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It is a great shame to hear that Chris Cook is leaving The Guardian as, in his words, the paper wishes to “do less on horse racing”, something Graun readers may be surprised to hear was even possible.
Mr Cook was always fearless in his approach, frequently calling out the wealthy and powerful where he deemed it necessary and taking the side of the punter against bookmakers when he thought the latter had transgressed. How unlike many of his rivals, not least in the trade paper. He also had a keen knowledge of racing’s history, and could translate that into relevence when discussing the issues around the sport. He was a rational and analytical tipster, too!
Whether this is chicken or egg is hard to tell, but it seems to be a further atrophying of racing coverage, which like many other sports is being crushed under the juggernaut of football. Worryingly, it is also at the quality end of racing journalism and in a paper who’s target audience may frequently believe horse racing – and by association, gambling – is something that should be looked down upon anyway.
Mike
Don’t agree with your last statement, Mike. I’m a Guardian reader and have been for thirty years; doesn’t mean that I want to see racing abolished.
And I know many people who hold similar political views to mine who also feel the same about racing. I think too much is made (by the right wing media, of course) about the “Loony Left” being against both animal cruelty and blood sports and, therefore, racing.
I’m a Guardian reader and have been for thirty years; doesn’t mean that I want to see racing abolished.
No, of course not. I was speaking very broadly.Mike
With Chris and Greg The Guardian arguably had the two most independent racing writers.
I’ve no doubt Chris will not be struggling to further his career elsewhere.
Cook is the sort of quality journalist that the trade paper desperately need to recruit.
I remember the then teenage Chris Cook stood next to his politician Dad Robin being interviewed on TV at Kempton Park. “I hear your son is a form expert,” the interviewer said.
With his Dad stood silently proud, young Chris proceeded to make a strong case for a horse who was subsequently backed from 11/1 to 8/1 and won.
Somewhat older than Chris Cook, I grew up reading The Guardian racing page as my Dad was a Labour-voting Economics lecturer – plenty of lefties like their racing.
I was later lucky enough to work at The Guardian on racing when Harry Heymer was Racing Editor, Dave Hadert his Deputy and Richard Baerlein and the under rated Chris Hawkins the writers.
So I predate current Guardian Racing Editor Tony Paley, Greg Wood and Chris Cook with recollections of the paper.
Baerlein was a hilariously-incongruous employee for such a paper.
“Now is the time to bet like men,” he once wrote in a column sited….opposite Polly Toynbee’s Women’s Page.
But that was part of the charm.
I never met Chris Cook, but I used to work with Greg Wood at The Independent and I would say that, under Paley’s direction, The Guardian, with Wood and Cook writing, maintained that slightly out of left field challenging racing coverage which is all-too-rare in racing journalism.
Cook is frankly a better writer than most of those on other papers put together – I hope he finds fresh opportunities if he wants them.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"A shame for those of us who read the Guardian, but also not the biggest surprise. Racing is becoming less relevant for large parts of the sporting media. Look how 5Live have treated the sport – Cornelius wasn’t wanted anymore. Very few papers carry full cards anymore…..
The warning signs are there……
Remember when the ‘Horse of the Year Show’ was on BBC TV at 9:30pm right after the 9 o’clock news…..the sport produced household names. Now, it’s on a long list of niche/minority sports on satellite tv if they’re lucky. I think the Olympia show is really the only time it’s on mainstream tv.
Never bought the Guardian but have read a little on t’internet including some excellent Cook articles. Am sure another stable will snatch him up.
Yes, many British citizens identifying as “left” and/or Labour voters love racing; but the problem is a particularly vocal part of the left which is anti-racing. Middle-class left wingers in power and those keeping them in power. Basically the majority of labour members, politicians, journalists and newspaper owners.
Value Is EverythingSpace for Racing articles in everyday newspapers in general isn’t helped by the number of meetings.
