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The return of all-weather jump racing, which was scrapped 10 years ago owing to the high level of fatalities and injuries, could be on the cards as the sport faces up to the effects of climate change, the British Horseracing Authority said yesterday.
There has been no National Hunt racing in this country since last Friday owing to the freezing conditions and there is little prospect of any till the end of the week.
Tomorrow’s scheduled jumps cards are fully expected to be called off today and Kempton’s valuable meeting on Saturday, which was due to feature the Lanzarote Hurdle, has already been abandoned, to be replaced by an all-weather Flat meeting. Both Wetherby’s card the same afternoon, and Carlisle’s meeting on Sunday, are not expected to survive unless a thaw arrives much earlier than expected.
The BHA has given Ayr the go-ahead to stage a meeting on Saturday, which will carry prize money of £65,000, but in the longer term it may be that all-weather tracks will bear an increasing burden in guaranteeing betting income for the sport if turf racing is frozen off – or, for that matter, stymied by fast going and water shortages – on a regular basis.
"I can’t say that we are all sitting around here thinking up a 15-year plan," the BHA’s spokesman Paul Struthers said, "but that may well be necessary at some point in the future, and all-weather surfaces are undoubtedly going to have an increasingly important role.
"The issue of jumping on all-weather tracks is one that gets looked at from time to time, and will always be at the back of our minds. The main concern is still about the effects of falls on all-weather surfaces, and whether there is an increased risk of injury.
"The all-weather is developing, and becoming much safer for horses when they are galloping, and much more able to deal with the elements, but it comes down to the age-old issue of falls. If you fall off your bike on grass, it’s going to hurt far less than if you fall off on a harder surface."
An increase in the quality of all-weather Flat racing is also an ongoing objective for the BHA, though the authority concedes that the increasing value and importance of the Dubai Carnival – which opens next week – makes it harder to keep the best all-weather horses in Britain.
"I don’t think that all-weather racing here will ever be able to compete with the prize money on offer in Dubai," Struthers said, "and National Hunt racing will remain the most important code in the winter.
"This is a very strong period for jumps racing, which has been building up over several years having apparently been under threat seven or eight years ago.
"But we are always aware of the importance of keeping racing in betting shops when there is a significant cold spell. Depending on how the climate goes, jumping on the all-weather could be an option, as could the idea of trying to keep some of the better Flat horses here for longer."
Racing depends heavily on its income from betting turnover, but despite the current spate of cancellations, Douglas Erskine-Crum, the chief executive of the Levy Board, does not see any immediate cause for concern.
"It’s difficult to make any predictions about how much could be lost as the levy yield depends on the bookmakers’ gross profits," Erskine-Crum said yesterday. "But we are extremely lucky to have the all-weather tracks, and very grateful to them for putting on as much racing as they can given the size of the horse population.
"Racing hasn’t faced a really big freeze for quite a while, but in a way we had something worse, which was the foot-and-mouth crisis, when even the all-weather tracks were struggling to race. From the levy point of view, racing is in a much stronger position now than in previous big freezes, thanks to the all-weather courses."
Kelso’s Friday meeting is the next realistic chance of seeing any jump racing, with prospects for Hereford tomorrow "very slim" and Catterick inspecting at noon today. Huntingdon is very doubtful on Friday, while Saturday’s valuable card at Warwick also under threat. "The track is frozen and we are forecast low temperatures," Andrew Morris, the clerk of the course, said yesterday. "The forecast yesterday offered some encouragement, but I’m not sure temperatures will rise sufficiently to get the frost out of the ground."
(Guardian online: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/ja … rse-racing)
This’ll please some people on here
How about a grass approach strip to each hurdle and immediately after said hurdle with the rest of course an all weather surface? Covers could be deployed well in advance in order so frost does not get into the small amount of grass neccesary for such a course and the cost involved in using covers would be at a fraction as that incurred at Cheltenham Sandown etc?
This idea needs to be immediately consigned back to the dustbin from whence it came.
We already know from past experience that the chances of severe injuries to both horses and riders in NH races are higher when racing on AW surfaces than on grass.
We already know that opponents of NH racing will have a field day if AW jumping is ever brought back.
Why are so many of the people who run our sport so stupid?
It seems to me that, due to recent events, this journo is trying to make a story where there isnt one. Cant see it happening myself.
As for global warming having anything to do with this – do me a favour!!
This idea needs to be immediately consigned back to the dustbin from whence it came.
We already know from past experience that the chances of severe injuries to both horses and riders in NH races are higher when racing on AW surfaces than on grass.
We already know that opponents of NH racing will have a field day if AW jumping is ever brought back.
Why are so many of the people who run our sport so stupid?
One word “greed”. I’d rather miss a few meetings every year than have these animals jumping fences on AW.
It has to be worth another try with proper testing on different surfaces. I do like any racing but i really cant stand watching anymore AW racing it really is no substitute for jump racing.
But I dont think it will ever happen over a long term as there will be such an uproar from animal rights groups if theres even a slight injury.I thought about your idea myself Berminn.
And is taking a fall on the a/w much different to taking one on firm ground in the summer?
Berminn’s idea wouldnt work because horses would become unbalanced by the change in surface approaching the hurdle – this would lead to an even greater risk of falling.
Having turf on the landing side only may be a way round it, but the logistics of having an all-weather track with sections ‘cut’ out of it for turf are likely to be unfeasible, as the same course would not be able to be used for flat AW.
the first threee lines were enough for me.racing doesn’t need it and 90% punters don’t want it.
FoF said
"and 90% punters don’t want it."
This is patently not true as more than 90% of punters are Sun-reading betting shop types who will bet on anything including dog racing, virtual racing and even worse, irish bumper races.
It would be more accurate to say "more than 90% of punters may express an opinion on this if you pressed them but really, couldn’t give a toss as long as they had something to punt on
As racing relies on the money it gets from the betting that this vast majority of punters plough in, you can’t be surpised if changes are made to the sport that may increase their ability to punt as such and this will also mean more AW courses, hurrah!
It’s definitely on the cards. I hear the BHA plan to counter safety concerns with two policies:
1) fields limited to 14 to ‘prevent crowding’
2) races restricted to horses rated below 100 to prevent the hurdles being jumped at speedGlenn said
It’s definitely on the cards. I hear the BHA plan to counter safety concerns with two policies:
1) fields limited to 14 to ‘prevent crowding’
2) races restricted to horses rated below 100 to prevent the hurdles being jumped at speedJust like normal NH racing then?
As long as they don’t follow irish racings tactic of 30 runner handicaps for horses rated about 50 that have previously pulled a milk float
Given that this discussion is based on the original post, then we are dealing with two non-committal paragraphs of the fifteen in the article. Paul Struthers quote does nothing to suggest that there’s any current consideration of bringing back ‘all-weather’ jumping.
Fair comment rob, but stranger things have happened and they don’t always come with plenty of notice. It would be a natural progression of the expansion of AW racing that is happening here.
They do still race over obstacles on ground firmer than good and that’s at least the same as AW surfaces, I remember I think, Mark Perrett once saying that he had ridden over jumps on AW and falling off on it was worse but if it’s just the hardness of ground, shouldn’t all NH racing be stopped on ground firmer than good – say the ground comes up good to firm around the 10th of March – should we call off cheltenham as any fallers would find it more hazardous than if the ground was soft?
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