Wednesday 29 February 2012

RACING POST THURSDAY MARCH 1st 2012.



RACING POST THURSDAY MARCH 1st 2012
RACING POST WEEK MONDAY FEBRUARY 27th TO SUNDAY MARCH 4th 2012


TODAY'S CARDS Ludlow. Taunton. Southwell. Kempton Park. Thurles. Meydan.

JMC Get your Racing Post every day to adventure further into the world of horseracing as the Festival excitement gathers pace, providing an excellent learning curve, and extra key info for your horseracing file. (Don't throw any away keep all in you reference file for your future reference)


DAVID CARR " Talks to Donald McCain exclusively about his 20-plus raiding-party power squad headed by PEDDLERS CROSS."
 

TOM KERR "LUCY ALEXANDER thrilled to pick up first rides courtesy of Ferdy Murphy."

Cheltenham Festival 2012
GRAHAM DENCH "talks to Paul Nicholls on his heavily backed entry in the FRED WINTER 4 year old juvenile hurdle Day Two Wednesday March 14th. "
Entries for the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (Grade 3) (Class 1)  (4yo) over 2m+ To be run at on Wednesday March 14th at 4.40pm  
An interesting race for 4 year old juvenile hurdlers, young horses just getting to grips with hurdle racing.
Previous Fred Winter Handicap Hurdle Winners
2011 What A Charm 4 J Oxx 9/1
2010 Sanctuaire 4 P Nicholls 4/1f
2009 Silk Affair M G Quinlan 11/1
2008 Crack Away Jack Miss E C Lavelle 14/1
2007 Gaspara 4 D E Pipe 9/2JF
2006 Shamayoun 4 P Brennan 40/1
2005 Dabiroun 4 P Nolan 20/1



Hope you got yesterday's Post when Tom Kerr took us on a STABLE TOUR to Nicky Henderson and his team at Seven Barrows Lambourn.

Hope you got Monday's Post when Rodney Masters talks to Nicky Henderson on the brink of becoming the most successful jump team in festival history, as he spends a morning on the gallops.
LAST SATURDAY ON THE MORNING LINE TANYA STEVENSON introduced us to CHRIS  SMITH  the editor of racingPLUS  your new and improved racing+  Only £1. All the weekend cards - all in time order.

With an interesting feature from
 C4 NICK (Lord Snooty) LUCK


"The inside track on racing from the Channel 4
 and Racing UK frontman."
"Bittar has been strong on the whip - now for his
next challenge
"Racing has found its answer to Tony Blair" was one observer's reaction to new BHA chief Bittar's recent appearance on The Morning Line. Long on style and charm, he reckoned ; shorter on substance  and pithy cure-all for racing's ailments .



"If Bittar is indeed racing's Blair, however, this week's decisive action on the
"fundamentally flawed" whip regulations can justifiably be seen as his 'Clause 4 moment' and should pave the way for at least a couple more terms in office.


"In his first major test of leadership, Bittar has shown the sort of unilateral strength that was so obviously absent from Nick Coward's tenure.
"He has recognised the good work of his senior directors Tim Morris and Jamie Stier in commissioning proper scientific research into whip usage, but has revoked the ensuing regulations that have been held up so starkly to the light in their execution.

"In addition , he has felt confident enough on racings behalf to place faith in the general good practice of its participants and thus to stand firm in the face of cynical opportunism of animal rights organisations that seek to use the whip as a Trojan horse, from within which they can destabilise the security of the sport as a whole.

 
"The jockeys and PJA, of course will feel vindicated . They should not, as their misplaced insistence on rigidity in the rules - and the strict number of strokes to which they had to adhere - that caused the mess in the first place.  What has been quite apparent is that correct use of the whip cannot be measured simply by quantity of hits.

"Stewards who are trained and trusted to apply the law based on a rounded understanding of race riding and its nuances have been neutered.

 
"Bittar's latest revision - embarrassing climbdown  as it might be - recognises that a brain is a more useful tool than an abacus when it comes to appropriate punishment, as it has the capacity to differentiate between offences so as to achieve that 'proportionality'  that everyone craves. In every other walk of life, justice is informed by judgement. Why should racing be any exception?

"Perhaps some might argue, because the stewarding system is outdated; local panels are made up of enthusiastic volunteers, while the professional guiding hands - the 'stipes' - tend to operate regionally, hence the charges of regional bias and inconsistency which will doubtless resurface now that a more discretionary model has been restored. Given his apparent appetite for action, Bittar's disciplinary challenge over the next couple of years must surely be to overhaul and centralise the stewarding system.

