PANIC AT BHA TOWERS

"Well done to whoever got that photo"

If we can stop Gordon getting here we have got half a chance ! "

must be his mate who took the photo

Wonder how much he got and from whom ?

You do post some odd things irishone. For me, punting on racing is all about backer vs layer but you seem obsessed with the nationality of the trainer.

When i back a winner, which is quite rare I couldn't give a toss what nationality the trainer is.

Not at all
My biggest win so far this year was one of gary moores funnily enough.
The issue with me on this thread is that in the weeks before Cheltenham somebody, someone or something has this strange habit of coming up with something that upsets the Irish preparation.

like what ?

Passports, jabs , brexit paperwork, vat ????

Im not just talking about this thread irishone, a lot of your posts seem to refer back to an ireland vs England theme, i just find that strange when we're discussing horse racing.

those passports ect are all this season,you implied it happens all the time

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/mar/10/willie-mullins-fears-cheltenham-withdrawals-document-irregularities

They sent out the vaccibation rules on February 15th 2019

Heres the Uk press last year 2020
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/horseracing/1247559/Cheltenham-2020-Cheltenham-Festival-cancelled-coronavirus-racing-news

British Horseracing Authority (BHA) will not allow the Irish trainer Gordon Elliott to race horses in Britain whilst the Irish authorities investigate an image that appeared on social media over the weekend.

The trainer admitted the photo was genuine and apologised for his actions.

The BHA, which regulates racing in Britain, will use powers under its own rules to refuse to allow horses trained by Mr Elliott to race in Britain pending consideration of the outcome of the Irish investigation.

The action taken by the BHA recognises that Mr Elliott is licensed in Ireland, whose regulatory body, the IHRB, is carrying out its own investigation.

However, Mr Elliott has entered horses to race in Britain, from which point the British Rules of Racing apply to him.

The decision to refuse to allow horses trained by Mr Elliott to run in Britain is therefore an interim decision which the BHA regards as proportionate in these circumstances.

In an earlier statement, the BHA said it was appalled by the image which undermined its values of respecting and caring for horses.

Notes to editors:

1. The BHA has acted under Rule I – 2.2 of the British Rules of Racing.

http://rules.britishhorseracing.com/#!/book/34/chapter/s3403-race-administration/content?section=s3404-general

2. Owners for horses currently trained by Mr Elliott are permitted to transfer them to a different trainer and run them at a British meeting, providing they comply with the relevant rules.

Despo

layingisthewayforward01 Mar 21 10:37Joined: 08 Sep 05 | Topic/replies: 3,152 | Blogger: layingisthewayforward's blog
You do post some odd things irishone. For me, punting on racing is all about backer vs layer but you seem obsessed with the nationality of the trainer.

Laying, obviously I am listening to too much english media .....
https://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/cheltenham/events-tickets/the-festival/about-the-event/the-prestbury-cup/

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2021/jan/07/talking-horses-why-the-irish-will-still-dominate-at-cheltenham-in-march

...and its going to get worse !

u still defending Elliot irishone?

How can anyone defend a perspn who has come out, said he was wrong and held his hands up.

What you going to do now , hang him for sitting on a deadhorse ?

Nicky Henderson, Quinny , Sheik Mo all doing wrong stuff against the integrity of racing. Still going strong !

my pal in dublin told me gordons girlfriend jessie harringtons daughter caught him shagging a stable lass whos name i wont say.......all hell broke loose and was her who released the photo

Panic back on .....

"OMG they sent his horses to Willie and Henry"

"FFS you and your big ideas !"

"We dont want this to rebound on us"

" How about saying we are enquiring into shekh mo , see if there is any social media riled up "

"I will give hrh a call"

ADMISSION OF PAST SHORTCOMINGS
In the Foreword to the Report from the BHA’s new Chief Executive, Nick Rust, acknowledges that the BHA does note “always get it right". Nick goes on to state: "the Report includes two cases studies which we must learn from. I am particularly grateful to Kate Walton and Jim Boyle for allowing us to include their experiences, and I would like to add my sincere apologies to them both for falling short of the required standards during the investigations in which they were involved.” The admission that the governing body does not "always get it right" and that they have learnt from their mistakes is welcomed, particularly given the culture of many governing bodies that means they are unwilling to admit errors, failures or shortcomings


GUESS WHAT LADS .....YOU GOT IT WRONG AGAIN

"The admission that the governing body does not "always get it right" and that they have learnt from their mistakes is welcomed"

So why punish someone who holds his hands up before its investigated by the ruling authority ?

Todays t1t bits .....

" her majesty not all that fussed about Sheikh Mo since Andrew' s case ......"

" ah good , what about Elliots ex-horses ,are they still all coming ? .... will there be the usual number ! "


"What are the odds now for the prestbury cup ?"

So BHA Board Chief Executive Julie Harrington side stepped the doping scandal involving Sheikh Mohammed on the Opening Show this morning. Her answer has only strengthened the belief that the BHA acted on an anti Irish basis and there is one rule for the UK and another for Ireland.

Said something about following the governments advice on this issue referring to dominic someone.

One assumes the decision on whether or not the Sheik is bringing horse racing into disrepute is not a matter forthe BHA

Thus why would they interfere with the Gordon Elliot case by banning him previous to it becoming an issue for the Irish governing body to settle ?


