How Pacemaker Transparency Can Boost Horse Racing Trust

Horse Racing Ireland and the British Horseracing Authority need to change the rules so pacemakers are clearly designated before the race.

That is the view of irishracing.com's Irish Angle team, who discussed the issue on this week's show following the Juddmonte International Stakes at the York Ebor Festival.

Birr Castle at 150-1 was given an enormous lead in the race and at one point looked like he may not be caught before stablemate Ombudsman and Delacroix made late gains.

It would not have been the first time a pacemaker has ended up winning a race in recent weeks after Qirat was a shock 150-1 winner of the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood when setting the pace for Field Of Gold.

The current rules in Ireland and the UK state that horses need to be ridden to achieve their best possible position and this contradicts the role of the pacemaker.

‘Punters Are Treated Like An Irrelevance'

“It was an extraordinary race to watch,” Johnny Ward said of the Juddmonte International Stakes on this week's Irish Angle show.

“I was thinking about it today, and I still can't get my head around it. If you ride a bike and go out in front, you've basically no chance — it's always easier being in a pack and getting the aerodynamic ease off the pacemaker.

“The same with driving an electric car: if you're behind something on the motorway, you use far less energy.

“I can't get my head around it, and jockeys will have to explain it to me, how can horses that go out in front, into the wind, can actually be advantaged?

“And when you have a pacemaker, does it matter if it's a headwind or a tailwind? I'm not sure. But how can you get a situation where Birr Castle — who isn't a bad horse — beats everything bar Ombudsman and Delacroix and Delacroix beat him by half a length?

“How does a pacemaker at a huge price get into such a situation where five other jockeys are either looking at each other thinking, ‘Have we let him go too far?' or, ‘Am I going to look a fool if I go after him?' It shouldn't happen. It shouldn't happen that this horse finishes so close to the first two and beats much shorter-priced horses. We saw it with Qirat as well.

“We do need to change the rules. Punters are treated like an irrelevance in races where you have a pacemaker who's gone in entirely to make the pace. If you're a punter, you don't necessarily know that. You have horses running where the trainer says afterwards, ‘He was 75% fit.'

“We need a situation now where if horses are put in as pacemakers or intended pacemakers, or if they aren't fit enough, or if the jockey isn't going to be fully vigorous, we need more information for punters. You can't rely on punters going into racing not knowing what's happening.”

Hong Kong Shows That Rules Need To Change

Emma Nagle pointed to Hong Kong where much more information is given about horses before the race and suggested a similar change in Ireland and the UK will keep punters and bookmakers engaged.

“I suppose it's a black spot in the rules, something that doesn't sit under the radar but just seems to be accepted,” she explained.

“It probably depends on a situational basis. With Birr Castle, I'd say he achieved beyond his best possible position by making the running in the Juddmonte.

“But a lot of the time the pacemaker drops away, even when they're good horses. We've seen the likes of Continuous used as a pacemaker this season, a Leger winner.

“Personally, I don't have a massive problem with pacemakers if they set the race up to be a true test, so be it.

“But maybe, like Johnny alluded to, connections should have to declare it going into a race. That way punters know and everyone knows. And if it doesn't transpire and they end up not making the pace, connections could be brought before the stewards and see what happens. It doesn't always happen, pacemakers don't always do their job.

“It's more of an issue when a yard has multiple runners and you're left guessing — is this horse going to make the pace, is that one, or are any of them?

“It can be a minefield, tactically, especially in small fields. At the top level you're left guessing what these horses are going to do and it can be unpredictable, which is difficult for punters.

“You see in Hong Kong and other jurisdictions, where more information is made available to punters before the race. If you're gathering data over a period of time, that will obviously be helpful for punters. You can get a gauge of how fit a horse is, how strong they have gotten from year-to-year.

“Providing as much information to punters is the best thing racing can do going down the line. Punters and bookmakers are steadily losing interest for various reasons.”

Watch The Irish Angle in Full

Providing as much information to punters is the best thing racing can do going down the line. Punters and bookmakers are steadily losing interest for various reasons.

Emma Nagle on the importance of changing the rules