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I haven’t quite disappeared entirely!
I’m pleased to see this discussion raised and even more pleased to be able to share that we are on the road to improving the situation. It is going to be an extremely long road, but, like every other sport, racing is working to improve diversity and inclusion for its workforce, participants and spectators.
On the back of the publication of the Oxford Brookes study into Women’s Representations and Diversity in the horseracing industry (http://www.womeninracing.co.uk/Portals/0/Oxford%20Brookes_Women’s%20representation%20and%20diversity%20in%20the%20horseracing%20industry%20full%20report.pdf) a group was set up to assist the industry in tackling lack of diversity and improving inclusion in all areas of the sport, not just for women but for all underrepresented groups.
The Diversity in Racing Steering Group have now met 4 times and will be publishing an Action Plan in the coming weeks. In that document, will be some ‘quick wins’ and some longer term aims and initiatives.
The group is a large one (c15 members) but made up of individuals with expertise and skills in different areas of the sport and from different backgrounds. The BHA have recognised that improving diversity and inclusion in our sport is crucial to its future success and I am glad to be a part of making it happen.
This isn’t something we will be able to do overnight, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be doing it. There is a moral need and a proven commercial benefit when a diverse audience and workforce engages with a sport.
There’s a bit more information on the Diversity In Racing Steering Group here https://www.britishhorseracing.com/press_releases/membership-british-racings-first-ever-diversity-steering-group-finalised/
To aid the discussion, a list of the 4m+ races programmed from 01/05/2013 to 30/04/2014 is below. Hope it helps!
Date Fixture Race Distance Value (£) Class Age
Nov 20 Hexh Solar Signs (H.0-120.) 4m 5800 4 4+
Dec 6 Exet DEVON MARATHON (H.0-125.) 4m 20000 3 4+
Dec 8 Kels PERSIMMON HOMES SCOTTISH BORDERS NATIONAL (H.0-145.) 4m 26000 2 5+
Feb 22 Newc BETFRED EIDER (H.0-150.) 4m 1f 60000 2 5+
Mar 11 *Chel TERRY BIDDLECOMBE NATIONAL HUNT (L.Nov.A/R.) 4m 85000 1 5+
Mar 13 Hexh Hexham (H.0-110.) 4m 5800 4 5+
Mar 15 Utto BETFRED MIDLANDS GRAND NATIONAL (L.H.) 4m 1f 110y 100000 1 5+
Apr 5 *Aint CRABBIE’S GRAND NATIONAL (P3.H.) 4m 3f 110y 1000000 1 7+
Apr 12 *Ayr CORAL SCOTTISH GRAND NATIONAL (P3.H.) 4m 110y 200000 1 5+Hi Ben,
My first ‘proper’ job in racing was as Racing Secretary to Lucinda Russell. It was a great job. I would ride 2/3 lots each morning and in between those and in the afternoon, I would be in the office.
Duties would be everything from entries and declarations to invoicing and wages.
Since then, IT systems have gone even further and many trainers are using specially designed programs to keep track of horses performance, training, treatments etc.I am now a Clerk of the Course so the job does definitely lead on to other things. The experience of having worked in a racing yard serves me well in my current career because I have a far better understanding of the trainer’s life and methods than I would have done otherwise.
The best thing would be to keep an eye on http://www.careersinracing.com as the large majority of Racing Secretary jobs are advertised on there.
Good luck!
Hi all,
Thanks for your feedback on Warwick both positive and negative.
We are obviously getting some things right but not everything so I would be really grateful if those of you with specific issues would like to email me directly. My address is sulekha.varma’at’thejockeyclub.co.uk (obviously replacing ‘at’ with @ just to avoid spam bots!)
I can then ensure that your complaints are passed through the official channels and that you get a response.Best wishes,
Sulekha
The Stewards did speak to the trainer and he explained that the horse finished the race distressed. Official report is available via the link below.
Not forgetting the number that are omitted due to ‘low sun’!
Drop the word ‘omitted’ into the search box on this page http://www.britishhorseracing.com/resources/about/whatwedo/disciplinary/searchstewards.asp and you will get an idea of the many and various reasons why fences/hurdles might be omitted on any given day.
I seem to remember that Market Rasen did have special dispensation. My time there is something of a hazy memory these days! However, what you say is absolutely right so, yes, it must have special dispensation otherwise it wouldn’t have happened.
I can’t seem to find the list of special dispensations anywhere at the moment though.The unique nature of all of the UK’s courses means that it is impossible for them to all comply with every single BHAGI all of the time. Dispensations are rare but when they do exist they are well thought through and are given for a very good reason.
It is possible the number of open ditches may have played a role in allowing the change to take place although it was changed before my time so I can’t be sure. With MR being such a sharp track, and with the undulations in the back straight, there wouldn’t be the scope for another fence anywhere else.
Hi Firecat,
You are correct in that the number is not set, so long as it meets the requirements of the BHAGI’s (with some exceptions – below). (The General Instructions govern everything that goes on on course, from Medical & Veterinary Provision to the types of machinery that can be used on the racing surface.)
However, the number of fences/hurdles themselves, can be altered on any given raceday in exceptional circumstances either by agreement with the Inspector of Courses in advance (for example when work has been carried out on the racing surface in that area and it has not yet recovered sufficiently) or during a meeting by the Stewards (if a fence were to be damaged or a portion of ground around the obstacle deemed unsafe for any reason).