"Perhaps some might argue, because the stewarding system is outdated; local panels are made up of enthusiastic volunteers, while the professional guiding hands - the 'stipes' - tend to operate regionally, hence the charges of regional bias and inconsistency which will doubtless resurface now that a more discretionary model has been restored. Given his apparent appetite for action, Bittar's disciplinary challenge over the next couple of years must surely be to overhaul and centralise the stewarding system.
"Clearly, a professional BHA representative must be at each racecourse, so as to oversee and witness events at first hand and gather statements.
"He or she might be accompanied by an existing amateur steward to apply an impartiality for which they remain valuable.
"Those present should then refer any offences to a professional central panel at BHA HQ for the appropriate action. This body would deal with a far greater volume of cases, and would have far more immediate precedent against which to judge each offence, therefore leading to greater consistency' 
"If this solution sounds simple, it's because it is. If Paul Bittar has given his constituents renewed faith in the rules with a wave of his wand, he must now give them similar confidence in its judiciary." END


J MARGARET CLARKE TURFCALL COMMENT

British horseracing would not be nearly as dangerous as it is today if the BHA's abusive bloodhorse illiteracy found within regulation, disciplinary and licensing had not got such an unfair grip. A grip estimated to be 80 per cent bloodhorse illiteracy to 20 per cent bloodhorse literacy. Making the two key jump meetings Cheltenham Festival and the Aintree Grand National 2012 wide open to further horrific incidents with or without Paul Bittar.

The damage was done years ago, creating a barrier that undermined the whole issue of bloodhorse literacy.
 

The BHA are most certainly responsible for their abusive bloodhorse llliteracy. Together with the government the BHA have failed the young ones, and the senior horsemen  badly over a long, long time. Refusing to allow a bloodhorse literate career structure even. How mean is  behaviour as this? Tenth century punishments appear to be the only thing they are good at.

Bloodhorse illiterate Bittar, plunged headlong into a situation where dangerously destructive abusive bloodhorse illiterate working practices within government and the BHA  blights the daily lives of thousands of people to include the horses.


Bittar's words "fundamentally flawed" ring true because the 'lot' of the true bloodhorse literate horsemen to include the horses and their owners have borne the brunt of this disaster over the last 5 decades.Letting all bloodhorse literate achievers down big time to include the horses . Why? 
Where is the bloodhorse literate whip review?
Where is the bloodhorse literate career structure?
Where is the bloodhorse literate support zone?
Where are the stepping stones to ensure that bloodhorse literacy can be truly learned in the first place?
When is the re-structure foundation of regulation, disciplinary and licensing to be attempted, and by whom?

HORSERACING A UNIQUE AND REMARKABLE SPORT


RACING POST WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 29th 2012

RACING POST WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 29th 2012
RACING POST WEEK MONDAY FEBRUARY 27th TO SUNDAY MARCH 4th 2012



TODAY'S CARDS Bangor. Folkstone. Southwell. Kempton Park.



Turfcall Keeping Watch over the British Horseracing Authority. (BHA)

Monday 27 February 2012

RACING POST TUESDAY FEBRUARY 28th 2012. TOP GODOLPHIN AWARD PRESENTED IN LONDON YESTERDAY TO CLIFFORD BAKER BLOODHORSE LITERATE SENIOR HORSEMAN TEAM PAUL NICHOLLS



RACING POST TUESDAY FEBRUARY 28th 2012

RACING POST WEEK MONDAY FEBRUARY 27 TO SUNDAY MARCH 4th 2012

http://www.turfcall.co.uk

http://www.racingpost.com/horses2/cards/home.sd
TODAY'S CARDS Leicester. Catterick. Lingfield Park.


J MARGARET CLARKE TURFCALL

TOP GODOLPHIN AWARD 2012 goes to KAUTO STAR'S brilliantly successful handler rider CLIFFORD BAKER honoured at Godolphin celebration lunch held in London yesterday.


CLIFFORD  the key senior horseman and Team Leader to licensed trainer Paul Nicholls



Sunday 26 February 2012

RACING POST MONDAY FEBRUARY 27th 2012.. CHELTENHAM 2012 THE FESTIVAL COUNTDOWN STARTS HERE. THE PULSE OF THE FESTIVAL



RACING POST MONDAY FEBRUARY 27th 2012
RACING POST WEEK MONDAY FEBRUARY 27th TO SUNDAY MARCH 4th 2012


TODAY'S CARDS Plumpton. Wolverhampton.


