No Going Back

There has been a conspicuous lack of charismatic leadership throughout the whip rules saga but those indignant jockeys so exercised by the BHA would do well to remember John F Kennedy’s old line: “We cannot negotiate with those who say ‘What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is negotiable.”

Let there be no doubt: the original BHA proposals from a fortnight ago, and their application, were always guaranteed to produce chaos. Righteousness was on the jockey’s side – up to a point.

When the BHA’s review group results came out on Friday, and Richard Hughes took it as his cue to resume race-riding, it seemed safe to presume that the road to an acceptable solution was open. The BHA had backed down, quite a bit really, considering this is British racing’s regulatory body, the ones ostensibly in charge. But with each passing day, Hughes’s colleagues seem to be getting even more strident in their opposition to any significant changes to the rules.

Ryan Moore has blatantly come out and said what many of his colleagues really want – a return to the old system. And that can’t be seen to happen. If it does, the BHA board may as well relocate their genitals to a brown paper bag.

Anyone with even a modicum of business sense knows that in any deal all the good-stuff can’t go one way. Even Paul Getty said the other side has to get some gravy because while you may get everything your own way once, the reputation that brings will put off everyone from having anything to do with you in future.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of the current whip debate, neither the BHA or the jockeys can be seen to come out as clear winners. The increasing militancy from the jockey’s room is undoubtedly heartfelt. Even the usually adroit Tony McCoy has said he is onside for any possible protest. But going back to the old system is not on politically.

It was interesting to see Aidan O’Brien not ruling out a Guineas tilt for Camelot next year after his Racing Post Trophy rout at the weekend. If it happens, it surely won’t be just this corner who will be amazed.

O’Brien is fond of saying that you can’t beat blood and while every horse is an individual, the evidence of another son of Montjeu, St Nicholas Abbey, can’t be ignored.

If anything he was even more impressive in his Doncaster blitz, winning by further and looking at least as quick as Camelot did in the process. St Nic’ was going to be the new Sea The Stars, starting off in the Guineas.

O’Brien must now suspect that was the wrong route to go with a son of Montjeu and it will be a major surprise if Camelot ever comes within a donkey’s screech of Doncaster.

Ever commercial, talk of the Guineas probably has at least one eye on future stallion brochures and the absolute requirement to stress speed in every stallion prospect.

Finally, in this age of determined transparency, it does seem an unusual step to say the least by the BHA to ban the media from attending the latest corruption case which began last week.

To have four jockeys and one trainer face charges of corruption, and the prospect of being banned from racing, right now must seem like kicking a man when he is down from a beleaguered BHA perspective.

And no doubt there are any number of legal complications that can be presented as justification for keeping the dreaded hack-pack out.

But in this day and age it does seem a bit much to go behind closed doors, even allowing for the timing and the desire to spare even more unwelcome headlines for racing.