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thedarknight, at least there was some action. Very, very few people are actually doing anything about it. What do you suggest?
… … and there was I thinking dinosaurs were extinct
What is a "card carrying Socialist", by the way?
LMAO. And here’s me, a Northern based lefty, defending the rights of aristocratic trainers and at the same time being abused by the Dunnett supporting journalistic wing of TRF’s Southern based Tory fringe. You couldn’t make it up.
Eeh lad. I’m off for some chips, mushy peas with batter bits and t’cheer home t’Easterby winner. Now, where’s me whippet…
By making a point in a poorly paid race, the trainers are trying to kick start the racecourses especially those run by Northern Racing to increase prize money. It is so not a case of bully boy tactics it is to make a point and get them to wake up and take notice. Haggas etc did not object to Mrs Dunnett declaring her horse in a separate race and she should have spoken to her owners and explained the situation in full. This was the boycott of ONE race not an entire meeting and it was not planned at the last minute on Newmarket Heath.
Then why the e-mail from M Johnston and the comment from John Gosden? Also why are these concerns not being voiced though the trainers’ representative body?
Because basically she had crossed the picket line so to speak and assumed the role of Scab!
On another point why does she ensure the publication of her e-mail to Johnston? And why does she keep playing the sympathy vote of "I work tirelessly for Brain Tumour UK?" Of course I am sympathetic for her loss but that is not the issue here and I gather she is rather prone to playing it to potential owners.
I was under the impression that "scabs" cross official picket lines, which these were not.
Also you failed to answer my questuion about why the actions are not being voiced through the relevant body. As carvillshill pointed out, the attitudes of Johnston and Gosden are more likely to divide trainers than unite them.
Lower level prize money levels have dropped dramatically since I first had a horse in training. 10 years ago I remember running horses at the llowest level for £3k – now it is less than £2k. And costs have gone up. It is all very well saying trainers should lower their fees. I totally disagree – costs to trainers are substantial – everyone is constantly crying what a bad deal stable staff get yst many of the top trainers pay upwards of £16k plus accomodation. Add on pensions, insurance, RIABS scheme etc not to mention fees charged by Weatherbys, owners paying late, feed & fuel prices going through the roof, astronomic vets fees and you will fine a great many trainers struggling.
And there are more horses in training than ever?
Im not defending the prize money levels (which are embarrassing really) but the market is hardly complaining is it?
Jinnyi
Do you happen to know whether all relevant trainers (ie those who send horses to Yarmouth), and through them relevant owners, were consulted about the idea of a one race boycott before it was announced? And if so, did Mrs D and her owners agree to the idea?
I don’t know what the answers are, but unless they are are both "yes", there seems to me no reasonable basis for criticism from the likes of Mark Johnston. Mrs D and her owners have every right to decide what is, and what is not, in their best interests and to act accordingly.
Cavelino..can you explain where the hypocrisy is here ?…and can you provide 2007’s figures against the projected figures for 2008 (in terms of % increase or decrease) ?
Maxilon, could you answer my question?
If there is such a thing as being "a card carrying Socialist" in this day and age then I might consider becoming one (again).
Jinny,
‘Not planned at the last minute on Newmarket Heath’ ?
That doesn’t tie in with the quoted remarks of Haggas over the weekend. And if it wasn’t last minute, why did they even enter their horses?
It seems to me that if Christine Dunnett hadn’t taken the action she did, nobody would have noticed that a small numbers of trainers had decided not to declare their horses for a single race on a day when seven meetings were scheduled.
As a result of her stand, their ‘boycott’ has made the national press.
The only people that can radically alter the funding situation are the government. About ten years ago, I listened to a speech given by Seb Coe (then an MP) at Cheltenham racecourse, in which he explaned the realities of political protest. He made it very clear that no politician responds to piecemeal action, that to get things changed you need a planned, concerted and long term effort to lobby MPs and you need to offer them a politically acceptable solution.
So long as there are new owners and new trainers starting out – and I’ve read two pieces about trainer start-ups in the last two days – there’s no evidence of decline to justify outside intervention in the sport.
There is only one short term way in which prize money can be increased and that’s a return to the system of ‘added’ prize money as opposed to the current ‘guaranteed’ method of funding. If entry fees were increased to £100+, and added to the existing prize fund, then we’d obtain at least a £1k increase overnight. It would come as a shock to many owners, but that’s how it used to be done when I started as an owner and it’s how many valuable races are still funded today – e.g. the Derby or 2-y-old sales races.
