RACING RELIEVED AFTER ELECTION

The racing community undoubtedly breathed a collective sigh of relief after the General Election on Friday returned Fianna Fail to another term in Government, writes Alan Magee.

The previous administration was certainly the most racing friendly in the history of the state, with Ministers` Charlie McCreevy and Joe Walsh at the forefront of ensuring a windfall to our sport.

The newly formed Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) has been entrusted to hand out the government`s largesse, but that body has suffered a bruising week on a number of fronts. The Trainers Association have certainly put their gloves on by voting against support of the Saturday evening fixture at Leopardstown on July 6. The trainers and jockeys are both upset by lack of consultation over this meeting, and are looking for financial remuneration.

Many trainers are also upset by the current balloting system, which is biased against the lower-grade horses in poor handicaps. The significant rise in horse numbers has led to a glut of modest performers, but the racing programme has failed to provide enough opportunities for the lesser talented nags.

The HRI holds an important meeting later this week, and these problems are sure to be at the top of the agenda. In light of the huge amount of lowly-rated horses in training at present, discussion on the proposed 2003 Fixture List must lead to a speedy introduction of an all-weather track to fill the gap.

I must admit to being shocked by news over the weekend that Hawk Wing will miss out on the 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh on Saturday, and go straight for the Derby at Epsom. Newmarket victor Rock Of Gibraltar will be the main Ballydoyle representative in the first domestic classic of the season. How can this make sense?

Surely, with a view to a stallion career at Coolmore, the logical route would be for Hawk Wing to turn up at the Curragh, and wait for Royal Ascot with Rock Of Gibraltar. Both colts have juvenile Group 1 success on their CV, and a classic win at the desirable mile distance would ensure popularity at stud.

The Derby seems a questionable decision on a number of counts for Hawk Wing. The pedigree pundits doubt whether the son of Woodman can stay the extra half mile and, even if he does, victory in the Derby would not be universally welcomed by prospective breeders. But who am I to question the collective wisdom of the Coolmore team!

A quiet week of action was further curtailed by postponement of the final two days of the Killarney May meeting due to heavy rain. The Kerry track has quickly been compensated with new dates on May 28 and 29.

The Downpatrick bumper for lady riders on Saturday may have looked a mundane affair on paper. However it proved anything but, and the result could have a major bearing on the destination of the lady riders championship which ends, like the National Hunt season, on May 31. Caroline Hutchinson and Laura Hourigan went into the race level on seven winners apiece at the top of thetable, and they proceeded to fight out a memorable finish. Both gave everything in the final climb to the line, with Caroline just coming off best.

Did you see the coverage on Channel 4 Racing during the week of the stewards enquiry into the Cox Plate in Australia? To my mind it was probably the best drama on the box for some time, and what a plus it would be for the game over here.

The Cox Plate is one of the biggest races `down under`, and the three jockeys involved in that controversial finish were quizzed by the stewards as racegoers followed developments live on television. Transparency is now one of the great buzz words in political life, and this coverage certainly opens up the mysterious world of the stewards room to the paying public.

However, at present we are still in the `dark ages`, with enquiry reports often stating something like, `evidence was heard from the parties involved and the placings remained unaltered`. What evidence? Why the secrecy? Justice should be administered in public, and stewards enquiries have the added capacity to provide racegoers with extra entertainment. After all we are in the entertainment industry, aren`t we?

Alan Magee