Good Morning,
It's not often that I feel compelled to write, but in this case the sensitivity and poise by which Chris McGrath addressed the passing of Sheihk Hamdan was truly skillful. The world of horse racing, and for that matter, breeding, has been dealt a huge blow with the passing of both Sheikh Hamdan and Prince Khalid.
As Chris so poignantly mentioned, we have taken for granted the impact both men had on our industry on a global scale, and the thought of a world in which racing will no longer enjoy the support of both is tenuous at best. Of course, I am now situated in America and have been for the past 20 years. My brother Phillip, however, trains in Newmarket and has done so since my father's passing in 1998. British racing has been the bastion of our industry since its inception. It is there I fell in love with the sport.
However, as discussed by many over the past several years, the program in the UK is somewhat a house of cards. Since the arrival of Sheikh Mohammed, Sheikh Hamdan and Prince Khalid Abdullah, the sport has been supported by foreign investment for the past 40 years. Foreign investment that cared solely for the success of the horses and did not require the financial support from purse money, which, as we all are well aware in the UK, is awful at best, and ludicrous at worst. The continuation of the “Sport Of Kings” could not be more accurate or unnerving.
The denial of a tote monopoly in the late 70's almost certainly is to blame, with the bookmakers continually reaping the rewards of the second largest gambling market in the UK, and up until now, showing little concern for reinvestment in the form of purse money. How? Why?
Indeed both fair and valid questions and one that must be addressed immediately as “The House of Cards” has been dealt a cold and relentless wind over the last 12 months. It would be foolish to believe that racing will remain unaffected by the loss of two of its biggest supporters. For the average or small trainer, with owners that are already feeling the pressure from the affects of Covid on their primary businesses, yards are shrinking and an exodus of trainers has already begun. How can one expect an owner to pay training fees when the ROI is non existent, when they are not truly independently wealthy.
Even though I have long since emigrated, my heart still remains within European racing. I watch intently every day and am sadden by the fact that in most cases the winner's purse is less than 1500 pounds. That doesn't even cover a month's worth of training fees, let alone a year.
“The wise man built his house upon the rocks”….. The sport I love has its foundation on the sand in more ways than one. The tide is coming in and the foundation is under severe pressure, and without action from the governing body soon will be swept away.
It is my hope that this situation resolves, but to continue with the same reckless abandon and expecting that the status quo will remain the same is truly unwise.
Carl McEntee
Ballysax Bloodstock
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