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5 months ago
24
Opportunities occasionally come along in life that simply cannot be missed and Epsom racecourse, to make an analogy, is clean through on goal.
City Of Troy's mesmerising performance in the Betfred Derby, coming hot on the heels of a similarly spell-binding display from Ezeliya in the Betfred Oaks, showed emphatically that these two historic contests are the pinnacle in flat racing.
To win on that course in the manner those horses did marks them out as being freakishly talented. They are animals that should be an advertising campaigner's dream, theirs should be the images that act as foundations – a reminder that Epsom, so historic and magical, is the birthplace of champions.
Every sport needs superstars and every venue wants to be associated with them. On that point, Epsom – like Cheltenham and Aintree in jump racing – has an advantage that rival courses would pay a king's ransom to tap into and City Of Troy and Ezeliya added another coat to that gloss.
But to be at the venue for two days last weekend, it was inescapable that work needs to be done to make this occasion magnificent. There has been a lot of chatter recently about 'how the Derby isn't the same anymore' but energy expanded over events of yesteryear is energy wasted.
City Of Troy's mesmerising performance in the Betfred Derby had done wonders for Epsom
The course is through in on goal when it comes to the chance to make the experience memorable, but work needs to be done
Nothing in sport is the same as it used to be. FA Cup Final day isn't an event that demands you sit in front of the TV from 9am to 6pm and Test matches don't have rest days on a Sunday but that hasn't stopped make them compelling or occasions you would wish to watch or attend.
What matters is the future and what matters is making the experience as memorable for those on course as possible and enticing to those who are curious about attending but haven't yet decided whether they should make the leap.
This column's long held view, as a starting point, is that Derby Day should be a standalone event. We were presented with a situation on Saturday that, quite frankly, was pathetic in that the Derby began at 16:32, finished at 16:35 and then an apprentice's handicap at Doncaster began at 16:41.
Six minutes to analyse one of the all-time great Derby performances? Ridiculous. Ryan Moore hadn't even managed to get City Of Troy in before the field at Doncaster was loading, running for a first prize of £4,396.56. You can't have the sport's best interests at heart with scheduling of that kind.
Doncaster was one of six other meetings jostling for attention from Epsom but what a nonsense that was: three of those – Hexham, Worcester and Stratford – were over fences and do you really believe jump jockeys and trainers wouldn't have appreciated a day to rest?
It would be wonderful to think that the many factions in racing, from the different racecourse owners to the British Horseracing Authority and more besides, could get together and agree on a way forward to be bold and radical on fixture lists but that point, regrettably, is a long way off.
What Epsom and its owners The Jockey Club are in control of is making the experience for Oaks and Derby day something to behold. There are certainly ways to get crowds back into the middle of the course where viewing is free and there are definitely ways to boost the amount of paying spectators.
Walking up to the course, there isn't the feel that you are entering one of racing's most fabled arenas. Why not have images of all those greats who have helped make the races what they are draped from lampposts around the course and in Epsom town?
There isn't a feel that spectators are at one of the most iconic events when they attend it
Once inside Epsom, more thought must go in to giving racegoers the chance to see these magnificent athletes. The paddock, where they parade before racing, is beautiful and historic but it rather feels like horses sneak out onto the track and they are there then gone.
Epsom have good, ambitious people working behind the scenes, not least Chairman Brian Finch, who watched The Oaks next to The King and The Queen last Friday – their presence, in itself, was another boost for the course and the sport.
Finch and General Manager Tom Sammes will not rest until they have got things right (making more bathrooms available for female racegoers is a must) but what they should know is the platform from which they can start to formulate plans.
Who wouldn't want to be at Epsom in 12 months if they are alerted to the possibility they may see something truly magnificent? Get pictures of City Of Troy and Ezeliya on station platforms and billboards around the capital, spread the word around the country there is a race to behold.
City Of Troy and Ezeliya have supplied the pass that have given Epsom and The Jockey Club a glorious opening: it's up to them to score the goal.
Epsom do have good and ambitious people working behind the scenes, however, who will not rest until it is right
Sheik's push to gatecrash Royal Ascot
Some long faces in the stables at Chantilly on Sunday when Fast Tracker, favourite for the French Derby, ran like an out-of-control speed boat, fizzing around in front before the petrol tank emptied. This was not the performance his owners Wathnan Racing expected.
Wathnan, whose horses wear blue-and-gold silks with a red cap, are the venture of Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Emir Of Qatar. He is 44 years old and he is ferociously ambitious about becoming a major player in the biggest flat races.
Royal Ascot 12 months ago was full of intrigue because nobody knew who was behind Wathnan Racing until Courage Mon Ami won the Gold Cup, two days after Gregory had won the Queen's Vase. It was quite the way to announce their arrival.
But that success has made Sheikh Tamim all the more determined to be involved in the Royal meeting and
understands he wants between 15 and 20 horses, at least, to be competitive. It means his bloodstock advisors have quite a task on their hands.
On Tuesday, they bought Shadow Army, a two-year-old who will remain in training with Richard Fahey, and is being targeted at The Norfolk Stakes but that won't be the last deal they do. Phones, you can be assured, will be ringing like a football club's office on transfer deadline night.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Emir Of Qatar, is looking to become a major player in big flat races
Pricey munch
The price of food and drink on a racecourse is always a huge source of debate on these shores but don't think things are rosier elsewhere.
At Chantilly on Sunday, it was €9 for a beer, €5 for French fries and €14 for a glass of champagne. This, unfortunately, is modern life.
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