England's Misfortune Is Ireland's Opportunity The jargon industry thrives on turning the language of disaster into phrases such as 'challenge' and 'opportunity.' But contrary to most other sectors, and without wishing to accentuate the positive too much, there is a chance Britain's disastrous 'Brexit' policy could turn out to be a good thing for Irish racing. In fact without totally eliminating the negative, and depending on the bounce of the political ball, this 'Brexit' challenge really could be an opportunity for the sport and industry to improve. It depends on a number of things going right of course, the most vital of which is that Britain doesn't politically combust on the back of this very English urge to get their country back. And considering who's involved in the decision-making that's no sure-thing. But conversely it's possible to argue that all this 'Brexit' uncertainty is prodding the racing authorities in Ireland, France and Britain into very positive steps in terms of finding a workable alternative to the tripartite agreement in time for the UK's eventual exit from the EU. Suddenly traceability is a live ambition rather than a flaky aspiration. The capacity to trace a thoroughbred from birth to death should have long since been a basic requirement but there was little political will to do so. There is now. Such traceability ties in with the prospect of a long-awaited Anti-Doping Protocol which now appears likely to be introduced. Progress on the jurisdictional issue, with a potential Service Level Agreement giving Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board officials similar entry powers to Department of Agriculture officials, emphasises how necessity can be the mother of invention. This represents real progress and potentially real improvement in standards. And it could be argued such steps are part of a broader determination within the Irish racing and bloodstock sector to put on its best bib and tucker and present its very best side. And it's doing it because there's general recognition that it's in its own self interest to persuade others it's as special as it believes itself to be. New European animal health legislation is due in 2020. Apparently there is general agreement that the best route out of this 'Brexit' mess is to persuade the European Commission to create a new category in that legislation for thoroughbreds. Such a new category could maintain the ease of movement that currently exists. That means persuading them with the seriousness of how Europe's big three thoroughbred powers go about their business. That in turn means the rigorous application of the highest standards in relation to animal welfare, disease control, vaccinations, micro-chipping, passport regulation and a hosts of other issues that can only serve to be of the industry's ultimate good. It's the Commission that will decide. The Tripartite agreement might go back to the 1960's, pre-dating the 1973 entry of Ireland and Britain into Europe, but there's no solo run option here since the old arrangement became part of EU law almost a decade ago. Putting thoroughbreds into a potentially new and superior 'High Health Horse' category will mirror the old tripartite arrangement but under new EU law. Make it happen and it could be the silver bullet to get everyone out of this mess. It's in that context that a proposed transition period going as far as 2021 actually helps. The tripartite agreement has to last until there's a definitive exit since there's no alternative. And by then the Commission is likely to have decided. Logically it surely has no reason not to be persuaded. There's a lot that could go wrong yet. Boris Johnson & Co have to restrain their more extreme Colonel Blimp tendencies. The DUP can't be spooked. But the potential is there for racing here to actually emerge from this 'Brexit' mess in considerably better shape than it was. And as silver linings go that would be no bad outcome. So hopefully no one messes with Mr In-Between. More immediately racing's focus will be on a forthcoming decision from the Department of Business, Enterprise & Innovation about a derogation from new employment legislation that could restore stable staff to the status of agricultural workers. Dire forecasts have been made in the event of such a restoration not happening. The Trainers Association has again predicted there will have to be serious changes in terms of Sunday and midweek evening racing should no derogation be forthcoming. The staff simply aren't there, it argues, to allow people go racing and also fulfil the strict working time regulations about leaving eleven hours between periods of work. There was a sneak preview yesterday of what a blank Sunday feels like. Reaction was mostly positive, publicly at least. And it's perfectly valid to argue that five blank Sundays for flat racing during the summer is the sort of move that acknowledges how important stable staff are as well as being a step towards improving their working conditions. Bookies might crib but when don't they. It's interesting to ponder however how many other sports would so readily give up a prime Sunday date. It's the day after all when much of the public is off work and so represents the best opportunity to attract people through the turnstiles. It's the shop-window date for pitching what you've got. This is no black and white issue. There's no doubt that racing struggles in comparison to the GAA in particular during the summer when it comes to attracting floating customers. And the way the game is financially structured means that doesn't really count. No one can argue either about the need to attract and keep more stable staff. But allowing for all that the concept of blank Sundays somehow still doesn't sit entirely right. On one hand there's a touch of insularity to it that signals all too clearly how encouraging people to go racing doesn't really matter. And on the other there's a sense of defeatism about not even bothering to try to change that. It's a difficult one. Justify completed the US Triple Crown with total authority in Saturday night's Belmont Stakes and joined a dozen others on one of the sport's most exclusive rolls of honour. Considering how much he has packed into just a four month racing career Justify really is a remarkable colt and the sort of star American racing can enjoy hanging its hat on. From a more local point of view however it was the performance of the horse that chased him home that startled. Gronkowski earned a Kentucky Derby ticket after winning at Newcastle in March, missed the 'Run for the Roses' after a setback, switched to New York trainer Chad Brown, and proceeded to run an extraordinary race in the Belmont on his comeback. He blew the break and trailed the field before carving through them on his first ever start on dirt. Clearly Gronkowski is remarkably adaptable. But few on this side of the pond ever expressed truly top-class ambitions for him. Yet he was as best of the rest behind as good a dirt champion as we've seen in a long time. And it was a reminder of how Mendelssohn was supposed to be the top-notch Euro before enduring a nightmare on the slop in Louisville. If Gronkowski can give Justify a race in his first start on dirt it begs some questions. One is was a trick missed in Mendelssohn not being in the Belmont line-up. The other is what might happen if or when both Justify and Mendelssohn line up for the Breeders Cup Classic. Because this dirt game really is difficult to predict.