NICKY HENDERSON "We talk to the trainer who's on the brink of becoming the most successful if festival history.



ALASTAIR DOWN "What I remember clearest of all was a fierce desire, an ache to be there. I was 19 when I first went to the festival and have missed not a day since.' His passionate account of a lifelong love affair with the meeting is simply captivating ."


Whet your appetite from now until the off with our lively daily diet of features including Cleeve Hill. The ultimate package starts on page 7."



GRAHAM DENCH  "ALBERTAS RUN  ready to defend Ryanair crown . "No reason why star cannot complete hat-trick says O'Neill."



SPECIAL REPORT "Jockey's and depression."

NICHOLAS GODFREY "examines a taboo subject among professional sports people and the measures being taken in racing to combat its effects on jockeys."

Saturday 25 February 2012

RACING POST SUNDAY FEBRUARY 26th 2012. RPSUNDAY BRINGING RACING TO LIFE



RACING POST SUNDAY FEBRUARY 26th 2012
RACING POST WEEK MONDAY FEBRUARY 20th TO SUNDAY FEBRUARY 26th 2012


TODAY'S CARDS Fontwell. Towcester. Naas.

RPSUNDAY BRINGING RACING TO LIFE

 AN EXCITING NEW 16 - PAGE SUPPLIMENT DON'T MISS IT.

PLUS AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH RUBY WALSH

RUBY'S FATHER TED WILL BE AT THE CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL GETTING US UP TO SPEED ON ALL THE KEY INFO
HOW LUCKY IS RUBY TO HAVE A DAD LIKE TED.


WILLIE MULLINS IRELAND'S CHAMPION TRAINER WITH HIS EXCLUSIVE WEEKLY COLUMN

"QUEVEGA has her own ways but she's back in great order.

"QUESTION TIME

"It's that time of year again when you get asked familiar questions. With Cheltenham just around the cornered people's interest in racing peaks and one query Ifield quite a bit is "how is QUEVEGA?"



"As it happened she was a bit off colour the other week but we were working her hard at the time and I think it was her way of telling me she had had enough and to ease off.



"Women have their own little ways of letting men know what they think. But it was nothing to worry about and she's back in great order.



"Every spring she presents us with an intriguing challenge and I have to say I kind of enjoy the task of getting her ready to run at the Festival first time out every season .....



 

Friday 24 February 2012

RACING POST SATURDAY FEBRUARY 25th 2012.



RACING POST SATURDAY FEBRUARY 25th 2012
RACING POST WEEK MONDAY FEBRUARY 20th TO SUNDAY FEBRUARY 26th 2012


TODAY'S CARDS Chepstow. Kempton Park. Newcastle. Lingfield Park. Fairyhouse.Caulfield (AUS)

GET TODAY'S RACING POST YOU WON'T BE DISSAPOINTED  ONE TO KEEP FOR YOUR HORSERACING REFERENCE FILE

ONLY IN TODAY'S RACING POST

BEHIND THE SCENES WITH PRICEWISE
 WE INTERVIEW THE WORLD'S MOST FEARED TIPSTER AND FIND OUT HOW HE GOES ABOUT FINDING WINNERS.
GOLDEN RULES 

CHELTENHAM GREATS A FANTASTIC PULLOUT
OUR BEST WRITERS CELEBRATING  THE FINEST CHASERS
 EVER TO GRACE THE FESTIVAL

AND THERE'S MORE 
DAVID PIPE'S EXCLUSIVE VIEWS ON HIS WEEKEND RUNNERS
JOCKEYS' CHIEF PAUL STRUTHERS ON THE NEW WHIP RULES
UNBEATABLE CARDS, FORM AND SPOTLIGHT FOR EVERY HORSE
GREAT NEW-LOOK PREVIEWS FOR ALL THGGE DAY'S MAIN ACTION


RACING POST TOMORROW PLEASE NOTE THAT  DUE TO TRADING RESTRICTIONS  PLACED ON US BY JOCKEY CLUB RACECOURSES ANYONE THINKING OF VISITING KEMPTON PARK TOMORROW WILL NOT BE ABLE TO BUY THE RACING POST AT THE COURSE. WE WOULD THEREFORE ADVISE READERS ATTENDING THE MEETING TO BUY THEIR COPY IN ADVANCE

TODAY'S BIG TALKING POINT






LEE MOTTERSHEAD assesses the key Cheltenham trials in Britain and Ireland.  
 






