ITV racing must ensure someone speaks up for punters

Rich Ricci has done a lot for the finances of jump racing in Ireland, enabling it to recover from the collapse of the Celtic tiger. He - or technically his wife - owned 5 of the winners at Cheltenham this week. Fair play to him, for spending lots of money does not guarantee even one win in what is effectively the world championships. He has obviously spent his share of the profits and bonuses from Barclay's Capital wisely, even if some of the shareholders who lost out may have misgivings.
The Ricci openess with the racing public has been welcome as well, but obviously we discovered at the beginning of this week that perhaps he is not so open about his horses and the plans as we thought. Indeed many punters felt that the #fatcatinahat had 'put them away' and treated them as mugs.
At the Cheltenham preview evenings in the run up to the event, including one organised by Ricci's own betting company BetBright, the American in the trilby and sunglasses told us all about how his horses were going and where and when they would run. In the case of one of his best, Vautour, Ricci was on the record repeatedly that the horse would run in the Gold Cup; "it's the Gold Cup or nothing."
As a result the price for Vautour was short for the Gold Cup and his price for the Ryanair (a less prestigious race over a shorter distance than the Gold Cup and his only other possible option) drifted out to 4-1 plus.
On the night before the festival the odds on the betting exchange dramatically changed, with Vautour's odds for the Gold Cup drifting, and him coming into odds-on for the Ryanair. Clearly some people in the know (i.e. connected to Ricci or the Mullins stable, where the horse is trained) had information not available to the ordinary punter and were taking advantage.
The inevitable then happened on Channel 4's Morning Line the following morning when their guest, the great man himself, announced to the awe-struck panel of Channel 4 presenters, that Vautour would be declared for and running in the Ryanair, thereby missing the Gold Cup which we had been told would be the target all along.
What then followed was the most lamentable and feeble sports journalism, which those involved with Channel 4 Racing must surely be embarrassed by. The chairman of the panel, Alice Plunkett, seemed completely out of her depth and none of the highly paid pundits made the slightest effort to challenge Ricci on the way punters had been misled repeatedly.
There was a bit of storm on racing related social media - I even had a little Mr Angry go myself - which presumably prompted Channel 4 to invite Ricci back on to the main programme in the afternoon to explain his action. On this occasion he was interviewed by national treasure, and the normally excellent, Clare Balding. She though proved to not be up to the job either, allowing Ricci to turn the whole debacle into a brilliant publicity stunt for his betting company. He promised to pay-out on Vautour, as if the horse had won the Gold Cup, to all punters who had backed him with BetBright for that race. Clare's reaction to this was an almost awe-struck, "Oh wow, how generous of you Rich, you are going to payout even though he is not running?".
She completely missed the point that it was not those who had backed Vautour who had really lost out, as most of those punters would have received their money back as a result of the 'non-runner no-bet' conditions now widely available.
No the punters who had really done their money were those who had backed the other horses due to run in the Ryanair, whose odds were much lower as a result of the firm commitment that Ricci's horse would not run.
The inevitable happened and Vautour won the Ryanair easily. This was despite him only "being 90%" (yeh, right), one of the weakest excuses offered by Ricci and Mullins for the change in plans.
On reflection my criticism of Rich Ricci - and also Willie Mullins - are muted. They are perfectly entitled to run - or not run - their horses as they choose. They have hopefully learnt their communication lessons, and either will stick with their announced plans or be more equivocal in future.
No it is the Channel 4 racing team that come out of this worst. Their journalism was feeble at best. You have pundits on - including sadly AP McCoy - who promote bookmakers during the ad breaks, which in any other sphere of life would be considered a conflict of interest. The professional journalists appeared to not know part of their subject, and are more keen to suck up to their racing pals than to speak up for those people who ultimately fund racing, the betting public.
John McCririck, for all his many faults, would never have allowed this to pass by, and would have been all over Ricci. Sadly his descent into pantomime sexism meant he had to go, and his replacements come from a training/bookmaking background instead and just carry out cosy interviews, often simply giving bookmakers' PRs the chance to plug their products.
There is though a chance for this to change, with ITV winning the contract to broadcast UK horse racing from 2017. With the exception of the peerless Nick Luck, none of the current Channel 4 presenters deserve to transfer over after their performance this week. To retain credibility with the betting public, ITV must make sure that at least one of the new presenters come from a background of placing bets rather than bookmaking, and speaks up for the hard pressed punter. My choice would be Dave Nevison or Eddie Fremantle, although of course if they are unavailable I would be willing to do my bit!  

