Graham Cunningham on impending BBC Panorama programme regarding retired racehorses

Welfare in the spotlight as Panorama revisits racing

Monday July 19, 2021. A ‘Freedom Day’ for those who have been desperate for Covid restrictions to be lifted. And a testing night in store for those charged with defending racing’s reputation in the court of public opinion.

Only time will tell how damaging next Monday’s Panorama investigation into the way retired racehorses are treated will prove but public and industry response may well have much in common with the reaction to England’s agonising Euros defeat.

Kneejerk responses will almost certainly range from "disgrace" to a "time to get behind the team" and perhaps even a small group in the middle who ask “how can we learn and move forward from this?"

Sprinkle in a dash of "the BBC hates racing anyway" and most of the bases are probably covered but, in an era when much of racing’s media is little more than an extension of its PR arm, it would be as well to assess the evidence calmly and rationally before wagons are circled.

Panorama’s aim wasn’t always true in two previous forays into racing back in 2002 and 2008 but the news that they are returning to familiar ground – rumoured injunctions permitting - revives vivid memories of some major figures being accused of nefarious activity.

Those under 40 will probably have to Google it to find out – and boy is it worth the effort – but the late Jimmy FitzGerald turning a deeper shade of purple than usual as he snatches a letter about an alleged ‘no lose’ account with Victor Chandler rates high on any list of Panorama moments.

Kieren Fallon's death stare when approached at York by Panorama reporter Andy Davies over corruption allegations that eventually came to nothing is certainly on the podium.

And Willie Carson’s plaintive “I couldn’t save you but you said the right thing” as Davies collared Graham Bradley on his way back to the weighing room at Newbury is another definite medal contender.

Davies is Home Affairs Correspondent for Channel 4 News these days but Monday’s report will be anchored by an equally credible operator in Darragh MacIntyre, a salty veteran acclaimed for his work on the Troubles in Northern Ireland and this year’s 'Boxing and the Mob' investigation.

MacIntyre's findings from both sides of the Irish Sea will be studied closely with any perceived lack of balance sure to be seized on by a small but vocal section of the racing parish who find outside scrutiny at best uncomfortable and at worst intolerable.

But even the most one-eyed scrutiniser would concede that Panorama’s previous racing efforts led to meaningful change, with the 2002 episode revealing prehistoric flaws in the Jockey Club’s security department and the 2008 edition exposing integrity offences that had serious repercussions for riders like Fergal Lynch and Darren Williams.

Racing has polished up its act in many ways since those days, with the Irish Thoroughbred Agency one of numerous organisations doing good work in rehoming horses, while the inaugural National Racehorse Week this September will enable the public to see how thoroughbreds are cared for at more than a hundred training yards.

But it would be folly to deny that racing still faces serious welfare challenges and shining an outside light on some of its darker corners could help lead to a more open and across-the-board approach to the way retired horses are treated.

Like it or not, Panorama has chosen Freedom Day to remove racing's mask again. Doubtless parts of its face will blush, but accepting the burn may be essential if the sport as a whole wants to look in the mirror and continue to be comfortable with what it sees.

Galileo’s greatness proved a blessing from Above

He lasted until 23 but could easily have departed more than a decade earlier. And, for all the fine tributes paid to Galileo this week, the tale of how the world’s greatest stallion battled back from critical illness in 2008 still resonates.

News of the great stallion’s death last weekend had me rifling through the memory bank and bookcase for a couple of personal recollections and a vivid outline of the gruelling Christmas that almost saw him off.

The first involved heading to Southwell for a Fibresand gallop designed to prime Galileo for a clash with Tiznow and Sakhee in the BC Classic; the second involved seeing him gleaming with ageing and soon-to-depart great Danehill on a memorable trip to Coolmore in 2003; and the bookcase yielded one of those tales you want to be true even if it owes more to legend than hard fact.

If you haven’t read Mr Darley’s Arabian – Chris McGrath’s superb history of racing viewed through the story of 25 horses – then this is his tale of what happened late in 2008.

“On Christmas Day, three months after his surgery, the scars were still bleeding. Many horses would have been killed by his first bout of colic; the complication of a second attack, two days later, should absolutely have finished him off.

