News Catch Up

Time for another round up of what has been going on in the racing world in the last few days.  This week it was announced that Royal Ascot will not be open to the public even if it is able to go ahead behind closed doors.  It has also been confirmed that the first four classic races of the flat season will be delayed and staged later in the season.   Both the Qipco 2000 and 1000 Guineas and the Investec Oaks and Derby have been postponed and new dates will be announced once the ban on racing has been lifted by the BHA.

The Derby has been staged at Epsom for every season since the Second World War.  In 1945 it was run at Newmarket and was won by Dante.  Whereas running behind closed doors at Ascot is being considered it was thought that it was logistically difficult and impractical to do at Epsom because The Downs, in the middle of the course is an open public space.  This makes it difficult to regulate people and impractical.  The decisions have been made early to allow trainers to make plans with their horses which I think can only be good for everyone.

I see that many top flat trainers are desperate for these top races, as you would expect, like at Royal Ascot not to be lost completely from the racing calendar as they are “crucial” to the wider industry.  While prize money is likely to be reduced if it is able to go ahead it is more important for everyone that there are opportunities to run their horses.  Every day there are new announcements in this ever changing situation and hopefully there can be more positive news in the coming days with racing hoping to resume in May.

I read that Irish jockey Jack Kennedy is on the comeback trail from injury and eyeing a return to the saddle in the summer.  You may remember he suffered a broken femur in a fall from Dallas Des Pictons at Leopardstown in February.  You may be forgiven in thinking that he is perhaps not worried by the lack of racing at the moment but that couldn’t be further from the truth.  He loves his racing, going to the races and watching it all and so he is finding it pretty boring like the rest of us.  He hopes to be back on a horse in the next month to six weeks with the aim of being back riding on the racecourse at Galway in July.

The champions of the 2019/20 jumps season were officially announced this week so congratulations to Brian Hughes who becomes Champion Jockey for the first time.  It is a shame we were deprived of a thrilling jockeys title fight between him and Richard Johnson but with 141 winners on the board he is a much deserved winner.  Jonjo O’Neill Jnr was crowned champion conditional jockey for the season.  He rode 61 winners and finished tenth in the jockey’s championship.  Nicky Henderson won his sixth Champion Jumps Trainers title.  JP McManus was crowned champion owner once again.  Many congratulations to all the winners it was a great season until it ended prematurely and we all can’t wait for it to get going again, hopefully in July.

A Mexican magician was doing a magic trick.  He said, uno, dose and he disappeared without at trace!