It's 81 years since a new racecourse opened so this should be a day to savour. So why am I so underwhelmed about the prospect of racing at Great Leighs. Is it the thought of the massive number of mediocre races that will be run there? That its opening means more bad racing cluttering up an already bloated fixture list which even Nic Coward, the new chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority, has realised he can't trim in any meaningful way. Well actually, yes.
I don't blame those behind Great Leighs. John Holmes deserves praise for getting the new track open and he has ambitious plans, including a pre-Breeders' Cup fixture at the Essex track. No, it's racing's rulers who are at fault.
I'm not some dyed-in-the-wool backwoodsman who believes 'real racing' consists of winter afternoons at Fakenham and Wincanton and culminates in three days at Cheltenham, the holy of holies for some commentators who make a career out of writing about the Festival, starting in October and finish pontificating about the meeting some weeks after the County Hurdle has been run.
I'm a keen supporter of all-weather racing and one of the few who can say I was at the first ever all-weather meeting at Lingfield in 1989. Perhaps I was being unusually prescient as I began my report bemoaning the fact that this supposed dawn of a new era for the sport had attracted the likes of Moores Metal, an arrant rogue who had certainly earned the notorious squiggle from Timeform to denote a racehorse they thought could not be trusted to give of his best.
As long as all-weather racing is used as a repositry for so much equine dross; as long as it is forced to fester as the poor relation of the sport and prevented from putting on races that will attract good horses then racing on "the sand" in this country will not flourish. At the moment all all-weather racing is good for in Britain is revealing horses that might be worth buying to run in America where the prize money on offer is so much better and where there is a programme of races which makes it worthwhile running top-class horses regularly on artificial surfaces.
In Friday's Racing Post Nicholas Godfrey listed a number of classy horses now plying their trade across the Pond. Godfrey had this warning: "It seems you can't move at certain Stateside tracks without bumping into a familiar name. Given the relative riches on offer, could the transatlantic drift be about to become a mass-export industry."
As far as today's selections are concerned it's going to be difficult to tip with any confidence at Great Leighs until the track beds in so I'm going to stick to the jumps for suggested wagers and go to Stratford. 4.10pm Felinious is the first bet. The mare was in excellent form when last seen in October and as she goes well fresh there should be little worry about her absence. She races against mostly exposed types here and should give a good account on a mark just 4lb higher than when last successful. Our chief tipster Ron Cox has napped 5.10pm First Point who has been working encouragingly and should be suited by the drying ground.
2.10pm History about to be made -- almost off at Great Leighs. I've spoken to our correspondent there, Greg Wood, and he says everything is far from finished as far as the facilities are concerned. We may learn something about the track today -- whether it will suit front-runners as suggested. Here we go . . .
Well that race passed off without too much incident. The favourite, Temple Of Thebes, wins as was strongly suggested by the market moves beforehand. Temple Of Thebes; trainer Ed Dunlop; jockey Stephen Donohoe. Those are the names to remember when the inevitable quiz question is asked. Otherwise this race will soon be forgotten. The important racing takes place at Leopardstown today where the Ballysax Stakes at 4.05pm is invariably worth a close look each year.
2.25pm Des Scahill, the man behind the mic at Leopardstown, says no more than is necessary and you always have to have your eyes peeled when he is commentating. What was confirmed after the first at Leopardstown today is how hit and miss Aidan O'Brien's horses have been so far this campaign. Many of them have been needing a run and his very heavily backed runner there was nowhere to be seen at the finish. That's worth bearing in mind where his runners are concerned at present.
3.20pm Bob Cooper has corpsed on Attheraces again. He's the biggest in the business and has a fit of the giggles on a regular basis. Pronouncing Bolachoir, running in the next at Stratford, has done it. What about the commentator at Cork -- he's having to deal with Nanny Nunny Nac (just try saying that one quickly). That naming must have been deliberate on the part of the owners. The commentator must be pleased the runner in question weakened in the closing stages although it was noticeable he made a point of reading out the name very slowly after the horse had passed the post.
4.00pm Bob has just revealed (via an email from someone who points out the horse is named after a town in Ireland) that it's pronounced Bowl-a-kwar which has helped him in his bid not to succumb to more tittering. Listening to Des Scahill again there made me think about what you want in a good commentator. Preferably one that doesn't sound terminally bored (Graham Goode) or is inflicted with verbal diarrhoea (Mark Johnston). Richard Hoiles is my favourite. Authoritative, able to read a race properly and gets enthused without getting over-excited.
4.05pm Last week at Newmarket and Newbury there were plenty of horses that should be marked down as future winners. If I was forced to pick two to follow I would go for Doctor Fremantle and Proponent. Seen nothing so far today to get excited about but the next at Leopardstown could be very interesting. Look and learn.
4.10pm Don't think we saw a Derby winner in the Ballysax Stakes this year. Another Aidan O'Brien favourite flops in Alessandro Volta while the running of Unwritten Rule, who beat Washington Irving last time but could only finish third, hardly advertised his claims or the O'Brien runner he beat last time. A Derby without a serious challenge from the O'Brien camp will make a change and this year's race looks wide open.
4.40pm That Moonstone ran a very interesting race when second first time out for O'Brien there at Leopardstown in the 4.35 race but anyone watching was left guessing in the final furlong as the cameraman zoomed in on the leader and eventual winner Winchester. I do wish they wouldn't do that in races -- the camerawork is especially bad at the Irish tracks -- as no one has a clue about the horses who finish behind the winner. Rant over but watch out for Moonstone.
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