Irish owners, poor things!

krizon

krizon

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I think the Irish owners should start a rebellion: I had the pleasure of the new Financial Controller at Plumpton, Michael, visiting my desk yesterday. Among a heap of things - his Dad runs Galway r/c - he said that Irish owners have nothing like the UK's Owners' Badge Scheme where, provided you have (or now, in desperation, have had) 50% ownership of a nag, you can apply for a card which will provide you with free entry to all UK courses, bar on the big festivals. It costs nothing itself to join (it's the annually renewable membership of the Racehorse Owners' Association - the ROA - which does). He was also quite surprised by Plumpton offering up to six complimentary badges per runner - I've saved the shock of Northern Racing offering up to eight for later!

Considering that Irish owners have to pay just as high fees as over here, I'd have thought the least their owners' association could do would be to offer them such a facility.
 
krizon said:
Considering that Irish owners have to pay just as high fees as over here, I'd have thought the least their owners' association could do would be to offer them such a facility.
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I'm on the Owners Association Council and would agree with you. However, it is worth remembering a few points. Until last year, the owners association in Ireland had under 200 members. Since introducing a Chris Kinane style insurance product with membership we have increased the membership to 1,700 including the Aga Khan and Sheikh Mohammed. However, while the "new" Association has significantly increased powers with the membership numbers, it is still run as if it has 200 members. So alas, I'm not sure what will happen but I am trying to eek a "vision" out of them. New website will launch at christmas which is a starter for ten.

I think you will also find the owners badge allocation increasing and the owners facilities improve in general.
 
Bar, there are monster fields in Irish races under both codes, so a win is like the Second Coming - a bloody miracle, unless your name rhymes with Tabor, Magnier, or McManus. Prize money's nothing to do with it - the UK's badge scheme has been going for several years, which include those when prize money was significantly fatter. It's a way to keep up membership as a lobbying force, and to recognise that for all those owners who enjoy the occasional rarity of a winning horse, all who apply can enjoy a day's racing for free when their horse isn't running, is OOT, or they're 'between horses'.

Membership of the ROA itself gives owners in the UK £10m worth of liability insurance, should their animal kick the bejaysus out of anyone, free legal advice, discounts off loads of products and services, a monthly magazine of note, windscreen label for access to OTs car parks, etc. This year it's £210 to join or renew ROA membership - and then owners can separately, as I've said, join the badge scheme without further cost, to be admitted free to UK courses.

I'm a bit stunned to see the Irish association was so poorly supported, Cantoris. Best of luck with your efforts to galvanise it into a more animated state!
 
Think I`d still rather settle for the higher prize money. You can`t feed the beasts on free admission to the course. The lobbying strength is essential but when are they going to get us a reasonable prize money system
 
krizon said:
This year it's £210 to join or renew ROA membership - and then owners can separately, as I've said, join the badge scheme without further cost, to be admitted free to UK courses.
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Irish owners association is €65. I presume the ROA makes a contribution to the racecourses for the badge scheme. My view would be that it is worth €100 i.e. 10 meetings per member at €10 per meeting. So Irish association could charge €165 a year. But that is a jump they will not consider. Only the plus side, members will soon be able to get a chunky discount on RP pics, just like ROA.
 
Roddy Owen said:
Think I`d still rather settle for the higher prize money. You can`t feed the beasts on free admission to the course. The lobbying strength is essential but when are they going to get us a reasonable prize money system
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There's the Tariff Roddy - though that doesn't seem to be doing much good for the jump boys and on the flat it's only accomplishment so far has been to get races downgraded at the request of big trainers to meet the tariff.

Will be an interesting winter ahead though I'd like to see more of the levy money being put towards race prize money rather than lining pockets as seems to be the current situation.
 
I understand, Roddy, but I don't think you can over-egg the custard for owners. They should be treated as well as is possible, and then a bit more. They should be valued far, far more than they are at present. Billions of pounds of betting takes place because people are decent enough to buy the breeders' products. Feck all comes back to either from the industry in any real sense, since prize money is almost all now down to finding sponsors.

For me, owners should be on a par with royalty - except that in the case of owners, they actually contribute to tens of thousands of jobs directly and indirectly, supporting any amount of other businesses - feed, bedding, transport, vets, farriers, rugmakers, saddlers, silks makers, betting shop staff, cameramen, caterers, equine product manufacturers, photographers, journalists, tipsters... there's an enormous and largely unique list of dependents. You can breed all the finest foals you like, but unless people are willing to buy them, it counts for nought.

Wait 'til I win those Euromillions and build a really first-class course - then you'll see what I mean! ;)
 
Roddy

Any temptation to run any of yours in Ireland. Must be closer to Bowen's than a lot of the UK tracks! Not sure how the official marks disparity works out these days though.
 
Ah - interesting thought. That leads me to ask if any temptation to run any in France? So much more money, and you will be treated with the respect every owner deserves, and that's regardless of what sort of horse you take there. Owners who've toddled over to see their horses run report being treated far better than the best of British courses (that's not actually saying a lot) with accommodation found and reserved, inquiries as to whether they have a car or will require that to be booked, superb free lunch, you name it. And that was without winning!
 
krizon said:
I understand, Roddy, but I don't think you can over-egg the custard for owners. They should be treated as well as is possible, and then a bit more. They should be valued far, far more than they are at present. Billions of pounds of betting takes place because people are decent enough to buy the breeders' products. Feck all comes back to either from the industry in any real sense, since prize money is almost all now down to finding sponsors.