Thursday 23 February 2012

RACING POST FRIDAY FEBRUARY 24th 2012. HOWARD WRIGHT DISCRETION COULD BE WEAK LINK IN NEW WHIP RULES.


RACING POST FRIDAY FEBRUARY 24th 2012
RACING POST WEEK MONDAY FEBRUARY 20th TO SUNDAY FEBRUARY 26th 2012

TODAY'S CARDS Sandown Park. Warwick. Lingfield Park. Wolverhampton. Dundalk. Towcester greyhounds page 73


GET YOUR RACING POST IN THE MORNING YOU WON'T BE DISSAPOINTED

RODNEY MASTERS "HANAGAN THE MAN FOR HAMDAN JOB
"Dual champion to take over from Hills but will maintain Fahey link.


"DUEL Flat champion jockey Paul Hanagan was signed yesterday for the coveted job as Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum's first rider but he stressed he will not be severing his link with long-term mentor Richard Fahey.



"Hanagan, 31, who has won the title for the first two seasons, will succeed the soon-to-retire Richard Hills.



"His  appointment means Britain's top two jockeys will be on the move from Yorkshire to Newmarket, with championship  runner -up Silvestre de Sousa having agreed to join Godolphin. "When I was at school I'd always follow Sheikh Hamdan's horses and to be appointed his jockey is a dream, Hanagan said."



"I wouldn't be in this position but for Richard  (Fahey) and when I went to his home on Wednesday evening to tell him about the job it was emotional for both of us.



"I could see from his reaction that he was disappointed in one respect but delighted for me. We've been together for 17 years and he always had faith in me. I must stress I will be riding for Richard when available. The team isn't splitting up."
END

HOWARD WRIGHT "DISCRETION COULD BE WEAK LINK
IN NEW WHIP RULES."
  "FINGERS crossed it's fourth time lucky said Christopher Spence, wise old owl and former Jockey Club senior steward at a time when his organisation set the standards, on the 'new' new whip rules. 
"Very true, but when did the framing of regulation also come with reliance  on a signal which mixes hope and desperation in equal measures?
  
"It was more difficult than we could have imagined, said Richard Hughes, whose early support for the exact number of times that jockeys could use the whip disappeared when he was required to put it into practice.
 
 
"An interesting admission, but should inability to play to new rules be an underlying criterion for changing them again and again? 
"There are clear examples of where jockeys have made every effort to ride within the new rules but have simply made an honest mistake, said Paul Struthers, former BHA employee and member of the original whip review team, but now batting for the other side as recently installed chief executive of the jockeys' trade body.
 
"An admirable clear example of adapting to the needs of serving new master, but, as in the case of Hughes's remarks, should over-arching regulation be compiled to take account of mistakes, honest or otherwise?
 
"Mistakes are a matter of interpretation; one man's idea of a mistake can be another's palpable error of judgement.  Who should decide? When the 'new' new rules are finally put together, it will be the racecourses' stewards and BHA disciplinary panel, and therein lurks potential danger after this week's third climbdown.
 
"Common sense has prevailed, say supporters of the latest framework, which fully takes account of the jockeys' concerns about penalties and prize-money deductions.

"Yet they will soon be forced to rely on the application of commom sense by those with the job of administering the rules.


"Going back almost to square one-amending the trigger numbers is the only remaining option for the status quo to apply - will reinstall discretion to the adjudicators' armoury and common sense will once again be asked to prevail, but probably on a more regular basis.


"Yet, as soon as discretion enters the arena of regulation, one man's idea of common sense becomes another's cry of inconsistency. There is more to come on this subject and not all of it will be favourable to racing as a whole.
  "And so to trainer Ferdy Murphy's observation that the BHA is a headless chicken. 
  "That might have been the case since the first new whip rules were introduced, as acting chief executive Chris Brand prepared to leave the seat he had kept warm after Nic Coward's retreat back to football. But not any more, it seems. 

"Paul Bittar has made an instant mark, apparently with little reference to the main architects of the original regulatory changes, Jamie Stier and Tim Morris, whose credibility is consequently weakened, and none at all to elements of the review other than the jockeys, whose position in this issue at least has taken precedence over other bodies that would normally have expected to make a contribution. 
"This is BHA leadership 2012. Like it or not."
END

JIM McGRATH, COMMENT.  
VIEWPOINT IN AND OUT OF THE SADDLE "WHIP REMEDY IS EASY - DITCH THE NEW RULES NOW."

