And we in turn get very tired of the mysoginist ranting of some of our fellow members from Ireland. A few of you seem to take great pleasure in ridiculing or criticising anything any woman says on the forum. Yes, we have a different approach to racing which is more 'personal', if you like, than those whose primary interest is gambling.
I've had ownership shares in horses with three different trainers, besides my club memberships - which have been far from "arm's length". If you really *use* your membership of any racing club, and I've belonged to four in the last six years [three with fewer than 150 members], the trainers become personal friends. Through such contacts I've built up a social network of owners and trainers [and people in other branches of the sport] which means I can if I choose go racing regularly with an owner's badge, even though I have very little money. I've spent most of the last two years virtually living in one of the Lambourn yards, through which I've met even more racing people.
Kathy has had many more horses than I have over a much longer period, and run syndicates; I for one find her personal experience of ownership gives very interesting and valuable insights, esp as she has in many respects been less lucky with her trainers than I have - until recently.
The point of mentioning how we have arrived at our opinions by citing our own personal experience is precisely to point out that it's not just gained by watching racing on telly, or gossip picked up in the RP or on forums. It interests some forumites to get first hand witness, even if it seems to turn others green with envy. As I've pointed out many times here, it's open to anyone prepared to put in the time and effort to meet people in racing and to spend their money doing that if they so choose - it does lead to seeing a lot of things quite differently.
I reserve the right to discuss any aspect of racing on here in terms of my own experience, why not? - if others choose not to, and to guard their own anonymity, that's up to them; but it makes it hard to know 'where they are coming from' and how much value to put on what they say. No doubt they have their own good reasons for being cagey.
I personally give a lot more credence to things I read on here which are written by people with first-hand experience of racing, and of horse-riding - in fact many of those who obviously don't have either often talk a load of ballocks, especially about horses, jockeys and riding. Why should those of us prepared to stick our necks out and tell it at first hand, be regularly slagged off for 'showing off'?
As for celebrity, ffs! Who's impressed by "celebrity"? - you? People in racing are just people doing a job; if they get their names in the paper as a result, so what? If you move in circles eg writing, journalism, art, publishing, theatrical etc [to name a few of those I've been involved in during my career] you meet people who who are or become mega-famous. You soon learn they're just people, esp if you share a bathroom and breakfast table with them! I've got heavily involved in racing at first hand because I'm now more or less retired, and have the time. Why not share that experience - if only to show that anyone who wants to, can do it? It doesn't even take much money.
My remarks on Murtagh are hardly character assassinations; they're criticisms of his jockeyship. I've said on other topics that he's a jockey I think twice about backing as he sometimes gets it spectacularly wrong - not often in Group 1s, but even in those sometimes. Certainly in lesser races. An Irish friend - an owner - laughingly said to me "Ah - well that's the money!" - I wouldn't know about that, but I don't think he's very bright. I also think his weight problems lead him to ride - more often than some others who can handle starvation more easily - in a state of severe dehydration, which leads sometimes to poor judgment [and can give rise to symptoms not unlike a hangover].
Finally, I've been a writer and researcher for most of my professional life: it's been drilled into me from academic life as well as professional life, that you give chapter and verse by way of reasons based in fact or experience, when offering opinions. I don't see why any of us who can offer that backup should refrain from doing so because it makes a few sad people jealous. I don't see why we should have to put up with our motives being constantly denigrated either.
It was well overdue to be honest and I was just ticking the days off on the calender until the next outburst by the same old face. MOst recently on the Madeleine McCann thread, then the Northern Rock one, then was it the house price crash.... and now this one. Don't worry people this has been going on for years. Probably stems from a spat about Istabraq many years ago? shrug:: I'm not going anywhere An, so the quicker you get use to that idea the better. 