Also, some courses have special dispensation to not comply with the BHAGI’s in terms of the number of fences/hurdles and they have to renew the dispensation annually when they apply for their racecourse licence. I’m afraid I don’t have a list of these courses though.
Inspector of Course’s reports aren’t widely available outside the Racing Admin website or the Racing Calendars. For example, when Safety Factors are altered, Stabling Numbers are changed etc, these are published as British Horseracing Authority Notices but whether these are available publicly I’m not sure.
You may find this link helpful http://www.britishhorseracing.com/resou … d_reports/
Hello,
The only strict instructions (from the BHAGI’s) regarding the numbers/positions of fences/hurdles are as below:
Fences:
1. In a Steeplechase course there are to be at least twelve fences in the first two miles
and each succeeding mile at least six fences. Each fence must be at least 30 feet in width.
In exceptional circumstances, and with the agreement of the Inspector of Courses, the
width of a fence may be reduced to less than 30 feet. Furthermore, any reduction in width
from an existing dimension can only be implemented with the prior agreement of the
Inspector of Courses.
2. There is to be at least one open ditch for each mile. In addition, one of the above
fences may be a water jump. However, under no circumstances must the first fence to be
jumped in a Steeple Chase be either a water jump or an open ditch. If it is intended to
change the course by adding or omitting a water jump permanently or temporarily, the
Managing Executive is to secure the approval of the Inspector of Courses beforehand in
case the change necessitates the re-siting of other fences.Hurdles:
Number of flights
1. There are to be at least eight flights of hurdles in the first two miles of the course
and an additional flight for every additional quarter of a mile.The instruction goes into much more depth regarding dimensions, padding, etc etc but above is the most relevant parts to this discussion.
The perfect opportunity to prove the point arose today at Newmarket. A horse from the Jeremy Noseda yard could not be identified and so was not allowed to run.
http://www.britishhorseracing.com/resources/about/whatwedo/disciplinary/stewardsEnquiries.asp
Every horse is checked against their passport at the racecourse and the system does seem to work as a couple of times a year a horse is identified as not being the horse in question – usually when a trainer is sending horses to two meetings and they somehow end up in the wrong horse.
Not quite the whole story. Every horse must travel with its passport (it is illegal to transport any horse without its passport in this country) and horses that are having their first run for a new trainer, trained abroad, having the first run of their career, are due a vaccination check/ re-check and a random selection of horses each day, will have their passport checked by the BHA Veterinary Officer. A list of these horses is produced every raceday and there is a fine for any failure to produce the passport (and in some cases the horse cannot run). This largely to check vaccination records rather than ID however.
The ID of every single horse on a raceday is checked by scanning them for their microchip prior to them entering the stables. The microchip number is checked against the records held by Weatherbys. Any discrepancy will mean the horse is not the horse it is supposed to be, which is why on a few occasions, trainers have been caught out when the wrong horse has been loaded on to the box.
If for any reason the microchip cannot be located (they do sometimes migrate through the body) then the passport can be used as a means of identification by looking at the recorded and actual markings of the horse that are in the passport. All horses have a combination of swirls of hair, called whorls, which are as unique as fingerprints and these are recorded into a horse’s passport by a vet. They also record and white feet, legs, facial markings etc etc.
Every thoroughbred that is going to race must be registered with Weatherbys and must have a microchip so it would be impossible for one horse to run as another these days as it wouldn’t get past the stable gate!Not seeing the statistics, I can’t be sure, but I think you may just be noticing omissions more because of the time of year.
Any groundworks to take offs and landings of fences have to be done at this time of year because of the growing season for the turf. This includes works such as levelling take offs and landings (which form ‘crowns’ as a result of the soil that is used to repair the ground after each meeting building up over the years and also the effect of the horses hooves ‘pushing’ the soil forwards towards the kick board of the fence), replacing fence frames which may be old and drainage works.
As a result, any areas that are worked on in this way cannot be raced over until they are deemed to have fully recovered, therefore certain obstacles need to be omitted. Indeed, we omitted the first in the home straight at Huntingdon on the 29th May because we are replacing the permanent framed fence with a portable one and as a result the ground had to be levelled and wouldn’t have recovered in time to be raced over. However, we carried out the work then to give the ground a good chance of being ready to race over for the August Bank Holiday meeting.
As has already been stated, there have been waterlogging issues as well this summer which has also played a part…
You’re absolutely right, Miss Woodford. We have the worst of both worlds here – racing on soft ground (thus cutting up the turf) and then racing on the same turf once it’s dried out (thus producing a rough uneven surface). My local course (Warwick) suffers particularly from this as it stages NH racing in the winter and flat racing in the summer. Next Monday’s meeting is due to be run on firm ground which is likely to be unsafe after the winter’s NH racing has left it in poor condition.
Hi,
I think you have misunderstood the layout of Warwick’s racecourse. The Flat and NH track are completely separate, therefore the Flat racing takes place on ground that has been rested since the 3rd October 2011. It is, in fact, in excellent condition with a substantial covering of grass and has just been praised by the Senior Inspector of Courses.
Also, we do not intend to run next Monday’s meeting on Firm ground. The going is currently Good to Firm, Firm in places and we have heavy rain forecast over the next couple of days. If the forecast rain does not arrive then we will irrigate gently with the aim of producing Good to Firm ground, as directed by the BHAGI’s.
If you require any further clarification then do not hesitate to send me a DM.
Sulekha