Double standards at the BHA ?

"We really are witnessing a golden era in Irish jumps racing"

"Its got to be stopped, they will invade us eventually if we let this carry on"

"Have a word with the lords in westminster, see if we can get the common travel agreement rescinded"

"Too soon after brexit, the equine flu passports didnt work, the v a t con didnt work, even the Elliot photo"

"We need a full public enquiry". (Nap)

Cheltenham by far best facilities still .. but Irish are catching up QUICK  .
  3 days to 4 .. not required .. get back to old way .. Pandemic  .....Cash is going on the back Burner . no longer much use .. BOOKMAKERS ON TRACK AND OLD WAY IS GOING FAST ..  English have a horse thats any good send it to be trained   YES  guessed CORRECT .. IRELAND  .. Irishone  .. we need to invade IRELAND   .. Never have we seen . so many ON LINE   market makers .. jumping up every week ..  All on line soon and stay in your workplace .. put your feet up on desk with your  .. GUINNESS   ..no longer any need for shop visits .. .. slice of toast with your drink   .....7days a week . you have your food in a can .. save the planet .. RECYCLE  .  we are gearing up to invade on line markets .. From  ........COMFORTS OF OUR HOME AND OFFICE  .. Drones to spy  what horse is fed ..  .. Probably uncontaminated .   GRASS  ..?

" dont think we should of stuck them in the best mate "

"Saw this on a betfair forum "Cheltenham might have to have British entries only in some races ,so we get a winner. " Is it beyond our capabilities ?

The BHA will not be launching any separate post-Cheltenham inquiry following the domination of last week's festival by runners trained in Ireland, with any review likely to be housed within existing considerations of the jump racing Pattern and the post-Covid-19 work on building a sustainable financial recovery for the sport.

Irish trainers broke records on almost every front over the four days of the meeting, with 23 victories shared between 11 different trainers. In comparison, the home side managed a paltry five winners, only two of which came at Grade 1 level.

A spokesman for the BHA congratulated both leading jockey Rachael Blackmore as well as the racecourse and broadcast teams at Cheltenham for "lifting the nation's spirits".

In addressing the alarmingly one-sided results, they said: "We are aware that, like all of us at the BHA, many parts of the racing industry will be reflecting on what happened last week and what can be done to improve the competitiveness of racing at the top level. However, this is about more than just four days in March.

"The health of British jump racing is always on our radar, and work is well under way across several areas. The Jump Pattern Committee, for example, decided last year that there were elements of the Pattern and Listed race programme that needed looking at, including the need to produce some more competitive races across the season.

"There are also important pieces of work across areas such as handicapping, and safety and welfare, which all feed into the longer-term objective of building a strong, competitive jump racing industry in Britain." 

Pressure has been building on the BHA to address the performance of the home-trained horses in the days since the festival was capped with a 1-2-3 for Ireland in the feature WellChild Cheltenham Gold Cup, a race where the first British-based runner, fourth-placed Native River, finished nearly 30 lengths adrift of winner Minella Indo.

Many leading trainers in Britain have had their say over the cause of the inequality in resources and results from last week, with Emma Lavelle and Harry Fry among those to identify poor prize-money as driving owners into the hands of their Irish counterparts, while Dan Skelton blamed "systematic flaws" in the system which favoured too many handicaps at the expense of races for potential Graded performers.

The BHA spokesman added: "The sport is currently working its way through one of the most difficult periods of its history off the back of the coronavirus outbreak, and the industry is working to an agreed plan for recovery from the pandemic, which includes a focus on the industry’s financial health, including the returns to owners.

"This plan also includes, in the longer term, sustainable recovery and growth for the sport. Over the coming weeks we intend to harness some of the strong views that currently prevail across the sport and engage further with our industry.

"We will listen to the views of owners, trainers, jockeys, breeders, racecourses and others. These views will feed in to ongoing work and continue to help shape what steps the sport will take to support the future of British jump racing."

On Monday National Trainers Federation president Rupert Arnold urged British handlers to be braver in their campaigning of horses and for the best to run against each other ahead of Cheltenham.

'The money is all in Ireland at present'

But former champion trainer Martin Pipe – a 34-time winner at the festival and a man often associated with being unafraid to run his horses – believes that prize-money rather than preparation is likely to be the key to reviving British fortunes.

Pipe said: "Well Chief only had one run over fences before the Arkle, and I remember Rolling Ball only had one run before winning the staying novice chase [Brown Advisory], while Cyborgo was first time out when he won the Stayers' Hurdle.

"The money [to buy good horses] is all in Ireland at present. It all comes back to prize-money. Horses have always been hard to find but the prize-money is better in Ireland and they don't have as much racing, compared to England."

Pipe added: "I was lucky to have some loyal owners and we bought some [nice] horses. But some of my Cheltenham winners came out of claimers, like Blowing Wind and Make A Stand. They weren't expensive.

"In Ireland we used to go to [Tom] Costello and David Johnson went across there and bought loads, untried basically. I used to go to the sales in Ireland and buy some store horses. They were all reasonable money, 20 or 30 thousand pounds.

"The trouble is, you don't realise the cost of keeping a horse and bringing it on. It costs a fortune and they've got to be trained. In that sense, when they've run and won a race, they're cheaper. It cuts out the risk, at least you know it can run. It's difficult to get a horse to a racecourse."

