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This is the guy in charge of the BHA? Good luck then.
A more or less utter disdain for the punters.
When Boycie put up the example of the novice punter and experienced punter in a Curley type of race example all he had to say was, paraphrasing here, we just have to accept that’s the way it is.
When he stated in all seriousness that British horse racing has the highest integrity in the world it was clear to me that the guy is living in Lady Gaga land, has he ever heard of Hong Kong, and finally his little nugget that if we didn’t have betting we’d still have a sport, had me burst out laughing.
When it came to financing the sport he had nothing really of substance to offer except the same old drivel that’s been talked about for ages. I’m sure he’d love to go back to the days when rich men ran their horses against each others’ for the fun of it.He might be some big deal in the financial world but in matters horse racing he is an intellectual vacuum. What the heck Paul at least you have Canford Cliffs to look forward too. Time for your afternoon nap now
Can see more and more the reason behind Glenn’s tireless harangues
A good interview by Sean Boyce, but I wish he had pressed Roy on the lack of any representation for punters in the decision-making processes. His answer was unconvincing to say the least.
Roy’s remark that owners, not punters, are the biggest contributors to horseracing may be correct, I do not know, but I suspect the figures he quoted were misleading.
Owners take prize money and free entry out of racing as some sort of a return for the considerable money they put in and are viewed (rightly) as significant "stakeholders" in the sport. Punters just continue to be treated like cash-cows who should be seen and not heard.
As somebody who has owned a few racehorses I have no quibble with owners being viewed as a significant stakeholder as you put it, but his obvious contempt for the punter was there for all too see and I consider myself a member of that constituency these days.
Agree that Sean Boyce was well up to the interview but he seemed apparently not only to me, not pursuing vigorously enough the disenfranchised voice of the bettors.
In fairness to Sean Boyce the guy was not playing ball regarding the Punters Issue’s. If Boycie had been their pursuing the question until tonight he wouldn’t of got a different answer IMO.
That is worrying
I was bored through it. Somehow I felt I’d heard it all before. The levy’s of great concern, but we’d still have a sport without betting. Ok, whatever Mr Roy thinks. I wonder how much he truly understood that was put to him. I really do…
Not much.
He was utterly clueless in my view, he didn’t even begin to grasp the points being put to him.
Entrance fees are too high. "Well that’s not up to me."
He actually mentioned the "food and beverage" as if it was an appealing part of the "experience", and indicated that a significant number of "free" racegoers would come again.Are you kidding. They won’t if they have to pay through the nose for it and get fleeced through the afternoon or evening, or did you just miss that bit out Mr Roy.
Cloud
Cuckoo
Land
Sean did well though, thankless task.
I’ve listened a bit more carefully to it and my favourite part was the suggestion that bookmakers should have to pay additional levy money for showing Interntional Racing in their shops. Next he’ll want the Football profits for taking away Racing’s right to this money. That’s before the issue of taxing exchange users because according to Mr Roy the exchanges don’t pay enough to Racing…… someone help us.
In order to understand Roy’s attitude it helps to know of the culture he eminates from.
Before joing The Rabble, he was high up at Merrill Lynch. This is a bank that was acquired by Bank of America when it faced inevitable collapse. Guess what virtually the last action taken by the head honchos of the bank before it imploded was? They brought forward their accounting period so that could distribute their TARP (bailout) money amongst themselves in bonuses before they went down!
This is the culture he comes from. A culture where the general public are refered to as ‘morts’ and only acknowledged when they want a handout. It’s the culture that he has clearly brought to the BHA job, with punters not actually acknowledged as existing…until he’s looking for someone to shake down.
Certainly the impression that came across.
The sport is well and truly donald ducked.
It was painful to endure ,a man totally out of touch with Punters , and totally in sync with the market
If the story of racing is to exclude its main constituents , or pretend they dont exist , and let them eat cake wish list , then we are well and truly cream crackered
Premier fixtures here we come ….
and by the way you lot , lose as much as possible , the perception of this was well and truly enforced today
Shambolic , sad , and completely lost !!!
well done Sean , you gave it one hell of a shot
Ricky
I didn’t see this interview, but there’s an interesting ‘the state we’re in’ to be pieced together from this morning’s Racing Post.
Page 2:
Hatchfield plans are rejected
. This is the day’s ‘second’ news story after Johnny Murtagh’s earth-shattering decision to ride the horse with the best form in The Derby that claims the front page and most of page 3.
Page 4:
Levy Board blow for British Champions Day
. "[Another insider] added: ‘The time to do this is when times are buoyant, not when racing’s finances are spiralling downwards’." So we are to infer that the way to stop a spiral is keep doing exactly the same thing you’re doing now.
Page 10:
ROA chief warns over exodus over prize-money cuts
. Apparently racing has "now reached a crisis point". Yes, another one. In the same article a stud owner, Con Marnane, is disappointed that there is not more interest from owners based in Britain for French-bred youngsters to race in France. "For them, it’s not all about prize money."
Page 11:
RCA Chairman questions calls to trim fixture list
. Because turkeys don’t vote for Christmas? Apparently fixtures are all levy positive, based on confidential data he sees but we can’t and based on prize money levels determined by how much Levy they generate. Mr Barlow is an accountant by profession.
His view might be considered to sit at odds with a quote from Ruth ‘you can’t do that’ Quinn in the aforementioned page 4 story, who feels racing can’t afford to put on a 7th race at all afternoon meetings. One of them is probably right. 6 meetings with 7 races against 7 meetings with 6 races. Who can say?
Page 11:
Farnsworth and Wadham nominated for BHA board
. These are predictable nominees from the RCA and the Horsemen’s Group. However, buried at the end of this piece is a note about the ‘independent’ BHA board members Morag Gray and Jim McGrath. "Discussions are continuing with representatives of racing’s stakeholders about their possible reappointment."
If that’s where you’re going I wouldn’t start from here.
I loved the "we can’t tell you the actual figures, but all these races generate masses of levy" article.
Why can’t you tell us the figures? Becuase they are too embarassing to disclose perhaps and would leave nobody in any doubt that these fixtures are put on solely to fill the FOBTs?
Be thankful we have such a genius running the sport. We’re the world leaders in integrity. Other sports come to the BHA for help. Boycey discusses professional stewards like in Australia, not that I’d want it quite in the Australian way where clowns like Mr Murrihy have control of a whole state just about, and Mr Roy couldn’t even agree that might well be a good idea on the integrity front. Everything’s perfect despite the scenario put to Mr Roy that was basically Jeu De Roseau. Cloud Cuckoo Land doesn’t even cover it.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/racing … -2012.html
£100k a year for a 2 day week. Who fancies a go if there’s a way of getting rid of him?
Didn’t see this interview but certainly recall being distinctly underwhelmed by Mr Roy being interviewed before.
As for his salary….. lets hope that when the funding axe swings in the direction of racing they start on the overpaid boards and executives of the racing bodies such as the BHA,Jockey Club,Levy Board,Tote etc where the term overpaid and waste of space applies which admittedly won’t be in all cases but I would still venture the majority.
For example,I don’t know who Nic Coward is but I’d be astonished if his reported 300k salary as the head of the BHA is justifiable.
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