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Brian O'Connor

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The Trump Diplomatic Playbook

Royal AscotRoyal Ascot
© Photo Healy Racing

Given the firepower he's bringing to Royal Ascot Aidan O'Brien might be accused of bringing a howitzer to a gun fight. Only O'Brien and the legendary Henry Cecil have ever trained seven winners at a single Royal Ascot. Come Saturday evening it would be no surprise to see the Irishman hold that particular record on his own.

O'Brien can call on up to ten ante-post favourites for the most competitive week's racing of the year, including Ten Sovereigns (Commonwealth Cup,) Magical (Prince Of Wales's Stakes,) Hermosa (Coronation Stakes) and Le Brivido in Tuesday's opening Queen Anne Stakes.

There's a perfectly realistic chance of an eighth Gold Cup as last year's Leger hero Kew Gardens gets upped to the marathon trip and presenting the reigning champion stayer Stradivarius with perhaps the biggest challenge of his career.

Then there's ample evidence that the Ballydoyle juvenile team are more forward than most other years which combined with even more ample evidence of O'Brien's capacity to peak his charges at this time of year makes for an intimidating prospect for all his opposition.

Just as intimidating is Ballydoyle's strength in depth which was once again highlighted by that spectacular Epsom Derby result where only Madhmoon prevented O'Brien saddling the first five home.

There will be intense focus this week on warm Group One favourites such as Ten Sovereigns who looks a fascinating sprint prospect after failing at a mile in the Guineas. Le Brividio too is intriguing considering a lot went wrong for him in Newbury's Lockinge yet nothing wound up finishing better.

But the depth of talent O'Brien can call on is reflected in how he has saddled a 33-1 winner and a 14-1 winner in the last couple of years at Ascot. It all makes for abundant ammunition to secure a tenth leading trainer award in all and move his overall Royal Ascot record on significantly from a current mark of 65 winners.

Surely the bet of the week though is that the world's most successful trainer won't be summoned into any pre-race enquiry and asked to tell the BHA what riding instructions he's going to give Ryan Moore or how he thinks Ten Sovereigns etc are going to perform.

Then again, given the BHA's clumsy capacity for shooting itself in the foot, you never know. O'Brien is after all Irish and it seems the integrity section of British racing's ruling body confines such summonses to trainers based here.

Charles Byrnes described as an 'interrogation' what happened to him in Carlisle last week before his runner Mr Smith won a handicap. It was the third time this year Byrnes has been quizzed by race-day stewards before a race. Denis Hogan has also had it happen to him three times when running horses in Britain.

All of which is no biggie. In a game where it's a frequent criticism that not enough questions get asked such quizzing is in itself not a problem.

However there's a glaring perception issue in how Byrnes and Hogan have apparently been the only two trainers this year to appear in front a BHA pre-race enquiry and expected to outline detailed riding instruction that they're giving their jockeys.

You don't have to be any kind sleuth to see the common denominator is that both trainers are Irish.

Clearly the rules allow the BHA conduct such enquiries if they have potential integrity concerns. And there's always an element of damned if they do and damned if they don't about such matters. But are we really expected to believe that so far in 2019 concerns requiring such interviews have only cropped up about two trainers who've crossed the water?

Diplomacy often appears to not be a priority with the BHA. They have after all effectively thumbed their nose at Irish racing's drug-testing system by insisting on carrying out their own dope testing prior to major meeting in recent years. You can't say they haven't had cause either considering this jurisdiction's history of such cases in recent years.

But exercising their powers solely in relation to two Irish trainers looks like the BHA is taking a leaf out of the Trump diplomatic playbook.

Yes Byrnes has a reputation for pulling off gambles. Hogan is also known to a be shrewd operator. But some of the biggest stables in the sport, many of them in Britain, are renowned for being gambling yards. Some of their major owners are famed for liking a bet. A few of the trainers aren't averse to a punt either. There's nothing wrong with that.

Yet it seems that only when two mid-table Irish trainers send runners to Britain that regulatory muscle gets flexed in relation to pre-race questioning. It seems unlikely. Then again maybe any suspicions about a possible bias will be assuaged this week if some of the great and the better at Ascot decide to go for broke and get hauled in beforehand!

The formal appointment of LGC to be Irish racing's drug testing lab occurred last week, more than six months after it was originally intended to happen. It has a two year contract with the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board until the start of 2021. LGC has been used by the IHRB since ceasing to use its old lab at the start of last year.

Since then Irish racing has reeled from a spike in positive drug test results including a number of high profile cases where cobalt has been detected. The manner in which information was released by the IHRB on the back of those cases only seemed to muddy things even more. It is to be hoped that this appointment formalises a system which in future also makes greater transparency a priority.

Hair-trigger outrage appears to be the default setting of so many people these days so Danny Sheehy had barely pulled up on De Mazzaro at Fairyhouse on Friday night when online frontier justice kicked in. Except what at first glance looked a case of non-trier turned out to be a young apprentice jockey trying too hard.

When Sheehy started to ride out the horse he dislocated his shoulder, an agonising injury that made it all the more commendable how the rider steered a safe path through the closing stages. It was noticeable though how well De Mazzaro finished without urging from the saddle, something that might be usefully kept in mind tactically next time he runs.

Finally I can't take credit for the headline but the following link provides an update on the mysterious whistling sound that prompted such attention at the Curragh on Irish 1,000 Guineas day and which doesn't look like being sorted out in time for the Derby: Answer to Curragh’s mysterious whistling sound blowing in the wind