NT STATEMENT ISSUED ON BEHALF OF THE BRITISH HORSERACING AUTHORITY (BHA), RACECOURSE ASSOCIATION (RCA) AND THE HORSEMEN’S GROUP (HG)

The leaders of British racing have welcomed the announcement that £21 million of loan funding will be made available to the sport through the Sports Winter Survival Package. The money will be lent to the Horserace Betting Levy Board because of its role in providing central funding of industry costs of race-day regulation, equine welfare and industry training.

Leaders representing the British Horseracing Authority, the Racecourse Association and The Horsemen’s Group have been engaging with Sport England and DCMS since the Survival Package was announced on November 19th. It is intended to help sports severely impacted by coronavirus restrictions over the winter months, notably where the absence of spectators and the revenue they provide would pose a threat to the survival of clubs or sporting teams.

The funding model for racing is different from many sports where clubs will typically receive the revenues from spectators, employ the players or participants and fund the costs of staging sporting events. Racing’s leaders asked government to allow the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) to be the recipient of loan funding, because of its role in providing central funding to support raceday and other industry costs. Work continues with the HBLB to agree how the loan funding can best be used to assist the industry with surviving and recovering from COVID 19.

No changes are expected to the HBLB’s plan for funding race-days and prize money until the end of June. But with spectators not returning to racecourses until May 17th at the earliest, and in reduced numbers at that point, the gap in revenues will continue into July and until a full return of race-goers is possible. The government has already indicated that further financial help may be available for sports affected over the summer, which British racing has also welcomed.

Racing has taken into account the need to repay any funds borrowed from the original £40 million which government set as a limit for horseracing. Whilst the terms of the loans are favourable, there is a recognition that any debts incurred will have to be paid back from future Levy income. Racing’s leaders will now work with the HBLB on a plan to repay the loans over the ten‐year period.

The BHA’s Chief Executive Julie Harrington said

“We are extremely grateful to officials at Sport England, DCMS and the Treasury for their support in agreeing this funding to racing. We are grateful also to the Horserace Betting Levy Board for agreeing to our proposal and borrowing this money to support the central funding of racing. This money will help ensure racing continues behind closed doors despite the absence of spectator revenues. This will benefit our racecourses, our participants and their communities, and the vital role racing plays as an employer and contributor to the rural economy.”

David Armstrong, Chief Executive of the Racecourse Association, said

“The RCA and its Members are very grateful to the HBLB, DCMS and Sport England for putting in place this vital funding for the sport. Racecourses have suffered lost turnover of over £325m since the pandemic began and this funding will provide a crucial bridge for both Racecourses and Horsemen as we begin the long road to recovery.”

Charlie Liverton, Chief Executive of the Racecourse Owners Association, said

“Our thanks go to the officials at Sport England, DCMS and the Treasury for their help and support in providing this loan to British Racing. In particular, the team at Sport England for their time and advice during the process. The HBLB will be the recipients of the loan and we look forward to working with them to understand how the loan can be best utilized going forward. The Government’s Sports Winter Package has provided financial support to many sports industries over the past few months and this support to British Racing is very welcome.”

So you cant use the
"The money is in Ireland"

As an excuse
"That good auld chestnut"

Should be hanging their heads in shame

Comical

Perhaps they might come up with something better next year......

If they hadn't of come up with that photo it probably would have been a complete and utter whitewash !

The head honcho has gone now , wonder if they actually used MI6 ?

"This cant go on"

"Years ago in football the Scots used to invade Wembley every two years so England left the Home International Championship..... Cant we do the same ?"

" Same in Cricket with the Aussies ! "

British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) have today announced a unified Anglo-Irish Jumps weight-for-age (WFA) scale.

The new scale will come into effect at the beginning of the 2021/22 Jumps season and therefore apply to races staged from 1 May 2021 in Britain and races from 3 May 2021 in Ireland. As such, the changes will not apply during the Punchestown Festival, which runs from 27 April to 1 May.

The changes, which were approved by the BHA Board and the Directors of the IHRB in March, sees Britain’s WFA scale increase and Ireland’s decrease by similar amounts, which in summary will mean:

The time at which four-year-old hurdlers in Britain receive an allowance will increase by 2 months at all distances
The time four- and five-year-old hurdlers in Ireland receive an allowance will decrease by 4 months at all distances
The time four- and five-year-old chasers in Britain receive an allowance will remain unchanged at 2m and 2½m but will be extended by one month at 3m
The time four- and five-year-old chasers in Ireland receive an allowance will be decreased by 4 months at all distances
Allowance changes will occur on the monthly basis currently used in Ireland rather than the fortnightly changes used in Britain.
The agreement of a unified WFA scale follows more than a year of work, led by the BHA’s Head of Handicapping, Dominic Gardiner-Hill, and Andrew Shaw, the IHRB’s Senior Jumps Handicapper. The scale has been developed through detailed data analysis, with a view to providing the most accurate model possible for the different age groups.

The adjustments have resulted from an ongoing process of review and improvement, which is designed to ensure that handicapping methodologies remain the most suitable based on-up-to date and comprehensive analysis of data and emerging trends. There is also scope for further refinement of the unified Jumps WFA scale, with the collection of combined symmetrical data in both countries – something that had not previously been possible – and a full review every three years.

