PROOFING ERROR, KERRY NATIONAL, HURRICANE FLY, PARIS & NEWBURY.

Yesterday, as you all will have noticed, the word 'owner' went missing from the title of the blig-blog. You see, initially I put Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in the title, which of course would have made the title more of a paragraph than a short description of what lay in wait of readers. In reimagining the title is where I erred, only noticing the error when archiving the piece from my g-mail account. I tried to recover the situation but was unable, due to my I.T. ignorance, to gain access. I contacted the overseer of the site and despite his best efforts I could not locate the 'dashboard' - did not know I had one - and in exasperation, mainly of my uselessness in these matters, tried to live with my mistake. As you can imagine, this has proved difficult to achieve.

Today we have the centrepiece of Listowel's Harvest Festival meeting, the Kerry National. I would suggest Downmexicoway as my tip if anyone asked me for a selection. Which no one will.

Did you know that Listowel's 7-day festival meeting is worth 14-million euros to the North Kerry economy? Do you think British politians know how much the summer festivals in this country are worth to the local economies? I suggest not. This topic allows me to hark back to another of my hobby-horses, of which I have more than my fair share. It is a good thing I do not own an actual hobby-horse as in my frustration at so little change being brought to our sport in the way of evolution, I might end-up hitting someone from government or the B.H.A. over the head with it!

Ireland, in my opinion, do things right. Their jumps season never pauses for breath, with the summer a vital time of year for their smaller racecourses to attract the crowds. The Galway Festival is mighty for racegoers and the local economy. Then there are all the other summer festivals, Bellowstown, Kilbeggan, Killarny etc. Moneyspinners for their local economies. In Britain, with the only exceptions the Summer National at Uttoxeter and the Summer Plate at Market Rasen, we have nothing of any similar importance to the summer season in Ireland.

I have long argued that instead of one-day meetings spread unevenly across the summer season, what we need is 3 and 4-day fixtures at one racecourse, with the racing leading up to that fixture regionalised so horses can be, perhaps, stabled at one of the participating racecourses in order to cut-down on travelling costs for owners. Perth, Kelso, Cartmel, Newton Abbot, Market Rasen etc other smaller racecourses could easily stage festival meetings, with a featured race, not always a 'National' but a 2-mile hurdle or a conditions race, as top-billing, as is done in Ireland. I was in favour of a 5-day Cheltenham Festival for a while simply because I thought it would provide an extra boost to the local economy but, of course, no one in this country or anyone involved in the sport ever considers the local economy. I rest my case.

The death has occurred of Hurricane Fly, one of the best hurdlers since the days of Night Nurse and Sea Pigeon. He was one of the legends that live out their lives at the Irish National Stud. He was 22, though again the cause of his demise was not given.

The ground description at Auteuil yesterday was very soft. Auteuil lies wet, the ground very rarely is anything but soft. Yet it is still a surprise for the clerk of the course at Longchamp to suggest that without rainfall next week the ground for the Arc is likely to be good-to-firm. He also added that in his eight-year tenure at Longchamp he has never know such a long dry spell. So why is it so wet at Auteuil and yet Longchamp is in need of constant irrigation?

The first National Hunt fixture at Newbury due for November 5th is likely to be staged on the flat course, with the two steeplechases liable to be axed in favour of a 7-race all hurdle card. Although disappointing, Newbury are wanting to give their National Hunt course more time in order it to be fit for the old Hennessey meeting three-weeks later. As with Longchamp, we need a return of the rain-clouds if the jumps season is to begin in earnest with the meetings as scheduled. Any fixture with the word 'firm' in the ground description is likely to have few entries and many withdrawals on the day. We must all pray for forty-days of rain, preferably through the night. It is currently raining in North Devon. It was not forecast. Sunny all day the B.B.C. weather forecast had suggested!