Ruby's first piece for The Racing Post is a concise mash-up of all the factual and depressing failures that blight our sport, both sides of the Irish Sea, at the moment. I hope in future articles for The Racing Post that Ruby proposes some solutions for all that ails us, as anyone can tell his or her readers what we already know. Ruby has great observational skills, his analytical reprise of races has taken the craft of the 'expert' in racing to a whole new level. Yet the great racing brain he posssesses should be capable of proposals that might infuse the debate with the fire of exceptional thought that provide the answers that racing desperately needs. Giving readers the equation without providing the answer is something all of us can do; with Ruby I expect more.
For instance, not that I boast I have any ready-made answers, I have suggested that the B.H.A. and the H.R.I. should engage with one another in the search for solutions to some, at least, of racing's problems. I also might sugggest that the two merge as one overlord; anything other than what we have now. Yes, neither proposal is a solution in itself, but from it, if the right people give the matter thought, a kernal of a good idea might emerge. The sport needs people of Ruby's stature to apply themselves to finding solutions, not simply to put all our problems on a page and then ask the people who thus far have only contributed to our problems to find the solutions. The best idea I can come up with is that there needs to be an independent brains trust, outside of the regulatory bodies, to meet on a regular basis to discuss and thrash-out possible solutions to all the individual rocks in the road on the journey to survival as a sport. The great ideas we need is not going to found around a boardroom. Simon Cox needs our help; at least the help of someone with the integrity of Ruby Walsh.
Now, here is a topic that is presently annoying the crap out of me. A French tit named Bozo has started a petition to have the decision to allow geldings to run in the Arc reversed. The petition is titled 'Save the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe'. Wouldn't 'Save the Arc' have suited the petition better? The French tit who has started this ridiculous petition is the breeder of Diamond Necklace and he has, to no one's surprise, found support from the Coolmore 'lads', most notably the Magniers, a family that if we believe press reporting on matters outside of actual racing are bully boys who fight tooth and nail, in the courts and perhaps outside (perhaps not) to get their own way. My position on this matter, which is not high on my list of what matters most, is that the sport is called horse racing, not horse breeding. People like the French tit needs to get in line. Horse racing came first. Before the breeding industry and before the betting industry. Those who oppose geldings running in the Arc are those who might lose-out financially if two geldings were to win the Arc in successive years. As far as the French tit goes, if he were more honest he would have titled his petition 'Save the poor breeders' because geldings taking part in the Arc will not destroy the Arc, it will only enhance it. Horse racing at the Arc level is all about the best against the best and geldings will often provide the litnus test when it comes to determining the best from all the others.
Copper Knight is of today a retired racehorse. He has been a wonderful racehorse right up to his twelth-year. I should imagine Hugo Palmer must wonder why he sent him to the sales. As with all retired racehorses of the calibre of Copper Knight, I hope he has a long and happy retirement.
Now, given my ability to upset snowflakes by my innocent use of words of historical repute, what I am about to impart is fact and I do not mean to cause offence, honest. Again, this is taken from George Lambton's 'Men and Horses I Have Known'.
The present style of riding, short stirrups, leaning up the neck of the horse, (termed the Monkey Up A Stick) rather than the policeman style that preceeded it, is attributed, at least as far as Europe is concerned, to the American jockey Tod Sloan. Yet he only copied the style, and here comes the hurty word that will offend the snowflake brigade, having watched (I am going to refrain from using the N word used by Lambton) inexperienced black riders at primitive racecourses in what was described in the book as at 'Up Country' race-meetings. These n-boys rode with a rug, not a saddle, and held tight to the mane, so you can readily understand how this new form of riding came about. Of course, when Sloan appeared in Britain, winning all before him, the locals were as opposed to this new form of seat as people in the 1960's who only knew black and white t.v. were opposed to colour when it came on the market. Lambton said of Sloan's style. 'You cannot oppose it, but you cannot like it. It has spoilt much of the beauty of race-riding, but it has come to stay, and we must make the best of it.'
Wouldn't it be fun if we could have a race today where Moore, Buick, Loughnane and others had to ride in a race as they did in the days before Tod Sloan revolutionised race-riding?