Dominic Gardiner-Hill, BHA Head of Handicapping, said:

“The unifying of the Jumps weight for age scales will address the difference in levels of allowances in Britain and Ireland, which can at certain points of the year vary by up to 5lbs-7lbs. It will also bring Jump racing into line with Flat racing, where the same WFA scale is used across the principal racing nations in Europe.

“I would like to pay tribute to my colleagues at the BHA and the IHRB for undertaking this comprehensive piece of work, which has at times required a degree of compromise, but has resulted in a mutually agreeable position – demonstrating the importance of ongoing co-operation between British and Irish racing authorities.”

Andrew Shaw, IHRB Senior Jumps Handicapper, said:

“Not only is the unification of the British and Irish scales a major step forward, but it also reflects the ever-increasing influence of the young, but more mature French-bred horses whose growing success in Britain and Ireland over the past 15 years has already resulted in changes being made to both of our scales in recent times.”

Notes to Editors

1. The new Anglo-Irish Jumps weight-for-age (WFA) scale can be viewed in full here, and allows comparisons with the scales previously used in Britain and Ireland.

How about if we do what the Aussies have done ?

Charlie Fellowes believes the changes to Melbourne Cup qualification criteria will make it “nigh on impossible” for European-trained horses to compete in Australia’s greatest race.

A series of new measures are to be brought in to combat what officials felt was an unacceptable rate of injuries and fatalities — mainly to overseas contenders.

The number of international horses permitted at the Werribee International Quarantine Centre will be limited to 24 — down from 42 in 2018 — and those horses will be allowed just one run in Australia before their Cup challenge.

They will also have to undergo a series of tests before travelling, at their owners’ expense, have tests once they arrive in Australia and comply with pre-race checks while in quarantine.

Any horse who has suffered a previous fracture will be denied the opportunity, as will those who have undergone orthopaedic surgery.

Fellowes has enjoyed great success with Prince Of Arran in Australia, who has been placed in the race three times as well as winning the Lexus Stakes and the Geelong Cup.

He said: “I completely understand that changes had to be made. I get that this wonderful race is under pressure from animal welfare groups, which I have seen at first hand on my trips.

“Yes it is a minority, but we see them when we do the parade and something had to be done. For that, I feel very sorry for the RV (Racing Victoria) and the organisers because they’ve been put between a rock and a hard place.

“However, I feel they have been brutally unlucky and I worry that the measures outlined in the report that European-trained horses are going to have to pass are basically impossible.

“There are a few parts in the report that actually don’t make sense, and I feel incredibly sad that it will now be nigh on impossible to take a horse down there — and I have loved every minute of my trips to Australia.”

Fellowes fears it could have a major impact on the number of horses leaving the UK to race permanently in Australia, too.

He added: “I think it is potentially disastrous for European trainers, because any horse deemed good enough to run in the Melbourne Cup will now be realistically moved to Australia to race — where they will not have to go through the same veterinary checks that they will if the same horse is with a European trainer.

“So, it will result in us losing more horses. John Gosden’s comments recently of Britain turning into a nursery for other racing jurisdictions rings even truer this morning — and I think it is a very sad day.

“It really is the most wonderful race and it is incredibly sad what has happened. I believe there are other changes which could have been made that haven’t, that wouldn’t have restricted Europeans going there and would have helped prevent further injuries from happening.

“Look at Royal Ascot this year without the Australian sprinters. When they come they add so much to the meeting — and when they don’t it is to the detriment of Royal Ascot. That is why Ascot have a team who go around the world trying to get them to come and race in England, which is welcomed.

“It is very sad that it will not be happening to the Melbourne Cup.”

The domination of Irish-trained horses at the Cheltenham Festival has prompted the BHA to change the way British horses will be handicapped to correct a perceived imbalance in ratings.

Older horses will receive bigger drops after being beaten and the approach to handicapping novice hurdlers will be reassessed under changes which form part of the BHA's Quality Jumps Review.

In an interview in the Racing Post, the authority's head of handicapping, Dominic Gardiner-Hill, said his team had been "lulled into a false sense of security" by seeing British and Irish horses share the handicaps at the previous three Cheltenham Festivals.


However, that all changed in March when, among the 23-5 drubbing handed out to British-trained runners at the festival, seven of the nine handicaps went to Ireland, whose horses then filled ten of the first 11 home in the Grand National.

The subsequent review has revealed a significant shift in the distribution of ratings over the last ten years which the handicapping team will work to largely roll back by the end of the year, with the single rating held by the largest number of horses increasing by more than 20lb over fences from 2018 to 2021 compared to ten years earlier and around 10lb over hurdles in the same period.

The BHA said its handicapping team would now bid to redress the situation by making "subtle changes" to certain areas of their methodology to get the distribution of ratings close to where it had been between 2008 and 2011.

This option was preferred to other proposals which would have seen a manual review of ratings taking place during the quietest period of the jumps season every August or an automated review of ratings done by computer on a given date.

Gardiner-Hill added: "Perhaps we should have done this sort of in-depth analysis earlier. But we're doing something about it now, we're being proactive and we will get it done by January 1."