Jim says "The BHA has backed itself into a corner and sadly the agonising is set to continue.



"THE suspensions incurred last week by Nicky Mackey and Tony McCoy for what were essentially sound, effective rides inevitably brought the whip rules back into the headlines. However, publication of the Grand National weights, sandwiched in between, meant in effect that the same topic dragged racing to new depths, as one of our leading bookmakers opened a market on whether this year's winning Aintree rider will incur a ban over use of the whip.

  

"As the unjust suspensions and fines imposed on jockeys continues our sport has evidently reached a stage where the subject is now a new 'exotic' . What next, the first rider to 50 days and five grand?
 
"I still do not understand the reasons why the rules were changed.


" Was it the case to those responsible for running our sport that the way our jockeys rode was no longer defensible?


"Was racing so far out of kilter with the way the general public perceived animal husbandry that such dramatic and controversial revisions were necessary?
END

J MARGARET CLARKE TURFCALL
Part of Jim McGrath comment RP Monday February 20th
The penalties imposed upon jockeys from the outset Champions Day last October by the BHA regulators are totally ridiculous, dragged out of the dark ages. Is this the best that British horseracing regulation can come up with?
Ghastly wouldn't even come near this.

Ferdy Murphy's observation that he sees the BHA as headless chickens.
JMC Ferdy Murphy is spot on with the likeness he portrays the BHA to be like 'headless chicken' exactly right, couldn't put it better myself.
How about taking a closer look at the life and times of bloodhorse literate achiever Ferdy Murphy, his contribution to horseracing is massive, he has given his all, for what ..... to be treated any old how by the bloodhorse illiterate British Horseracing Authority.


All jockeys need to accurately concentrate upon the job in hand from the time they are legged up in the parade ring until they dismount after a race. Any and all further distractions are surplus to requirements. Jockeys cannot do two jobs all at the same time to suit only the regulators.


Jim asks "Was racing so far out of kilter .....
JMC British racing regulation is so far out of kilter words fail me ...
http://www.turfcall2-racingpost.blogspot.com/2012/02/racing-post-monday-february-20th-2012.html
END

Wednesday 22 February 2012

RACING POST THURSDAY FEBRUARY 23rd 2012. LATEST ON NEW WHIP RULES, WHAT A MESS.



RACING POST THURSDAY FEBRUARY 23rd 2012
RACING POST WEEK MONDAY FEBRUARY 20th TO SUNDAY FEBRUARY  26th 2012

TODAY'S CARDS: Huntingdon. Lingfield Park. Southwell. Kempton Park.
 Thurles and  Meydan.

LATEST ON NEW WHIP RULES, PLUS TRAINER AND JOCKEY REACTION p 2-5


RP "Q: Who knows how to define a permissible stroke of the whip?

RP "A: Nobody knows yet

"Yes or no. In cases where it is unclear whether the whip has made contact it will be down to the racecourse panels to use discretion and common sense but guidelines have still to be finalised. " JMC Turfcall. Are the racecourse panels  bloodhorse literate? Or are the racecourse panels bloodhorse illiterate? Or perhaps the racecourses and the BHA panels haven't realised there is such a thing as bloodhorse literacy?  The jockeys must be incredibily naive if believing after all that has gone on since October things are now sorted.

THE THREAD  OF TRUE JOIN-UP BLOODHORSE LITERACY WORLD WIDE. Where did it come from ….? Where is it now …..?  And where is it going too …… ?

We can see the true thread of join-up bloodhorse literacy weaving it’s fragile way throughout the history of horseracing ….We can observe today through various equine sport that horseracing takes its place among these. 

THE TRUE KEY JOIN-UP INGREDIENT of all horseracing around the world is bloodhorse literacy. It is estimated that 95% of all those who have attempted to achieve true join- up bloodhorse literacy world wide fail. There are distinct levels of failure. Just as there are distinct levels along the road to achieving bloodhorse literacy.

We can see that British join-up Jump Turf Racing demands the highest true skill of all from the horse and rider partnership in horseracing.


British Turf Chasing demands the greatest skill from the horse and rider partnership, galloping at racing pace, jumping over around 20 large formidable fences with possibly 20 or more other competitors around you in the chase, out to score. A tricky and possibly the most dangerous and deadly scenario. "Have you heard the story of Charlie Day, who died disputing his right of way? He was right quite right as he raced along, but he’s just as dead as if he was dead wrong .

