Today’s best bets, by Chris Cook
I felt that Charlie McBride let himself down very badly with his comments during and after yesterday’s disciplinary hearing but the bit that really has me wincing is the inadequate level of punishment eventually meted out by the British Horseracing Authority’s panel. A fine of £1,500 bears no relation to the degree of negligence shown by McBride in mistakenly saddling the wrong horse to run at Yarmouth a fortnight ago, or to the damage to racing’s reputation or the frustration and financial loss suffered by punters and bookmakers.
Before the hearing began, a BHA spokesman quietly briefed attending reporters about the level of punishment that could be expected. While a low-level fine was specified in BHA guidelines for a breach of the relevant rule, the panel had the authority to go outside those guidelines and levy a higher fine if they thought it appropriate, he said.
But the junior member of staff who presented the BHA case to the panel made no such point and in fact made no verbal submission as to the penalty being sought, though I suppose she may have made a written submission that reporters did not see. Patrick Milmo QC, the panel chairman, then appeared to believe he really was constrained by the guidelines in delivering his verdict. He noted that the guidelines suggested fines of up to £2,000 and, as the panel felt this case belonged at the upper level of available punishments, the figure of £1,500 had been settled upon.
Given that McBride, by his own admission, had actually won a third of that sum in a bet on the winning horse, this fine seems woefully inadequate. Frankly, I’d have thought it was appropriate to impose a suspension period on McBride, during which he would be unable to make entries.
The BHA did not take this case seriously enough, for all that they ramped up their scanning of racehorse microchips in response. At no point during the BHA’s presentation was there any mention of whether or not McBride had backed the horse. That point was tackled only later in the hearing, when Milmo asked McBride directly.
Other unexplored avenues include: when did McBride place his bet, given that his explanations for not recognising his own horse are centred on being too busy to look at her? And also, why did McBride back his horse each-way in a seven-runner race, in which the bookies will pay only two places, bearing in mind he told the panel that third or fourth place was the best he could realistically hope for? There might be good answers to these questions. My first concern is that they don’t appear to have been put.
This is just the latest incident to put a dent in racing’s appeal as a betting medium, which undermines the sport’s future funding and therefore ought to have the BHA very worried indeed.
Let’s hope today’s action brings no further unexploded mines into racing’s harbour. My main interest is at Wolverhampton, where Cat Royale (3.50) is an 11-2 shot. John Butler’s charge ended a long losing run at this track last month, which the trainer attributed to a strong ride by Danny Brock, the horse having been partnered by an apprentice in previous outings. Brock is aboard again and Cat Royale remains below the mark from which he won on turf last year.
At a more conservative 13-8, Defining Moment (5.15) is easy to like in the last at Brighton. Rae Guest’s three-year-old filly improved to win a Yarmouth handicap last month and the form is working out, the runner-up having won yesterday.
In the last at Newmarket, I’m interested in 9-2 about Waqaas (8.10), who ran better than the form book tells when 12th on his reappearance last month in a quality race featuring a bit of bumping, from some of which he suffered. That was his first run for a full year, since he took his chance in the Richmond Stakes. If he’s sharper, this small-field affair could be much more winnable and he’s 9-2.
Tips for all Friday races
Wolverhampton
1.50 Swiss Chocolate 2.20 Bogsnog 2.50 Sancerre 3.20 Impact Point 3.50 Cat Royale (nap) 4.20 Whitecliff Park 4.50 Beadlam 5.25 Mutineer
Musselburgh
2.00 Sorority 2.30 Rumshak 3.00 Hellomoto 3.30 Alexandrakollontai 4.00 Sebastian’s Wish 4.30 Mambo Dancer 5.00 Tectonic
Brighton
2.10 Lake Volta 2.40 Gold Class 3.10 Free Forum 3.40 Harbour Rock 4.10 Highly Sprung 4.40 Screaming Gemini 5.15 Defining Moment
Newmarket
5.30 Lady Godiva 6.05 Lexington Grace 6.35 Symbolization 7.05 Swilly Sunset 7.35 Seduce Me 8.10 Waqaas
Haydock
5.40 Donnachies Girl 6.15 Kashmiri Sunset (nb) 6.45 Exhort 7.15 Shazzab 7.45 White Mocha 8.20 Granny Roz
