BHA & Rust confound the rebel trainers

[Marginal Value]

Disclaimer: Once upon a time I thought that Nick Rust was entirely the wrong person for the job of Chief Executive of the BHA. Several times on this forum I have been strongly critical of the BHA’s apparent lack of leadership on particular issues.

In the good old days if you put your head over the parapet, and got it wrong, there was a chance that you would have had your head shot off. Back in April three trainers, Ralph Beckett, Hughie Morrison and Mark Johnston, said some unkind words about the BHA and its Chief Executive Nick Rust about getting horse racing going again after it had been stopped because of the Covid-19 scare, and being frustrated at having to wait until the government said it was OK. Specifically, they wanted Nick Rust to leave immediately or for the BHA to sack him immediately, because they thought he was at the centre of the delay and that a new Chief Executive (appointed the next day??!!) would get racing back sooner. Nick Rust is in the middle of serving a year’s notice before he moves on to another job.

A quote from Hughie Morrison said: ““Nick should have gone when he resigned. Lame-duck leaders never work. They’re positioning themselves to look good, so they can get another job. They’re not going to be brave. And then there’s a terrible vacuum within that organisation. Everyone below him is now terrified of making a mistake, possibly because they’re positioning themselves to take his job.” Thinking that a CEO and his staff will do a crap job now because they want a better job in the future surely indicates the lack of thought or intelligence that went in to this escapade.

Annamarie Phelps, chair of the BHA, effectively told them to shut up and clear off, and that the BHA had great confidence in Nick Rust.

My thoughts are that the way that racing has handled itself in getting back to work has been a great success. Of course the owners, trainers and stable staff have done a great service to racing by keeping the horses in fine fettle. The contribution of the BHA and its staff led by Nick Rust has been outstanding in setting up and implementing systems to deliver a completely changed programme and more races per meeting. On an ordinary Tuesday, today, there are 26 races in the UK with 250 runners. All of it complying with government instructions about health. All of it supplying stable staff, vets, trainers, jockeys, etc with employment and money. All of it supplying horses with a career path rather than an abattoir. All of it supplying owners with some prize money. All of it supplying punters with fun, and bookies with a living, and racing with an income from the the punters’ losses.

I have not seen or heard any recent comments (apology?) from any of the three rebel trainers. Has anyone else seen such comments?

Do you have an opinion?

[Author]

Posts