Value Is EverythingThe Morning Star, the ‘old lefty’s’ daily fix of Communism/Marxism/Trotskyism/Leninism – never been sure what the differences are – has always featured racing and has had a couple of rather good, if aberrant tipsters, in ‘Cayton’ (Alf Rubin) and ‘Farringdon’ (Paul Jacobs) who have both won the Sporting Life/RP Naps Table. The former never tended to nap anything less than 10/1 and was poring over the form for over 50 years, dying, if memory serves, with his tipping boots still on in the mid ’90s
Dustmen out-witting the Dukes: nice
The Guardian only permitted racing to soil its pompous* pages in 1970. Presumably Richard Baerlein – who was a jolly good read – was its inaugural correspondent
That ‘time to bet like men’ quote was in reference to Shergar in the Derby wasn’t it?
*should make it clear that I’ve read the Graun for donkey’s years but only on the basis that it’s the least bad of ‘Fleet street’s’ dire rags, and thoroughly enjoy my love/hate relationship with it; though it grows increasingly irritating, racing copy apart
Am sure the Morning Star’s readership helped Cayton and Farringdon win the naps table.
If nobody reads the tips there’s no followers money driving down the SP.
Value Is EverythingYes, Drone, Baerlein wrote it in the edition published on the Monday after Shergar had won the Classic Trial at
Sandown Park by the length of Esher High Street (ok by ten lengths from Kirtling).As The Guardian – at Baerlein’s suggestion – sponsored the race that year the entire racing desk was there, Baerlein piled on at 10/1 for Epsom after the race and Harry Heymer, the cheekiest man alive, told me he persuaded a bookies rep to give him 14s.
Shergar was still 8/1 on the Monday and Baerlein wrote the horse could not possibly lose and “now is the time to bet like men.”
Baerlein was never one for sitting on the fence – hence his cult following.
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
https://mobile.twitter.com/Ian_Davies_
https://www.facebook.com/ThePointtoPointNHandFlatracingpunter/
It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Access to Richard Baerlein’s musings was the reason I started buying The Guardian.
T’internet has been bad news for most, if not all, newspapers and magazines.
Personally I never really enjoyed Mr Cook’s output and think some of the praise is overblown, but it’s never nice to see somebody out of work. I hope he and his family make it through to the other side. It sounds like he is a very popular person, so I doubt he will be on the shelf for too long.
I wonder (and indeed, shamefully, hope) whether Greg Wood will be following Cook out the door. I think he’s the biggest hypocrite in racing.
Interesting alternative view.
As stated, I used to work with Greg Wood at The Independent racing desk and, while I wouldn’t remotely describe him as a friend, I wouldn’t say he was a hypocrite either.
Like a lot of writers, he seemed a bit up his own backside at times, but I always thought he was one of the better racing journalists and he deserved to get the gig at The Guardian.
Centre-left Islington set luvvie broadsheets (I speak from experience having worked for both The Guardian and The Independent – many of their engagingly eccentric staff were not of this world) and racing has always been an odd mix.
Richard Baerlein was a hilariously right-wing reactionary working in an alien environment.
But he had a cult following.
In more recent times Wood and Cook have had a platform to challenge the racing establishment in a way the Racing Post would never dare to and I think racing journalism would be even poorer than it frankly already is without either of them.
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
https://mobile.twitter.com/Ian_Davies_
https://www.facebook.com/ThePointtoPointNHandFlatracingpunter/
It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"I nearly came to blows with the guy at an event a few years ago.
I better not get into specifics but I think he’s a huge hypocrite – how he can take some of the positions he does while accepting others and behaving the way he does seems quite false to me.
I am not surprised to hear this. Given the ever leftward drift of the Guardian, the racing page was becoming more vulnerable. I very much doubt the Guardian editorial team have any time for racing and are more likely to support the animal rights crowd. And the new puritans who make up the Guardian’s dwindling readership take a very dim view of betting.
Before anyone jumps on me, I did used to read the Guardian. It was the best reporter of the news and its comment section was interesting. Then it decided to give up being a responsible newspaper and drifted ever leftwards and become a parody of itself. I have no interest in reading whatever Owen Jones and his fellow travellers have to say.
I only ever go there now to read the racing pages and the lively and often informative comments below the racing articles. And to read Larry Elliott on economics – the adult in the room at Guardian Towers. John Harris used to be quite good but I am starting to lose patience with him a bit.
I wonder how long the paper will keep going? The print copy’s sales are through the floor. Not surprisingly given it is all available for free on the internet. Cannot see that business model lasting much longer.
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