The BHA said there would not be a "seismic" alteration to how jumps horses are assessed, but its review has pinpointed specific areas in which changes would be made.

It promises "more generous drops" for older, regressive horses or those struggling to win; certain sections of the novice hurdle division starting on lower marks; horses who hadn't run for six months being automatically reassessed rather than the current nine; and "more rigorous" back handicapping.

The British hcper is so out of touch with his marks. He believes that because in the previous 3 years prior to this year he had the ratings correct. Because for 3 years there was 5 Irish and 5 British winners of the hcps. Just shows how wrong he is. Given 70% of the entries are British. Then clearly a 5/5 win ratio is way off. Yet he sees this as a success. The brits should be winning 7 out of 10 of the hcps.
So tweaking a pound here and there at the fringes won’t do the job. Even in the Ebor 2 weeks ago. The winner won a listed race 2 races back and it’s rating didn’t move. It then ran 4th and was dropped 1lb. If that had been a British horse it would of gone up 7 then probably 1 for the 4th.
The mimimum rise for Irish horses should be a blanket 7lb plus more for ones that seem well hcpd
Their racing is more competitive so a win in Ireland is worth more than a win in England.
The problem with this years Cheltenham was all the more worrying. Cos the Irish had plundered the big Cheltenham hcps all season. So the writing was on the wall.

Too little too late. Then in 5 years it will happen again.

You can look at all the hcps all year when Irish horses meet British ones. You can then work out how much weight they are out by. It’s very simple.

I think its deeper than that

As a Galway member I can walk the track regularly
The Going often described as "Heavy" would be called "MEETING ABANDONED ....WATERLOGGED" in the U K

I have the feeling that the UK handicapper has no clue about the way things are run in Ireland and does not want to go over to Ireland or to visit any Irish trainers to learn. The BHA is keeping aloof from any controversy....aloof from the perceptive wrongs and corruption.

That is the problem.
They think they know it all but they are proved wrong time after time.

I dont know if its snobbishness, racist or beneath their diginity to get off their backsides and find out what is going on with these Irish trainers in Ireland. It is making the BHA and British horse racing look embarrassing.

Irish racing is facing up to the possibility of a major doping scandal after a raid on a farm yesterday (Tuesday) led to the seizure of animal remedies that are banned for use in racehorses.

The raid, led by Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine officials acting on their own investigations and information received, and with support from Gardaí as well as Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board authorised officers including head of anti-doping, Lynn Hillyer, took place at a premises in Monasterevin, Co Kildare.

A number of individuals were spoken to, among them a British resident, whose vehicle and phone were impounded as well as the banned substances.

Racehorses in training with different trainers were at the premises.

“On Tuesday 9th November 2021, authorised officers acting on behalf of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine carried out an enforcement operation supported by Gardaí attached to the Kildare-Laois drug unit and officers from the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board,” said a DAFM spokesperson today.

“This Department-led operation involved searches and seizure of products as part of an ongoing investigation into equine doping. As this is an ongoing investigation, it would not be appropriate to make any further comment at this time.”

“An operation was led by DAFM and the Gardaí with IHRB officers in attendance, which led to a seizure of animal remedies,” an IHRB spokesman confirmed.

“This is an active Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine investigation so we will be making no further comment at this time.”

The raid took place on the same day as the report of the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee into the IRHB’s anti-doping regulations was released, in which it was determined that the regulations did not fall below international standards.

The report did recommend that all favourites and the first five finishers in all races undergo mandatory testing using hair samples.

"A number of individuals were spoken to, among them a British resident, whose vehicle and phone were impounded as well as the banned substances."

desperate measures indeed !

why would the BHA panic over something in
Kildare?

Maybe because the British resident was well known to the BHA and let him off the hook ?

So the raid took place at a premises in Ireland, so we can assume that the panic should be roughly situated at IHRB towers then??

One of which was British, singular, and he could be a northern Irishman anyway.

Bringing the Irish success into sharper focus perhaps

Or her .

A concerning event in Ireland. Could it be where the "unofficial" therapy was administered to the charges of horseracing participants? Be interesting to compare the performances of future Irish Cheltenham participants to recent.

Yeah a bit like when poison nicky gave it to one of the queens

On Tuesday a report into alleged doping in Irish horse racing by a joint committee of the Oireachtas was released in Dublin. Four months before, members of the committee had heard evidence from leading figures in the sport and although their report highlighted new measures that should be implemented, the overall conclusion was that the sport’s regulatory authority, the Irish Horse Racing Board (IHRB), was doing a good job.

Jackie Cahill, chairman of the joint committee, delivered the soundbite that would become the headline. “We’re happy that the testing standards in Irish racing are of the highest possible international standards,” he said.

"If we get away with sorting dunne out

The world is our lobster ....."

Chris Cook ..Racing Post

I sat through something like 20 hours of evidence and argument in the High Court last week as a judge considered Freddy Tylicki's claim for damages against Graham Gibbons. Aside from the main question, whether Gibbons was to blame for the paralysing injuries suffered by Tylicki (which Gibbons denies), there were some significant implications for horseracing but unfortunately the ruling body is not well placed to respond to them, or even to acknowledge their existence.

