This talk about educating the public/public about racing is like pissing in the wind.
Quite frankly the non horse racing public couldn't care less what goes on.
They're people who claim they represent the public's view but they represent themselves and racing will never shut them up because if they did those people would be out of a job.
The Bha should make a stand and say these are out rules like it or lump it.
These people are not out to shut racing down,,,,,god forbid because then there would be no need for organisations to employ them.
The whip issue has already gone too far..it is and always will be an extension of a rider for safety reason and banning it would make the sport into afar more dangerous game than before.
They are like feather dusters now and we still have to knuckle down further and limit the times a jockey can hit a horse..Job done if theses moaners want further changes the BHA should tell them to get lost.
Unfortunately the majority of punters never attend racing. They hang out in betting shops and forums like you know who's. The majority of whom don't have a clue about racing other than what they see in the sports bar on a Saturday afternoon,
How do you even begin to educate these sort of people? mad bevvies up Liverpudlians and Glaswegians.......no effing chance and I was brought up in Glasgow and now exactly what they are like. "That mcCoy's a wanker geez anuther gless o that bucky" good luck educating him lol
Many of us on here have been lucky..we've either owned a race horse/s, spent time with trainers, ridden out at a racing yard, spent time with jockeys etc etc and got an insight to how racing people think.......we know jockey's don't jump off horses at 40mph and we don't shout he never tried a leg every time we back a loser, but unfortunately thousands think exactly that.
How do you educate them? Impossible and at the first opportunity they get they will make a mountain out of a molehill.
How can you get the media stop publishing some of the stories we would rather not read about.like this jumping a fence nonsense.
You simply can't......They will write just about anything to keep interest in their newspaper tv programme or website.
That is their job.........They throw BS stories out like confetti......EXAMPLE...headline SDG and Sprinter Sacre to clash in the whatever.......2 or 3 lines down introduce the word possibly when they know there isn't a cat in hells have of it happening but they have your attention. Fallon,Brad, Browne, Curley, De Bromhead me you to them if it's news they will blow it all out of proportion if the incident merits it or not.
Train the media? you'll be lucky.
Most trainers and jockeys and the horses do their best for the sport and true racing fans back them up to the hilt. Sure there's a bit of skullduggery goes on but racing would be far less interesting if there was not. I don't mean drugging horses or even breaking the rules just thing like getting horses back to marks where they have a chance of winning again because the handicapper has made it near impossible for them to do so. Giving young horses a quiet run or sending them to a race knowing they need the run and not telling anyone. That's all part of the game..........some of us get pleasure of working these things out to others they're just a bunch of crooks.
The BHA don't help matters by pulling jockeys up for telling a friend or another owner of a horse to back a horse or telling them they think it wont win because he seems to be a bit off at home. What do they call it?....passing on privileged info. Unless it reaches criminal proportions they should turn a blind eye to it because no one cares and anyone who knows anything about the game knows it goes on with just about every jockey...probably won't be 10 jockeys riding who haven't had a pressie from their best pal and more power to their elbow.
What kind of person would put a friend away rather than point them in the right direction........??? wouldn't be your friend for long.
To me the most important thing that could happen is we have people like Phil Tuck and Robert Earnshaw stewarding the game from a riding point of view with full powers to make decisions based on their experience and their discretion. Not having to answer to some bigwig miles away in London who seem to take pride in causing mega problems when they could have been avoided would be a good start......That silly guy with the flag cost punters millions but the Stewards on duty had no choice but follow a stupid rule. That should never be allowed to happen again, but it will until stewarding is changed, but then what about MR BHA does he really want someone else have his power or importance?.Can't have that old chap now can we?
I know the writer means well but some of the stuff he's saying belongs in Alice in Wonderland..as I am sure some of mines probably does,
at Slims post..i get this image of him seething..made me laugh