“Much credit for his survival went to Niall O’Riordan, a groom who for weeks tended Galileo around the clock. But O’Riordan describes how world-class veterinary surgeons were asked to step aside for the local priest, Father Tom Breen, to bless the stricken horse with holy water.

"They found it hard to disguise their contempt for this superstitious ritual. To O’Riordan, however, the horse’s return from the brink unmistakably began at that moment. Soon afterwards, he left Coolmore for a seminary."

Star helps Callan shine on farewell night

Leave them wanting more is seldom a bad motto and Neil Callan did just that on the final night of his decade-long stint in Hong Kong by producing a relentless drive to get Helene Wisdom Star home at Happy Valley’s final meeting of the season on Wednesday night.

Tony Cruz's gelding, known as Aerclub when winning both his starts for Henry de Bromhead, survived an objection to record his second HK success in a three-way photo and the restricted crowd responded by giving Callan a rousing send-off.

Callan’s numbers at the Valley and Sha Tin – with 283 winners for over £37m in total prize money – provide a striking illustration of the rewards on offer for those who make the grade in HK.

He now feels the time is right for a return home to wife Trish and four boys, but the experience of having to scrap for rides in a notoriously competitive arena will make him well equipped for the challenge of starting over back in Britain.

"The amount of jockeys that have come here from Britain and Ireland has depleted over the years, so I think I’ve more than held my own and I’m proud of what I’ve done," he said.

Callan tasted high-level success for Kevin Ryan, Roger Varian and Mark Johnston while topping the 100-winner mark eight times in the UK but he holds permanent resident status in HK and hasn’t closed the door on a return.

"It’s not sad because I think I’ll be back here one day," he added. If the chance arises in the future it would be easy to come in the winter months."

Meanwhile, the latest Euro import to HK is ending the season on a high. Harry Bentley has gradually picked up more support after a quiet start and followed a valuable Sunday success at Sha Tin on Preciousship with another win on Resolute at the Valley’s season finale.

Lantern shines further light on interference issue

Another major race, another winning rider banned. Sean Levey’s Falmouth win on Snow Lantern was one of the feelgood stories of the July Meeting but it cost him a six-day ban for sparking a domino effect which caused major or minor interference to four rivals.

Levey joins Jim Crowley (Mohaafeth), Oisin Murphy (Dragon Symbol) and William Buick (Hurricane Lane) in taking his medicine after getting to the line first in big races during the last month but two questions remain.

Does British racing simply keep shrugging its shoulders over rough riding when stakes are highest? Or do we wait for an innocent horse and rider to go down before more effective deterrents are discussed?

Random July Meeting Shots

Will Sir Ron Priestley stand in for stablemate Subjectivist in the Goodwood Cup? It’s surely well worth considering a supplement after his gutsy defeat of Al Aasy in the Princess of Wales’s Stakes.

Did Al Aasy shirk the issue? Not to the naked eye but his dreams of becoming a stallion are over after connections decided to geld him.

Is stablemate Baaeed the real deal? He certainly looks it after making Maximal and One Ruler look like second raters. Like Al Aasy, he’s a son of Sea The Stars. Unlike poor AA, his stud dreams are alive and kicking.

Can Sandrine taste top level success? Andrew Balding’s filly has G3 and G2 rosettes after following her Albany win with an emphatic Duchess of Cambridge Stakes success. More will be needed if she goes for the Cheveley Park but it would be great to see D Probert land his first G1 after 15 years and over 1000 UK winners.

Snow Lantern – Sussex or Nassau? A tricky one. The Sussex means banging heads with top colts and the Nassau means risking her strong-willed nature over an extra two furlongs. Getting cover suited her perfectly in the Falmouth but she’s bred to stay ten furlongs well and so the Nassau looks the go.

Motakhayyel is Timeform 127 after his Bunbury Cup romp? Indeed he is and there’s no reason to doubt this was one of the best handicap efforts in many moons. Frankie first time worked a treat on the Hannon gelding, who can carry a 3lb penalty in the big seven-furlong handicap on King George day.

What next for Starman and the other the July Cup principals? The Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville has to be worth considering for the impressive winner. Tim Easterby is eyeing the same race for gallant fourth Art Power, while runner-up Dragon Symbol is surely worth stepping down to five furlongs for a dart at Battaash and co at Glorious Goodwood.