That's because, incredibly, the BHA did not have someone in Court 69 making a careful note of all that was said in case it should turn out to be important. Various people were in the small seating area at the back of the court during the week and one doesn't always know who they are but there came a day when it was just me, Laura Scott of the BBC and Gibbons' parents, who made the journey over from Galway to sit in court all week in support of their son. At that point, it was obvious that the BHA weren't there.

I asked them why not and was told: "The BHA is of course extremely interested in the proceedings. At the conclusion of the case the judge will hand down a detailed written judgement, which we will analyse carefully once it is made publicly available. It is these formal judgements which are of most relevance and importance when it comes to the consideration of any implications for the sport."

To me, this reads like an excuse offered when it was too late to do the right thing. But I don't know how the BHA can have missed the significance of Tylicki v Gibbons, the date for which was published in the Racing Post all the way back in April. Also, the Post and Racing TV did their best to remind people the case was coming in the days beforehand.

Jockeys giving evidence in the High Court about a racing matter, how often does that happen? By itself, that would have justified a BHA presence, I would have thought. But this case actually involved one jockey suing another over crippling injuries arising from one of the worst Flat-racing incidents ever seen in Britain.

The witnesses included two former champion jockeys. The outcome depended largely on whether the BHA's raceday stewards had reached the correct verdict. Another of their stewards was lined up to give evidence as an expert, a fact that he had surely mentioned to the ruling body.

Graham Gibbons: witnesses during the case included two former champion jockeys
Graham Gibbons: witnesses during the case included two former champion jockeys
Mark Cranham (racingpost.com/photos)
All of those things, taken together, surely add up to an obvious necessity for the BHA to be keeping a close eye on proceedings, even if it did happen to be in the same week as the Robbie Dunne hearing. Were I an executive there with some responsibility for raceday regulation, I'd need a pretty good reason to be anywhere else. At the very least, I'd want some keen, young staffer to be in court, taking copious notes so that everyone at 75 High Holborn could justly claim to be on top of events.

Instead, no one was there. Readers of the Racing Post were better briefed about what went on than the folk who run the game.

And what did they miss? Pat Cosgrave talking about the code of conduct among jockeys that prevents them from fully speaking their mind in stewards' inquiries. Jim Crowley saying that one of his colleagues so often had alcohol on his breath that denizens of the weighing room had become accustomed to it. A BHA steward being cross-examined about the limitations of inquiries and whether or not jockeys can be trusted to speak up.

It's possible the eventual judgement will deal with these matters in detail. Or it might be that Judge Karen Walden-Smith is able to reach and explain a decision without addressing them at all, in which case the BHA will be left in its position of ignorance.

And of course there will be the practical difficulty of ensuring continued insurance cover for jockeys if there is a payout to Tylicki at the end of this case, with the sum to be paid likely to run into seven figures if Gibbons is indeed found to have been negligent. That's an issue for the PJA but if, in the end, insurance proves to be impractically expensive or even unavailable, it becomes a serious problem for everyone. Wouldn't it be nice for the BHA to have all the relevant background detail if it found itself having to get involved in tackling such a problem?

A BHA presence last week would have been a reassuring sign that in fact the sport is well run and its top people can tell what really matters. Instead, I'm left imagining a group of people chiselling away in their own little silos and nobody sticking their head outside to see if there's something that might need to be dealt with.

B H A ......

rancid organisation full of snowflakes and think they are beyond the law

"Thats dunne sorted ....now who's next ? "

"Might have to ensure that we have seperate dressing rooms for male and female jockeys now !

"what about Bame , Wokes and Lgbt's we will have to get rooms for them as well,"

" dont forget anti-vaccers....got to keep them apart "

surely your not against men and women having different changing rooms Irish,,,wish we didnt back in my school days

Only quotes from the leakers at the bha

Lets hope this works eh ?



Following the success enjoyed by our Irish counterparts in recent years, particularly at Cheltenham and Aintree 2021, there was good reason to reflect on the health of the upper tier of British jump racing and where any changes may prove beneficial.

The QJRRG brought together owners, trainers, racecourses, broadcasters, and bookmaker representatives to discuss how we can better support the British jumps racing industry to ensure we are competitive on the biggest stages, but also strengthen the development pathways that propel our horses towards that top end.

Aims and recommendations

Unsurprisingly, there were passionate views about how we ensure the code is a strong as it can be, such is the special place that Jump racing holds for so many of us.

But it became clear during the discussions that a consensus was developing around five central aims and two overarching recommendations.

The five aims, which the QJRRG regard as inextricably linked and of equal importance, are:

1. to see Britain’s best horses more regularly running against each other outside of the Cheltenham Festival.

2. to make Britain’s best horses and stables more competitive against those representing Ireland.

3. to encourage more of the sport’s highest-investing owners to have their horses trained in Britain.

4. to neutralise prize-money as a consideration for owners when decisions are taken about whether a horse is trained in Britain or Ireland.

5. to produce a race programme that is consistently more engaging to punters, fans, the media and racegoers.

And to help achieve these aims, we recommended that as a sport, we must:

1. Incentivise greater competition between the sport’s leading horses in all divisions by implementing significant changes to the jump Pattern and Listed programme, focusing primarily on enhancing and refining of Britain’s Graded and Listed races.

2. Deliver a significant prize-money increase for British jump racing, with suggested measures to include the setting of increased minimum prize-money levels that encourage owners and trainers to run horses and also reward those racecourses most willing to invest in purses.