A mixture of ‘added’ and ‘guaranteed’ races would allow those unwilling to pay high entry fees to continue with lower prize money.
AP
Jinnyi
To call Mrs Dunnett a "scab" is grossly offensive and does little to enhance your cause.
I suspect she chose to publicise her e-mail to Johnston to expose him for what he is – an arrogant bully.
Yes prize money is poor, however the solution is not going to be achieved by a pathetic boycott which will do absolutely nothing to remedy the situation.
It is pure tokenism by the so called "big" trainers, who quite frankly would not have been at all inconvenienced by boycotting the race in question, whereas the impact on smaller trainers would be proportionately larger.
What is required is a radical restructuring of racing in this country. With a massive reduction in both the number of fixtures and the number of horses in training.
Jinny,
‘Not planned at the last minute on Newmarket Heath’ ?
That doesn’t tie in with the quoted remarks of Haggas over the weekend. And if it wasn’t last minute, why did they even enter their horses?
AP
If they had done it at the entry stage AP other owners and trainers with the shortsight of Christine and/or her owners would have taken advantage by entering their "rags" and of course Yarmouth would have been quite happy. Obviously it’s worth paying the 15 or 20 quid per horse to avoid that.
can any one tell us how much it cost to keep a horse,the monhly outlay .trainers cost,monthly feed,cost to enter the horse in a race.and jockey fees ,it must come to a tidy sume i"m sure.i know that in the sixty"s the winner was getting about £750 ,and now its about £1750/2500.thats not verry much to my way of thinking
But how do you enforce a radical reduction in horses (and thus fixtures) when demand remains so bouyant? Do you tell trainers with small strings of moderate horses with a reasonably content bunch of owners to shut down?
Do we want the same situation as in Ireland where there are seemingly a lot of horses that cannot get races?
Is it a case that races should be framed to cater for the horses in training or the other way round?
Its a tricky one but the moans about prize money (and it is poor) would make more sense if owners were leaving the game in droves. Unfortunately its like the argument about premiership tickets. Bit hard to justify that they are overpriced when stadiums are perrenially sold out and capacities are bigger than tehyve been for years
It wont be trainers that will dictate changes to the prizes. It will only happen when owners vote with their feet. And thats not happening …yet
Sorry Prufrock, I thought you were having a go.
Being a Lefty nowadays is so old fashioned.The card carrying socialist thing was only a figure of speech. I’m actually a Green/FOTE nowadays but every now and again (like this Yarmouth incident, which has apparently REALLY upset people one way or another and looks like bringing this infernal prize money thing to a boil) I’m reminded that ordinary people can make a big difference and that apathy is the enemy of us all.
You know, the stuff we used to believe when we were young.
and sorry Max I should have put a
at the end of my response, which was intended to be tongue in cheek!!FWIW I was actually one of the "none of the above" spoilt papers last time – I have no time for most mainstream politicians – most wouldn’t know a principle if it hit them between the eyes.
About ten years ago, I listened to a speech given by Seb Coe (then an MP) at Cheltenham racecourse, in which he explaned the realities of political protest. He made it very clear that no politician responds to piecemeal action, that to get things changed you need a planned, concerted and long term effort to lobby MPs and you need to offer them a politically acceptable solution.
AP.. a bit like the bookies did when they had the way SP’s are returned rigged to suit themselves under the guise of funding racing, when in reality they have no intention of passing any profits on at all.
Its so like human nature and the masses that when a really big thing happens we miss the point completely and end up talking a load of rubbish about who said what to who and who’s offended and who’s not etc ..
The funding issue has been on the horizon for ages and its going to get worse and worse. The reason for this on-going decline is mainly down to greed. Not so and so, and you know who, but the bookies and the powers that run racing.
I am really sick of racing and all of the greed that goes with it, if you were to write a book about racketeering, price fixing and people trying to get something for nothing, horse racing wouldn’t be a bad starting point. And Im not talking about individuals here, but how the whole sport is set up, run and funded.
Being a Lefty nowadays is so old fashioned.
at the end of my response, which was intended to be tongue in cheek!!
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