GRAHAM LEE  now sidelined through injury is one of the finest true bloodhorse literate horseman there is at present.
(handler join-up jump rider)

BRITISH HORSERACING badly needs to move on, to concentrate to ensure far higher standards of true bloodhorse literacy are met.



Britain needs bloodhorse illiterate regulators like a
hole in the head.

Horses like everyone else need treating with respect.


BRUCE MILLINGTON COMMENT page 5
"STEWARDS  are going to have to grasp the interpretations of the various different types of connection between whip and hide, and so are jockeys'.
BHA has much to answer over fourth amendment.
"TO ANNOUNCE you're going to change the rules before deciding exactly what those rules actually are going to be is a funny way  for the governing body of a major sport to carry on, but that's exactly what's happening with take four of the BHA's attempt to bring about acceptable reforms to the way jockeys use their whips.
 

"On Tuesday it was revealed that jockeys who hit their horses more than seven times in Flat races or more than eight times in jump races will no longer receive automatic bans but that such acts will in future prompt the stewards to look at such rides and decide whether to hand out a suspension.
 
JMC Only one rider can ride a horse so only one person will ever know what is best to do at the time ....
 
"Which begs the obvious question: What is an acceptable extra hit and what isn't? The BHA's answer, as things stand, is - we don't know because we haven't decided?

"The criteria for what will be deemed permissible and what won't are to be, if you'll pardon the pun, thrashed out during talks over the next ten days, after which stewards and, one hopes, jockeys will be put in the picture.
"Herein lies the problem though. How clear will that picture be? It is going to take monumentally deft phraseology to be able to portray with clarity the difference between a corrective hit, a blatantly coercive one, a strike used for safety, one used to wake up a horse after a sloppy jump, a bid to snap a horse out of a mid-race flat spot, a backhand slap, a forehand one, a rhythmic series of taps, and so on.
"Stewards are going to have to grasp the interpretations of the various different types of connection between whip and hide, and so are jockeys.
"It is hoped the BHA can conjure up such a set of instructions so crisply constructed that the penny drops with stewards and riders alike and everyone knows precisely where they stand. If that happens the Racing Post will lead the applause.
 
"A likelier outcome is that well-intentioned attempts to allow common sense to apply will actually have the effect of creating grey areas, inconsistency, rancour and prolong the saga of negativity that is the whip issue.
 
"It is difficult to see how all the sets of stewards will interpret whip use in the same way, meaning Jockey A gets banned at Newton Abbot for something he believes  he saw Jockey B get off for at Taunton the previous day The air will be thick with cries of "there's no consistency".
"The other big question is why was the BHA in such a rush to get this version of the whip rules announced? We know the answer to that. It was keen to assure people there was no danger of the whip row overshadowing the Cheltenham Festival.

"How big a danger was there of that happening though? Very little, in reality. There have been whip bans at the festival since 1980, notorious for the antics of Joe Byrne and Tommy Ryan, have they come close to overshadowing the meeting.

"Why would they? The festival is about heroic deeds by the best horses. Jockeys' bans are generally footnotes on the end of reports.


 
"Certain members of the media will give the whip issue more attention this year but none would be so ill-judged as to believe another World Hurdle victory for BIG BUCK'S would have to play second fiddle to the aggrieved reaction of a jockey who had been told he wouldn't be able to ride at Ludlow or Lingfields and the like for a few days due to over-zealous whip use.

"The BHA deserves credit for having realised whip use was a problem that needed addressing, but to bring out four amendments to the rules in four months  represents strikingly week leadership, and there isn't even a clear feeling within the sport that this time they've nailed it."
END

BLOODSTOCK WORLD
RICHARD GRIFFITHS "BREEDERS' CUP HERO ROYAL ACADEMY DIES AGED 25.
JMC Beautiful pic of ROYAL ACADEMY seen with TOM MAGNIER and his son CHARLIE in Australia.

"ROYAL ACADEMY who provided the out of retirement
 LESTER PIGGOTT
 with the most satisfying winner I ever rode' in a memorable Breeders' Cup Mile in 1990, has died aged 25 at Coolmore Australia."
"One of the last links to the great NIJINSKY, and his equally legendry trainer Vincent O'Brien, the $3.5 million yearling was described as a 'tremendous servant to Coolmore' by Tom Magnier, who is based in Australia. ......







GREAT RACING WALKS PETER THOMAS  takes us to sample winter in Newmarket with a bracing stroll along Devil's Dyke p 12-13