What does this mean in practice?

It’s becoming increasingly clear that a large chunk of our core season is not working as it should. Our group found that there were significant differences between Britain and Ireland in how horses were campaigned ahead of the major spring festivals.

For instance, the Irish horses tend to run more often, against stronger opposition in better races – giving them crucial experience of stiff competition. Whereas we believe that the British programme does not incentivise our principal festival hopes to compete regularly against each other throughout the season.

Prize money is clearly an issue, and we have real concerns that the sport is not investing sufficiently at the top end if Jump racing is to retain the backing and enthusiasm of the biggest owners.

So what have they actually done since last year ?

Was is it ........

Wait and see who wins the handicaps ?

This journo was so right

On Tuesday, four days after its stakeholders were humbled on home soil, the regulator finally made a public utterance. It was certainly no rallying cry, instead a rather prosaic contribution that referenced long-term objectives and pointed to the difficulties posed by the pandemic as requiring urgent attention.

That is all well and good, but this is already a long-term, deep-rooted and systemic problem for its industry. In short, it will still be there long after the pandemic if it doesn’t give those willing to invest in the industry more bang for their buck.

The statement also lacked the teeth and urgency of BHA’s pre-Cheltenham intervention that saw it compromise another jurisdiction’s regulatory matter by rushing to announce that entries for Gordon Elliott horses would not be accepted until the IHRB had dealt with the picture of the trainer sitting on the deceased Morgan.

The IHRB had pledged to address the scandal promptly, and at the time Elliott had no entries ahead of Cheltenham, yet the BHA unilaterally and arbitrarily moved to condemn the trainer without due process, undermining the IHRB by forcing its hand.

In the days after Cheltenham, when the BHA went so noticeably quiet, the notion occurred that it's usually a good idea to make sure your own house is in order before you save the world. Just a thought.

The BHA said in a statement: “The independent judicial panel has received an appeal from the representatives of Robbie Dunne in relation to the finding and penalty imposed on him by the disciplinary panel after its recent hearing.

“The independent judicial panel will now convene an appeal board for the hearing and liaise with representatives of all parties regarding a potential date for the hearing, which will be communicated in due course.”


The independent judicial panel ?

Tragedy to Farce ....

Couldnt write it ....

How about a democratically elected panel ?

Not for the BHA .....

Obviously more interested in stoking the fuel on the English v Irish burner , a typically stupid BHA reaction , no wonder the British National Hunt game is a shambles

Just caught up with the recent posts.
1. Surely all of the court proceedings are in the public record so why sit through a long court case in person?
2. The roots of NH racing are in the breeders and after a few years when France seemed to be the best source which gave both English and Irish owners/trainers/agents an equal chance of getting the best ones but now it seems to be Irish bred ones again that are winning most of the best races and as they are coming through the Irish Point system, Irish connections get there first and they seem to have a very big budget. With O'Leary cutting back (allegedly), Robcour, McManus, Ricci, Bartlett, Cheveley Park and even Coolmore are buying or breeding the top lots, so the GB trainers are having to work with the second division. We are back to the Sangster/Makhtoum situation and as Robert said when told by an interviewer that he had plenty of money "they have a lot more than me, it is all relative" The real issue though is encapsulated in Cheveley Park. An English owner breeder that have their flat horses trained in England have chosen to buy and train in Ireland.

Agree Sageand have been saying the same for years. I note you have voided another issue though that has dogged the Irish/English relationship. The question of justice .

Not sure what my post had to do with english/irish justice but I have a feeling we may not agree on that.

"The BHA is committed to furthering the professional development of all stewards in line with international best practice, enabling them to develop the skills required to hear, test, interrogate where appropriate, and balance all evidence given in enquiries."


International best practise .....hoorah they are learning

Tiger Roll will not bid for a record-equalling third Randox Grand National triumph after being ruled out of the Aintree spectacular by his owner Michael O’Leary.

The Ryanair supremo, whose horses run under his Gigginstown House Stud banner, has issued a statement criticising British Horseracing Authority chief handicapper Martin Greenwood, describing his rating of 161 for Tiger Roll as “absurd”.

O’Leary’s decision came just hours after the weights for the world’s greatest steeplechase were announced at a special ceremony in Liverpool with Tiger Roll, trained by Gordon Elliott, being allotted 11st 4lb.

His statement read: “Tiger Roll is now 12 years old, He is clearly not as good as he was at eight or nine, and yet the UK handicapper now rates him 2lb higher than his 159 rating in April 2019, when he won both the Boyne Hurdle and the Aintree Grand National.

“This rating is absurd, and unfair on a 12-year-old chaser. It is a pity that the handicapper won’t give Tiger Roll either a fair rating or a fair weight in the Aintree Grand National, where he could at least try to emulate Red Rum’s three wins.

“However, the handicapper sets the weights and even if he is manifestly wrong in the case of Tiger Roll, there is nothing we can do about it other than remove him from the race, since we don’t believe it is fair or safe to ask him to carry close to top weight at the age of 12.

“Since the top two horses in the handicap won’t run in Aintree this year, Tiger Roll will have to carry either 11st 8lb or 11st 9lb at the age of 12, which is three years after he carried 11st 5lb at the age of nine to win the great race in April 2019.

shame,,,Farclas small ew bet....