For me, owners should be on a par with royalty - except that in the case of owners, they actually contribute to tens of thousands of jobs directly and indirectly, supporting any amount of other businesses - feed, bedding, transport, vets, farriers, rugmakers, saddlers, silks makers, betting shop staff, cameramen, caterers, equine product manufacturers, photographers, journalists, tipsters... there's an enormous and largely unique list of dependents. You can breed all the finest foals you like, but unless people are willing to buy them, it counts for nought.

Wait 'til I win those Euromillions and build a really first-class course - then you'll see what I mean! ;)
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I've been arguing the same for years, with regards the treatment on racedays but certain people seem to believe owners should be treated no different to anybody else and shouldn't get any 'freebies' because they 'can afford to buy them'.
 
I never look upon them as freebies - rather, gestures to demonstrate how valued owners should be, especially those who repeatedly run their horses at the same course, or whose horses form the main draw for the crowd. I don't suppose winning Arab owners in attendance at Goodwood, for example, would take a glass of champagne in the winner's suite, but I know of several drink-friendly winning owners who were sternly told "that's your limit" when they drank their half-glass and politely inquired if there was a drop more. I assume that the sheikhs are limited to half a glass of orange juice, and then told that's all the Tropicana they're going to get, as they can afford to buy their own.
 
davidjohnson said:
Roddy

Any temptation to run any of yours in Ireland. Must be closer to Bowen's than a lot of the UK tracks! Not sure how the official marks disparity works out these days though.
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Huge temptaion and we have had runners there. Not often enough in my view. But if the prize money here doesn`t improve we will have to race there or France
 
Probably worth going more often tbh Roddy - a lot of their races are weighted based on prize money won so even your more successful horses would probably be off a fair racing weight and possibly against inferior opposition.

Alan Potts won one of my favourite French races of the year the Grand Steeplechase De Dieppe yesterday with the ex-De Bromhead trained Kotkidy yesterday - Nick Williams also had runners on the card (Sarika last of 5 finishers and Maljimar who was PU).
 
Was prize money through to sixth place, IS? I'd have thought that even a gallant fifth in a race of that quality would net you more than a closer placing in the UK? You're the whizz on French jumps - is there any chance you would be able to pop up a few comparatives in prize monies? Don't do it if it would bore the culottes off you, of course!
 
Will do when I get a chance Kri - FWIW the race was a lot grander 100 years ago and is now effectively a 22k conditions chase for horses who haven't won over fences in a while.
 
£22K? For not-so-hot horses? :blink: Yeah, we've got loads of that sort of prize money for our hasbeens - not! Cheers, Martin, that'd be great when you get a spare mo. Ta.
 
krizon said:
£22K? For not-so-hot horses? :blink: Yeah, we've got loads of that sort of prize money for our hasbeens - not! Cheers, Martin, that'd be great when you get a spare mo. Ta.
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It's like everything Kri - the punters need the owners and breeders and so on.

Unfortunately keeping money in "racing" ie. the pockets of owners, trainers, punters is what's the problem - and it's something everyone needs to sit down and discuss, there's too much money leaving via big bookies (not the small ones and the on-course operators but the likes of Ladbrokes, Hills, Betfred etc) and via racecourses.

Think Kotkidy was officially rated 126 over both hurdles and fences when trained in Ireland, Sarika wouldn't be anywhere near that.

Martin
 
krizon said:
I never look upon them as freebies - rather, gestures to demonstrate how valued owners should be, especially those who repeatedly run their horses at the same course, or whose horses form the main draw for the crowd. I don't suppose winning Arab owners in attendance at Goodwood, for example, would take a glass of champagne in the winner's suite, but I know of several drink-friendly winning owners who were sternly told "that's your limit" when they drank their half-glass and politely inquired if there was a drop more. I assume that the sheikhs are limited to half a glass of orange juice, and then told that's all the Tropicana they're going to get, as they can afford to buy their own.
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I wouldn't believe that for one second, Kri. I once saw several of Sheikh Mohammed's party, in the owners & trainers bar at Royal Ascot 2004, hiding pints of bitter behind their racecards and taking regular, rapid sips.
 
That's a bit different - subterfuge - from being given a glass of champers in a setting where people will very definitely see you drink it, Simon. Goodwood's winner's suite is bang next to their bar, and they're totally glass - anyone can see in. The key to enjoying what you shouldn't be doing is pretending you're not doing it. But you didn't see Sheikh Mo drinking, did you? And that's another big difference. I know only too well about crates of Chivas being glugged by Arab Muslims in hotels - again, doing something they shouldn't be doing, but not being seen doing it. Same-same with the lady 'friends' who stay over.
 
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Maybe some of the runners in the group 3 first race at Newmarket should have tried their luck in the Nursery at Dundalk of similar value, albeit a couple of furlongs shorter.
 
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