued to talk about 1976. In North Devon, the weather has finally broken and we are having periods of light rain, enough to get the grass to grow again but a long way short of filling the reservoirs. The thing is this: why do we wait for wildfires before putting water on the ground? Why not prevention: it is hot, wildfires have started here in the past, let's douse the area with water, help the fauna to grow, help wildlife survive? Why send out an alert on peoples phone after the wildfires have destroyed forests, woods and heathland? Why not before? The 'save water campaign' should have started at the start of summer, not in August. It is not as if weather forecasters were not certain of the weather we actually got since July.

Racecourses have used an untold number of gallons of water this summer to keep the sport alive. Mostly this water has come from their own reservoirs and bore-holes and not the mains. It is why we are not under any sort of restrictions at the moment. If restrictions are placed upon us, I hope the B.H.A. are elastic enough to have plans in place to transfer racing from southern racecourses where the drought is more prominent to northern racecourses where rain has fallen at times throughout the summer. We can only keep our fingers crossed.