Same as last year.

Yep
Imagine if they had given the horse a decent weight
Thousands more would have watched the race
The publicity around the world for the game would have been enormpus
British establishment at its worse unfortunately

Wouldnt want Tiger Roll to do a Red Rum would they ?

.....and the betfair hurdle is the richest handicap hurdle in Europe dont forget !

No patriotism in this game ....WAFLOB

I think connections have made to many dishonest comments in the past, trying to bully the handicapper into a lesser weight.
It wasn’t long ago that a horse that won the Grand National became so badly handicapped from it, that they never won another race in the horses career.
Last years winner has got a massive hike in the ratings as a prime example.
Why should nostalgia get in the way of fairness?
If they ran the horse more in the last two years, it would of naturally come down to a reasonable mark by now.

**** oleary what he thinks

Clearly the horse being 2lbs higher than he was in 2019 is clearly bonkers, the British handicapper is saying he has improved at the age of 12.

Has he got Cocoon on repeat?

Tiger Roll slaughtered Easysland before last year's cancelled National. Then ran over 3 inadequate trips and understandably performed badly. So, handicap Tiger Roll according to his dismal runs over inadequate trips or against Easysland?

I think his owners ought to leave the handicapper alone and allow him to do his job, and stop bleating. The sport must not be run to facilitate their egos or to suit them.

Tiger Roll or no Tiger Roll the race will still take place, period!

Was history not made in last years national and if so then it took place.
Did Tiger roll not win something like a boyne hurdle over 2 1/2m and before this a Triumph hurdle.
I don't have any time for o'Leary and not getting into h'caps marks but Duffy you post quite a lot so would know more but imp thinks you know nothing

The BHA  are clearly not interested in "fairness".

At the other end of the spectrum we have the handicapper not aware of the potential in Irish handicappers coming over for Cheltenham. So the lack of "fairness" rebounds upon them.Jeff Kidder and Belfast Banter come to mind.

The whole model is a lame duck and the numerous examples of incompetence, lack of fairness and basic idiocy on this thread prove it to be so.

If the Irish trainers didn’t think their handicap marks were “flawed” they would kick off and boycott. However, due to incompetence in the Irish handicap system they know some horses are well ahead of their British rivals still.

Maybe the BHA should take over your crooked sport ? They would be handing out non trier bans and fines like confetti.

Cant believe the idiot is still stalking me

I have blocked you .....dopey bolleaux

"So thats Dunne and Murphy sorted .....what can we get on Russell and Blackmore ?"

Fishing again Irish???

Yeah definitely
Got a few from here in the keepnet ....


Strange how the BHA have come up with nothing as yet like most years.

Perhaps they have pinned their hopes on "organic" statistics

"We will put them up a stone
....and cover it with statistics "

"Yeah we can do that ...."
" lets miss a few labels out on the axis on the graphs"
" my maths teacher told me off for that at primary school"

It’s been obvious for years Irish horses were well treated in the Cheltenham handicaps. Higher percentage of winners with lower percentage of runners. I used to get the argument that the Irish had better horses, but that betrayed ignorance about the point of having handicaps and should only explain better performance in the quality races. Handicaps are a racing sideshow. At the elite level of most other sports there is no place for handicaps.

Check out the lower % of Irish in Graded novice and open races over last 10yrs at festival and see if what you say is true as I recon could be more contesting h'caps that other races and possibly Irish haven't fared too bad which is probably down to prize money or maybe owner's like me enjoy the Guinness

Ok so they are worried and you cant blame them

My feeling is they just keep digging big holes for themselves

I’d reply to bentring if that response made any sense.

His grandad Irishone seems the only one that can understand his posts.

Above 2 can't handle the truth,at least the last post no smiley so have you stopped laughing at yourself

Normally laugh at your posts…..trying to decipher what you are posting.

You welcomed me to the forum with(a few punctuation marks wouldn't go amiss),the post consisted of not liking the form of champ and a blind man could see the 2 to take out of the race were Minello indo and Allaho so pick the bones out of that.
I also posted your bets are 80% fictional as you posted so many of your bets are Irish trained,but bet 2 horses 2 win thousands last year which were both English trained and nothing wrong with that.
So which of these prominent owner's are you.

Will shoshkin be able o jump when it gets there

Will shoshkin be able o jump when it gets there

*shiskin and *to jump

Lager going down well tonight !

Maybe there is an app that makes Bentrings posts readable? I’ve no idea.

I dont know why you bother with Lord Hibore. Just block him. He thinks because he owns a tenth of a horse that he is up there with the high and mighty. Most people that live horses dont have the snob streak in them and dont have any problem dealing with sh1t...... they do it everyday lol.

unlike you to get flustered irishone

Flustered ?

Two tickets for Twickenham and three days at Cheltenham......  I am in a state of perpetual orgasm mate

yeah Hilbore seems to rub you up the wrong way...anyway have a good time at the home of rugby and the home of national Hunt

Only 3 days at the Festival Irish ? Your missing the best day.

If you pop in the Royal Oak after racing I’ll get you a pint.

Hibore could rub himself up the wrong way cobra

Takes a bit of doing..... But he is a big enough banker

Offer the poor bloke a drink and he abuses you. Racist and rude. Not a good combination.