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Definitely looked for all this world like a non-trier. Even before the horse was briefly eased as he began to run on and close, Prince was not his usual vigorous self. The horse was running on (with the benefit of the rail) with the bare minimum of pressure applied. So it’s fair to assume the horse would have at least finished 2nd, possibly 1st.
The ban is certainly inadequate. And surely a more thorough investigation into betting patterns should take place given the horse that held onto 2nd shared the same connections.
As for Prince, I was disappointed as I had previously considered him one of the better apprentices on the circuit. This is a young man who had to fight hard to secure his licence in the first place (he was born without one of his ears, which conerned the BHA about his hearing), and went onto win on only his 2nd ever ride. The talent is there, but this ride was inexcusable and I worry that him and apprentices generally are especially vulnerable to negative influences in racing.
Charles Smith told the stewards he was not satisfied with the ride given, essentially shafting the young rider. I suppose he couldn’t conclude anything else in the circumstances. His horses win so infrequently that it’s ironic that on the one occasion a weak enough race was found, Coastal Passage was not given every chance.
I happen to enjoy AW racing and don’t really understand why some look down their noses at it. The turf tracks host their own fair share of low grade races as well, so that’s not a valid reason for me.
And why does AW form have "no meaning" exactly? I’ve enjoyed more success betting on the AW than I have on turf so I’d argue the opposite. The form tends to hold up better, if anything. The idea that four perfectly good racecourses should just shut down through the flat season seems daft to me, and is obviously not going to happen.
Days like today are unfortunate where all the flat action was on the AW except for a few races at Lingfield but before that there was something like 10 consecutive days without any AW coverage at all, so poor fixture planning is to blame as normally there would be a mix of AW and turf.
As a punter you always have the option of leaving the AW alone if it doesn’t appeal, but there’s no denying it’s good for our sport and is here to stay. With Great Leighs looking to reopen next season, this can only mean more AW fixtures for me to get my teeth into, which makes me a happy punter.
Not forgetting this either:
Banned for 10 years. Career over basically.
What a waste. On his day he was as good a jockey as any on the circuit. Even as recently as last year giving Times Up a fine ride to win the Doncaster Cup.
But all that good was erased the moment he stopped a horse running on its merits. And so today’s verdict is a victory for us punters. If there are other poisonous characters in the sport then they need to be dealt with as well, but at least this sends a clear message that the BHA won’t stand for this kind of corruption.