Graham the Boat goes to Towcester

Normally I go to the races by train. Sometimes it's the bus (Brighton) and if I cannot avoid it, the car has to be used (Fakenham). This week though I trumped all of those methods of transport by going to Towcester by canal. My punting hero is Eddie the Shoe,* but perhaps I can now be Graham the Boat. There's even a pic of me looking gormless in a 'pea on a drum' cap to prove it.

Towcester racecourse has intrigued me for years, so I was delighted to finally visit the track for its pre-Christmas meeting. Pronouncing it properly was the first challenge (leaving aside the locks) and I gather my use of 'toaster' (as in Kenwood from Robert Dyas) was broadly considered correct by the locals.
The course is set in a country estate on the edge of the attractive, albeit traffic blighted, market town from which it takes its name. I gather it is owned by Lord Hesketh, who I have always associated with motorbikes, James Hunt and support for Margaret Thatcher. Brief research suggests he may still be involved, although there are also stories of sales to a Russian oligarch - is Towcester therefore a kind of 'Chelski' of English horse racing?
For racing aficionados Towcester is known as a really tough course. It is incredibly hilly, inclined to get very muddy and also big. Whereas at my local tracks of Plumpton and Fontwell the horses go round twice, at Towcester they only do one circuit. The going and the stiff uphill finish mean that specialist horses blessed with stamina ('stays longer than the mother-in-law' ha ha) thrive. Basically to win at Towcester you want a big traditional older horse who keeps plugging on when the fancy-dans from the flat cry off.
The stands at the course suggest country house tradition, but actually there is no shortage of innovation. Towcester lets you in for free, presumably on the basis that they will attract bigger crowds who will spend more eating, drinking and betting.
On the basis of Thursday's meeting they maybe onto something. The crowd was impressive, the bars busy and betting ring vibrant.
Towcester has even gone so far as building a brand new greyhound track in the centre of the course. With dog stadiums closing across the country it is strange to say the least to find a new one opening here. It is in front of the stands, blocking the view of the lower half of the racecourse. It is also rather exposed to the elements.
The Sky cameras were in town to cover that evening's dogs fixture, which for a dark blustery night in midwinter seemed a remarkable commitment to me. The word from my dog contacts is that Towcester are giving it a good go but they cannot see it lasting. The recent loss of a BAGS contract suggests this pessimism may prove correct, but hats off to the Towcester management for giving it a go. Maybe even

Expect Nothing will run there one day.
For the record I enjoyed my visit. The nearby pub, appropriately called Monks Tipster, and the country estate feel all remind of a point to point. The art deco stands are grand but small, so there are various marquees and temporary tents added to accommodate the crowds. Food is cooked on a barbecue, with the wind blowing the smoke through the main bar adding to the village fete feel.
There are numerous bookies by the paddock (prices worse there as usual) and in a ring at the side of the main stand. Barry Johnson had at least 4 pitches, so presumably thinks money can be made. He was interviewed wearing a pork pie hat by the irrepressible Matt Chapman. It all reminded me a bit of the comic strip 'Cockey Wanker' in Viz, but was no less enjoyable for that.
As for the races themselves, then it is certainly true that course specialists are favoured. The Caroline Beesley Memorial Handicap Hurdle was won by the 12 year old veteran Earcomesthedream. He had already run at Towcester no less than 30 times and plodded his way up the hill to an emotional triumph. Rumour had it that the winning jockey, Archie Bellamy (son of the clerk of the course) was younger than the horse he rode to victory.
Towcester certainly has its challenges. The Chief Exec was recently banned for dodgy betting practice, and the long term sustainability of the dog track is a worry. But I enjoyed my day so much that I intend to return on St. Patrick's Day 2016 with a non-racing friend who 'wants to know why an intelligent bloke like you enjoys racing so much.' It's free to get in then as well and it's very friendly so if you are stuck for entertainment in March why not join us!

Towcester marks (out of 10)
Welcome/friendliness 9
Atmosphere 9
Betting ring (size, competitiveness) 8
Racecard (cost, quality) 6
Queues for the bar 5
Standard of racing 5
Viewing 5

Total (out of 70) 47

Punting success - lost (but could have been oh so different if Lakeshore Lady had not flattered to deceive in the first)

*For the record I stopped buying the Observer solely because they dispensed with the services of Eddie Freemantle, and not because of the left-wing nonsense they spouted. I would have happily put up with the Islington revolutionaries just to read the Shoe's analysis.